Welcome to Grammy season! Aka, the best time of the year for music fans. In honor of the season, a good friend of mine Ava Shaffer and I took a look at the big 4 categories for the 2025 Grammy’s and gave our picks on who we want to win vs who we think will win.

Album of the Year

Who We Want to Win

Cooper: Hit Me Hard And Soft – Billie Eilish and Short n’ Sweet – Sabrina Carpenter

Billie Eilish has been on a meteoric run ever since her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. That record itself won Eilish five Grammys. In the five years since its release, she’s been pushing out incredible song after incredible song. This album, in and of itself, is no break from it. Hit Me Hard And Soft, in my opinion, is her best piece of work. It hits you hard with tracks such as Wildflower and Skinny, while hitting you soft with tracks like Lunch and Birds of a Feather. Songs like these make it obvious that she and her brother/producer Finneas put their hearts and souls into this record.

Similarly, Short n’ Sweet lives up to its namesake. The sixth studio album from Disney star turned 2024’s breakout pop musician is short in length, but sweet in quality. There are very few records in music that have no skips, and Short n’ Sweet is one of them. The record tells the story of a variety of Carpenter’s relationships ending for various reasons in a fantastic way, adding catchy beats and addictive choruses to hook listeners throughout all 12 tracks.

Ava: Cowboy Carter – Beyoncé and Short n’ Sweet – Sabrina Carpenter

Beyoncé has never failed to disappoint on any of her albums. Stepping into country wasn’t new for her since releasing Daddy Lessons on Lemonade, but a full country album is new territory for her. After much hate and “criticism” from country fans following her appearance at the Country Music Awards, it proved that country was not as inclusive as a genre should be.

Cowboy Carter explored different forms of country that you don’t always hear on the radio, and it proved Black people truly have a place in country music despite being pushed out for years. This album isn’t just an album; it’s a literary masterpiece. You could honestly study Cowboy Carter in schools, and one semester wouldn’t be enough to dissect this material.

A complete 180° from Cowboy Carter, Short n’ Sweet lives up to its cute name: truly short and very sweet. With only a twelve-track run, this album shows Sabrina’s diversity in genres and her witty lyricism. From fun songs like Juno to more somber R&B tracks like Don’t Smile, this album showcases Sabrina growing up and seeing life through her eyes. This being the successor to emails i can’t send was an incredible choice and proved how she healed from her previous experiences.

Who We Think Will Win

Cooper: Hit Me Hard And Soft – Billie Eilish

This is one of my favorite categories because any one of the eight albums nominated can win. Each record is insanely strong and has its own case to take home the award. However, it’s hard to deny this album a win. The incredibly strong quality mixed with the star power behind the artist makes this pick an easy one.

Ava: Hit Me Hard And Soft – Billie Eilish

While I’m not as obsessed with this album as I am with Cowboy Carter and Short n’ Sweet, Hit Me Hard And Soft is a beautiful album. The production, the song titles, the theming, the lyrics—every single thing is gorgeous. If this album wins, it deserves every bit of the win. Billie should be more than proud of herself for this.

Best New Artist

Who We Want to Win

Cooper: Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan

2024 has been an insanely good year for music as a whole. More specifically, the pop genre has seen a massive uptick in popularity. Two people have spearheaded that rise, and they are both nominated for Best New Artist. Both artists have had an incredible year, releasing albums (Short n’ Sweet and Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess respectively) and having singles reach the top 5 of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart (Good Luck Babe! and Espresso/Please Please Please respectively). Whoever does end up winning can be incredibly proud of their 2024.

Ava: Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Chappell Roan

2024 was for the girls, no doubt, and all three of these lovely ladies proved it. As a longtime Sabrina fan (since Girl Meets World), I think this has been a long time coming for her. Ever since she entered the music scene, it’s been nothing short of iconic. Everyone was truly there when she released Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying. Even if it took nearly ten years, Sabrina has finally rocked the world. All 12 songs from Short n’ Sweet charted on the Billboard Hot 100, and her tour is constantly being sold out night after night. She’s so deserving of this nomination and possibly the win.

As for Chappell Roan and Doechii, these two are both incredible artists. It’s so refreshing to see a lesbian artist like Chappell being recognized for her work and incredible lyricism about her relationships. Good Luck Babe! receiving success proved that she has more than enough potential to win this. While Doechii isn’t nearly as popular as the other two ladies, she had an incredible year as well. From her album Alligator Bites Never Heal, to being noticed and praised by Kendrick Lamar, to being featured on Tyler, The Creator’s album Chromakopia on the song Balloon. Doechii is nothing short of a future princess of rap.

Who We Think Will Win

Cooper: Sabrina Carpenter

While I did just make my case for why either Chappell or Sabrina should win, I do think that Sabrina did enough to win. From a commercial success standpoint, all 12 songs on her album Short n’ Sweet charted on Billboard, and three of her singles from that album (Espresso, Please Please Please, and Taste) entered the top 5. Chart success aside, Sabrina crushed every piece of work she released in 2024 and is 1000% deserving of taking this award home.

Ava: Sabrina Carpenter

Nobody has had quite the year that Sabrina has had. From finishing up opening for Taylor Swift, to performing at Coachella on the main stage, to releasing the hit song Espresso, to her acclaimed tour and album Short n’ Sweet, absolutely nobody has done it like her. Even though she’s been making music for years, Sabrina is so deserving of this after the incredible run she’s had.

Record of the Year

Who We Want To Win

Cooper: Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar, Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter, Birds of a Feather – Billie Eilish

When it comes to Record of the Year vs Song of the Year, there tends to be some overlap. While that is the case this year, three of these songs stand out from others in the field. Kendrick Lamar somehow turned a song rooted in hatred for one of the biggest artists of our generation into a #1 hit on the Billboard chart, due in part to the catchy beat and melody. Espresso has (and arguably still is) captivated pop music fans, and Birds of a Feather was literally performed at the opening of the 2028 Olympics in LA! None of these tracks get to where they are without an infectious vibe behind it.

Ava: Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter, Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar, Good Luck Babe! – Chappell Roan

When I think of summer, these three songs pop into my head. Espresso was genuinely everywhere; it even opened up debates on how you truly say the word “espresso.” This song is nothing short of fun, and commercially, it did spectacularly (even though it never reached #1).

As for Not Like Us, the fact that the world was collectively listening in on what would be known as “one of the greatest modern rap beefs,” and even if they couldn’t pick sides, everyone agreed Not Like Us was great. From the rhyming to the digs, to the instrumental, even the eventual music video, it was simply just good.

Good Luck Babe! is probably the underdog here. While it was popular, it didn’t reach as much success as Espresso and Not Like Us, but that’s never stopped a song from being exquisite. The song follows a girl, presumably Chappell herself, experiencing a “relationship” with a girl who can’t really figure out her sexuality. Eventually, she realizes she’s a lesbian years later, and Chappell is telling her, “I told you so.” The storytelling in this song is fantastic and truly showcases the experience of figuring out your sexuality.

Who We Think Will Win

Cooper: Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter

While I do think she potentially lacks the mainstream appeal to win this award, it should be no secret that this song is the strongest out of the field. As mentioned before, Espresso was one of the consensus songs of the summer since it debuted back in April. Tragically, the song didn’t hit #1 on the charts. Nonetheless, the song remains amazing and needs to be recognized for what it is: incredible.

Ava: Birds of a Feather – Billie Eilish and Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter

Birds of a Feather captured the hearts of everyone when it came out, including myself. The song was recognized as a touching piece that could parallel romantic relationships and friendships as a whole. Billie’s emotion can be heard through the lyrics and how she sings her words. I have no doubt this could win. As for Espresso, there’s no denying it’s a hit. I sound like a broken record, but it was everywhere. You couldn’t scroll on some social media app for fifteen minutes without hearing “That’s that me espresso!”

Song of the Year

Who We Want To Win

Cooper: Die With A Smile – Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, Birds of a Feather – Billie Eilish

Song of the Year focuses primarily on the lyrics and overall songwriting of a track. This year’s nominees are all incredibly strong and have solid cases for why they should win. However, these two, in particular, stand out from the rest.

Die With A Smile was the song and the duo that nobody knew we needed until it dropped. Bruno and Gaga are two of the greatest musical minds ever to live, and this track is a perfect example of what a monumental collaboration can look like. The vocal blend, the songwriting, the instrumentals—everything about this song screams Grammy-worthy.

While Birds of a Feather may not have the star power that Die With A Smile had, it has the lyrics and songwriting to put it in contention for this award. It strikes that all-important balance between relatability and uniqueness, resonating with Billie’s core fans as well as fans of pop music. It also showcases the poetic style found so much within Billie’s music.

Ava: Die With A Smile – Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar

SOTY mainly focuses on lyrics, and these two songs are nothing short of lyrical masterpieces—in incredibly different ways. Kendrick has some of the best wordplay of any rapper in the game, and Not Like Us showcases that brilliantly. Meanwhile, Die With A Smile features heartbreaking and touching lyrics that resonate deeply. Not Like Us was everywhere this past summer, and Kendrick’s wordplay and storytelling truly made it a standout contender for SOTY.

Who We Think Will Win.

Cooper: Die With A Smile – Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga

This should be a no-brainer. Despite the fact that Bruno is one of my favorite artists and is subjectively one of the greatest to ever do it, this song is incredible. The songwriting tells a beautiful story of two lovers wanting to spend their last moments together, and this duo is the perfect one to tell it. Not to mention the combination of Gaga’s emotive pop melodies and Bruno’s old-school R&B influences creating a heavenly sound, which was described as a “match made in Grammy heaven.”

Ava: Die With A Smile – Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga

As Cooper said, this is a no-brainer. This song is the textbook definition of beautiful. Bruno and Gaga’s voices mesh so perfectly, producing one of the most heartbreaking songs of the year. Lovers yearn to spend the last moments of their lives together, and this song accurately showcases what that feeling is like. Listening to it feels like stargazing with your lover. It’s beautiful.