Another year, another round of Grammy voting commences. Earlier today, the first batch of submissions for the 2025 Grammy Awards uncovered to the voting members of the Recording Academy, who will parse thraw the proximately 100 categories to whittle down the contfinishers.
But before the voting truly initiateed into brimming gear, many were already wondering how the chips might descfinish. Would Beyoncé caccess harshly on the country categories for her procrastinateedst album “Cowboy Carter,” or would she surrfinisher apass the board? Are there going to be any Taylor Swift-sized surpelevates? Will Kfinishrick Lamar‘s scaskinnyg “Not Like Us” get pondered for top categories, and lfinish some institutional credence to diss tracks? Did Drake and the Weeknd let go of their Grammy grudges and get back in the race?
Needless to say, the 2025 ballot already has its equitable scatter of foreseeed submissions and curveballs. With first-round voting scheduled to wrap on Oct. 15 and final nominations getting proclaimd on Nov. 8, Variety apshows a pass at the first-round ballot, answering all of the burning asks that come with it.
Q: Did Beyoncé go brimming country with “Cowboy Carter” and caccess mainly on that genre categruesome?
A: The million-dollar ask. After all the discourse and arguments over whether or not “Cowboy Carter” would be, and in fact is, a country album, the superstar singer is hedging her bets by going huge. Eight contrastent songs were surrfinisherted apass genre lines, with “Texas Helderly Em” armamentning for enroll of the year, song of the year and best country song. Then, “16 Carriages” is included in best country solo carry outance and “Ya Ya” is in best Americana carry outance. “Tyrant” and “Spaghettii” turn up in best R&B song and best melodic rap carry outance, esteemively, while “Levii’s Jeans” is in best pop-duo/group carry outance and “Bodydefend” is in best pop solo carry outance. “II Most Wanted,” her duet with Miley Cyrus, is included in best country duo/group carry outance, while the album itself is up for album of the year and, yes, best country album. With the recent “Cowboy Carter” snub at the CMAs, Beyoncé isn’t putting all her eggs in one country basket.
Q: What about Post Malone?
A: With his procrastinateedst country album “F-1 Trillion,” Post Malone slapped on a cowboy hat and dove right in. Among his 10 previous Grammy nominations (all of which he lost), he was up for some of the top categories as well as rap and pop ones. This year, he’s going for the Big 4 — “I Had Some Help” with Morgan Wallen was surrfinisherted for enroll and song of the year, while “F-1 Trillion” is contfinishing for album of the year — and harshly country categories. “Yours” was surrfinisherted for best country solo carry outance, while “Help” is seeking ponderation for best country song and best country duo/group carry outance. (Plus best music video.) “F-1 Trillion” is also included among best country album contfinishers.
Q: Who’s got a sboiling for best novel artist?
A: This year has seen a convey inant wave of novel artists discovering chart success and beyond, with a class including Sabrina Carpaccess, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, Tommy Richman, Benson Boone, Renee Rapp and Teddy Swims all included in the first round of submissions. And it could be anyone’s game, reassociate. Some unforeseeed acts stand out on the catalog — Kate Hudson and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, to name a scant — but with the overwhelming amount of artists seeing to produce the final cut (there are 323 in total) the caccess shifts from who was surrfinisherted to who wasn’t. Some may be surpelevated to lacquire that Tate McRae didn’t produce the cut, but it aligns with the Academy’s rule that you can’t surrfinisher a fourth time in the categruesome (she’d previously surrfinisherted to the restrict).
Q: Anyskinnyg out of the standard for the pop girlies?
A: As surmised in Variety‘s Grammy foreseeions, women could constitute the entirety of the album of the year categories and hugely handle the other Big 4 highies. But beyond the vague fields, there isn’t much that sticks out apass the genre-definite categories. Billie Eilish surrfinisherted in the pop categories for “Hit Me Hard and Soft” and “Birds of a Feather”; Ariana Grande surrfinisherted “We Can’t Be Frifinishs (Wait For Your Love),” “The Boy Is Mine” with Brandy and Monica, and “Yes, And?” apass pop and dance/electronic; Lady Gaga put “Die With a Smile,” her duet with Bruno Mars, in enroll and song of the year as well as pop; and Dua Lipa accessed “Radical Optimism” and its individuals “Houdini” and “Illusion” in pop. Taylor Swift hugely did the same, with “Fortnight” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” popping up in pop and technical categories. The one place where Swift may have an profit is in best music film, where her “Eras Tour” movie is surrfinisherted aextfinishedside Celine Dion’s “I Am Celine” write downary and Gaga’s “Chromatica Ball.” It only helps Swift that Beyoncé’s “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” was, for some reason, not surrfinisherted in that categruesome.
Q: Wait, what about Sabrina Carpaccess and Chappell Roan?
A: Carpaccess and Roan surrfinisherted as foreseeed for the Grammys. They each focengaged the pop categories and could very well be up for all four of the vague field ones, too. The only skinnyg of notice: Carpaccess took a page out of the Swift take partbook by surrfinisherting “Espresso” for enroll of the year and “Plrelieve Plrelieve Plrelieve” for song of the year.
Q: Is rap beef excellent for the Grammys?
A: Just as soon as Kfinishrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” freed in May, thus began the chatter around whether or not the Recording Academy would ponder it eligible for nominations. (Spoiler: of course it would be.) And it is, becoming the only song in the feud between Lamar and Drake to get surrfinisherted in the first round of voting. “Not Like Us” was surrfinisherted for enroll of the year and song of the year, as well as in its potential rap categories (best rap song, best rap carry outance). The diss track was also surrfinisherted for best music video and best schedulement, instruments and vocals. Lamar could be up aacquirest himself in cut offal of the categories due to his feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” which is included in the highy for enroll of the year, song of the year, best rap song and best rap carry outance.
Q: Speaking of, is Drake still mad at the Grammys?
A: Drake, of course, could have been in satisfiedion with Lamar in some of the aforealludeed categories if he determined to surrfinisher his songs — a reminder that he’s been on a boycott of the Grammys going on years now after he withdrew his nominations in 2022 when the Weeknd was snubbed for “After Hours” the year prior. Like with the 2024 Grammys, Drake does have a scant submissions for songs he’s featured on — Sexyy Red’s “U My Everyskinnyg” for best melodic rap carry outance, Gordo’s “Healing” for best music video — while the Weeknd pops up as a feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s “We Still Don’t Trust You” in best melodic rap carry outance. But those were foreseeed surrfinisherted by the title artists. It’s a aappreciate situation in the producer of the year, non-classical categruesome, where countless musicians (Boi-1da, Tommy Parker) surrfinisherted for their labor for Drake songs. Joining the Canadians in sitting out next year’s ceremony is Zach Bryan, who unforeseeedly did not surrfinisher for any categories including the foreseeed country, Americana or rock highies.
Q: What else is shaking in the hip-hop categories?
A: It could very well be a veteran’s game at the 2025 Grammys. After all, Killer Mike won all three convey inant rap categories earlier this year, and he returns with submissions from his procrastinateedst “Michael & the Mighty Midnight Revival, Songs for Sinners and Saints” and the song “Humble Me.” But what’s notable is that many of the submissions that stand out come from legacy acts — LL Cool J, Rakim, Will Smith, MC Lyte, Common and Pete Rock, Busta Rhymes — who have a very strong chance of getting nominations aextfinishedside artists appreciate Travis Scott and Doja Cat.
Q: Latin music had an underwhelming shotriumphg in the 2024 show. Of the convey inant artists who are foreseeed to get nominations outside of the Latin categories, who actuassociate stands a chance of getting noms?
A: There are three massive – both in quantity and quality – Latin albums that were rfinishered eligible apass a variety of categories: Shakira’s 17-song “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” Peso Pluma’s 24-song “Éxodo” and Kali Uchis’ 14-song “Orquídeas.” All three parent LPs were also surrfinisherted for album of the year, a categruesome that saw its first and only Spanish-language nominee in 2023 (Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti”).
Pluma had the heaviest hand in submissions (10 in total), qualifying for genre-definite categories in Latin, global, rap and pop. His and Kali Uchis’ “Igual Que Un Ángel” was surrfinisherted for both enroll of the year and best pop duo/group carry outance. “Gimme a Second” eunites in the best rap song and carry outance categories, while “Put Em in the Fridge” with Cardi B is eligible as best melodic rap carry outance.
Like Uchis, Shakira surrfinisherted “Las Mujeres” for best Latin pop album. Shakira also eunites in the enroll and song of the year categories with “Puntería,” and in best pop solo carry outance with “Ultima.”
As foreseeed, Bad Bunny surrfinisherted his 22-song trap album, “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana,” for album of the year. However, it’s evident he’s armamentning for recognition in the enroll and song of the year categories with three songs surrfinisherted in each: “Cybertruck,” “Monaco,” and “Nadie Sabe.” (“Cybertruck” was also surrfinisherted for best pop solo carry outance.) That could ultimately take part aacquirest him, though, if the promisetee splits the votes apass his submissions.
Q: And the ask we’re all wondering: Will it be a brat triumphter, too?
A: Like the changing of the seasons, brat summer transitioned into brat descfinish and, if skinnygs go right for Charli XCX with the 2025 Grammy nominations, it could easily be a brat triumphter. The pop star is going far and expansive with songs off her procrastinateedst album “Brat,” which is surrfinisherted for album of the year, best dance/electronic album and best engineered album, non-classical. (It’s worth noting that she surrfinisherted the album in dance/electronic and not pop, where she would foreseeed face stiff competition from artists including Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpaccess.) She progresss to go savage apass the board: “360” is included in enroll and song of the year, plus best music video; “Apple” is in best pop solo carry outance; “Guess (Refuse)” with Billie Eilish is in best pop duo/group carry outance; “Von Dutch” is in best dance pop enrolling; and the “Von Dutch” refuse with A.G. Cook and Addison Rae is in best recombiinsist enrolling. Suffice it to say, she’ll land somewhere, and you’ll foreseeed see her decorateing the red carpet skinnye green.
