TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps and it determines what becomes trendy. It’s no different for music on the app. When judges vote for the Grammys they are told to pick whoever is most deserving of the award and showcases what it’s looking for. There have been some suspicions that whatever is the most popular or gives the most promo to an artist it will win the category. Even though that isn’t confirmed, it’s been used to determine whose winning in each category. TikTok can make or break an artist and/or their work. For someone like Harry Styles it really helps him because he has grown his fanbase through TikTok which helps his odds in winning the categories he’s been nominated for.

The 65th annual Grammy Awards ceremony happened on Feb. 5. Awards go to people who created outstanding achievements in the music industry and the people who vote on who gets the award are The Recording Academy, which is made up of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other musical professionals. The Grammys feature 91 different categories with the main feature being the general field also known as the “big four” which includes Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. The nomination list was released on Nov. 15 and that’s when people got on the internet and began to debate and whose going to win. I was a little disappointed when looking at the lists, music released this year felt bland and overplayed. That doesn’t mean there weren’t any good artists. The nominations were alright.

Record of the Year

The Nominations in this category were… Don’t Shut Me Down – ABBA • Easy On Me Adele • BREAK MY SOUL – Beyoncé • Good Morning Gorgeous – Mary J. Blige • You And Me On The Rock – Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius • Woman – Doja Cat • Bad Habit – Steve Lacy • The Heart Part 5 – Kendrick Lamar • 
About Damn Time – Lizzo • As It Was – Harry Styles

Some confuse Record of the Year and Song of the Year because both feature a single song, however, the Record of the Year recognizes all the people involved in making the song like the producer, singer and engineers, while Song of the Year only recognizes the singer and song writing. People in the Academy vote on what should win; they’re supposed to pick their favorite and what they think fits the category best. It is speculated that they normally cast their vote for what gains the most media attention and is the most popular. When looking at the nomination list, my predictions for Record of the Year automatically go to Beyoncé, Harry Styles, or Adele. All albums are mainstream and anyone on the internet would recognize at least one song from each of them.

Adele makes the most sense as being the winner in this section. “Easy On Me” was one of the most successful songs of 2022 which almost guarantees its winning spot. As Adele showcases pain and vulnerability, we can see how much passion Adele has in her music.

Beyoncé and Harry Styles also have great songs that gained so much love, however, in this category, Adele does shine brighter so their chances drop.

Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” is my personal favorite from the nominations, but I don’t think it will take the top spot this year. The song is a catchy mix of R&B and indie. It blew up on TikTok and introduced many to Steve Lacy, which made many people believe the song got ruined. During his Oct. 2022 concerts a majority of his fans would only sing his more popular songs and were quiet on the less known ones which has lead to him having a negative reaction towards it and doing things like ending concerts early. People online started talking some made jokes about his actions. I don’t think it’s going to win because it wasn’t as big of a hit as the other nominations, but it does deserve a nod.

2022 Favorite: “Bad Habit” – Steve Lacy

2022 Prediction: “Easy On Me” – Adele

Album of the Year

The Nominations in this category were… Voyage – ABBA • 30 – Adele • Un Verano Sin Ti – Bad Bunny • RENAISSANCE – Beyoncé • Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe) – Mary J. Blige • In These Silent Days – Brandi Carlile • Music Of The Spheres – Coldplay • Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers – Kendrick Lamar • Special – Lizzo • Harry’s House – Harry Styles

Album of the Year is the most talked about category, and this year’s top contenders are Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Adele and Bad Bunny. You can argue that any of them could win. However, I would say it’s going to come down to Harry vs. Beyoncé for this award. Adele has won album of the year two times in the past for “21” and “25”. A lot of people speculate that in her last acceptance speech, she hinted that Beyoncé should’ve gotten the award.

Harry Styles’s “Harry’s House” takes a lot of influence from Japan’s city pop genre. It’s a hit on TikTok with “As It Was” and “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” being popular audios people use. It helped him because people received it positively and his fanbase grew off of TikTok. When it debuted, it was number one on the UK album charts. His voice captures the heart of many and fans relate to him because of how he expresses himself and isn’t ashamed of who he is.

“RENAISSANCE” is Beyoncé’s seventh studio album and is a mix of dance, pop, and R&B. It was new and surprising. It received so much positive feedback from everybody. Beyoncé is loved by many, not only because of her musical talent, but also because she represents people of color and believes in empowering women, so I think she is going to win in this category. She has been nominated twice before for Album of the Year and has yet to win, if she doesn’t win, the Grammy Awards reputation is going to plummet because of Beyoncé’s large fanbase. Renaissance means rebirth and her album “RENAISSANCE” shows that. We are in times where many people are facing discrimination and prejudice, Beyoncé shows that in her album but she also provides the rebirth that we need in our generation. She says we need to get rid of the prejudice and go into a more positive era.

2022 Favorite: “RENAISSANCE” – Beyoncé

2022 Prediction: “RENAISSANCE” – Beyoncé

Song of the Year

The Nominations in this category were… Abcdefu – GAYLE • Bad Habit – Steve Lacy • About Damn Time – Lizzo • As it Was – Harry Styles • All to Well (10-minute version) – Taylor Swift • BREAK MY SOUL – Beyoncé • Easy On Me – Adele • GOD DID – DJ Khaled Ft. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Friday • The Heart Part 5 – Kendrick Lamar • Just Like That – Bonnie Raitt

Even though viral hits make TikTok songs feel overplayed and therefore less likable, I would say Adele and Taylor Swift are the two with the highest odds in this category.

Adele is a front contender for many of the categories. She has won Song of the Year two times before and it would make sense for her to win again. “Easy On Me” was released October 15, 2021 and debuted at number 68 five hours after its release, and rose to number 1 after a short amount of time being one of the biggest jumps in Billboard 100’s history. It stayed at number 1 for the weeks of Oct. 30 to Nov. 20; Dec 4 to Dec. 18; Jan. 15 to Jan. 29. So many celebrities came out and said how much they were moved by it.

Taylor Swift is loved by a huge fan base for her songwriting, and this year, “All Too Well” does a great job of telling the story that really sinks in with you. She is the songwriter credited for the song which is an impressive feat because it’s common in the industry today to have multiple songwriters. “All Too Well” talks about a personal relationship Taylor was in with Jake Gyllenhaal. It’s heartbreaking and brutal with lyrics like “I forgot about you long enough to forget why I needed you,” talking about memories that were hard to let go and how it takes time. It being 10 minutes adds further to the story line and gives more depth.

Taylor is a more relatable artist with her songs mainly being about heartbreak, something that is very common especially among older teens and young adults. However, I think Adele has a better chance at winning because she has gotten more attention from the public with her music, especially with “Easy On Me”. Adele’s song is more emotionally written and people understand her and her experiences. In the chorus in the song she describes being too young to understand what was happening around her and it’s delivered in a powerful way and it’s heard through her holding out notes and singing in a higher pitch. In her first single in six years, she asks for understanding from her son after her divorce. She is asking for forgiveness which is a universal thing, so people are able to take that and apply it to themselves.

2022 Favorite: “All too Well (10-minute version)” – Taylor Swift

2022 Prediction: “Easy on Me” – Adele

Best New Artist

The Nominations in this category were… Anitta • Omar Apollo • DOMi & JD Beck • Muni Long • Samara Joy • Latto • Måneskin • Tobe Nwigwe • Molly Tuttle • Wet Leg

On first glance of the nomination list, I honestly couldn’t name any of these artists’ work or recognize who they were. But after some research, I would say Latto and Anitta are most likely to win in this category.

Both had major collaborations with big artists and songs that blew up. Latto is most known for her song “Big Energy” which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 100. She is an American rapper and singer and first appeared in 2016, but her debut album was in 2020. She has collaborated with people like Gucci Mane and 21 Savage, remixing with Mariah Carey.

Anitta’s biggest song is “Envolver”. She’s a Brazilian pop star who has been nominated before in the Latin Grammy Awards. She has been on tracks with Cardi B and Missy Elliot, and Snoop Dog joined her onstage at Coachella. Tons of people are saying Anitta deserves the win but that Latto is going to get it, and I agree Latto wasn’t a big artist until after her music blew up the public became aware of who she is.

My favorite of the nominees is Omar Apollo. He made a breakthrough with his song “Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me At All)” which trended on TikTok because of the the lyrics “You didn’t deserve me at all,” and people shared their experiences of being used and how they deserved better. However, compared to the other artists his breakthrough wasn’t as big. I do enjoy his music because he has a bunch of raw talent and can make people feel certain moods. He does this very well with heartbreak and sadness.

2022 Favorite: Omar Apollo

2022 Prediction: Latto

And the Winners are…

Record of the Year: About Damn Time – Lizzo • Album of the Year: Harry’s House – Harry Styles • Song of the Year: Just Like That – Bonnie Raitt • Best New Artist: Samara Joy

No one expected what happened on Feb. 5.

Record of the Year wasn’t as big of a shock. Lizzo’s song is all over the internet with its catchy second verse. Album of the Year and Song of the Year has stirred up so much conversation. When Harry Styles won for Album of the Year I was honestly upset, I really though it would be Beyoncé’s year! People all over the internet would agree with me. During Harry’s speech, a viewer in the audience yelled Beyoncé’s name, which was pretty disrespectful, but we were all expecting her win.

Song of the Year was the most unexpected, Raitt herself was surprised based on her reaction when they said her name. She has been in the music industry since 1971, so it felt more like a legacy win, and I think Taylor or Adele deserved the win more.

For Best New Artist I wasn’t expecting Samara Joy to win because she didn’t make as big of a breakthrough as the other artists. She is a jazz singer who has a powerful voice, and after this win, I’m going to begin listening to her because of the recognition she is getting. Of all my predictions none of them were correct, but the Grammys did what they are meant to, introduced America to new sounds and celebrated them for their impact on their listeners.