Again in 2017, although Grammy voters expressed their love of Beyoncé’s Lemonade with an album of the 12 months nomination, it was Adele’s grand album 25 that received the last word honor. It offered 10 million copies inside a 12 months within the U.S. alone (unprecedentedly promoting 3.38 million items in its first week) — in a local weather the place hitting 1 million was heroic. “Howdy,” certainly!
That storyline might be repeated on the 2023 Grammys, the place Beyoncé’s Renaissance and Adele’s 30 once more will go head-to-head for album of the 12 months.
However there are different heavyweights able to disrupt the evening: Like Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar might lastly win his first high album trophy because of the success of his fifth launch, Mr. Morale & The Massive Steppers. Dangerous Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti is the preferred album of 2022, to not point out the primary Latin challenge to be nominated for the highest Grammy within the present’s 65-year historical past — and a win for him might cement Latin music’s domination of popular culture.
Many people have resided at Harry’s Home through the previous 12 months as we watched the previous One Route singer develop into pop’s licensed “It” boy together with his Mick Jagger-style stage presence and addictive, ear-candy melodies. Different large Grammy contenders for high awards are Lizzo, Brandi Carlile, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z and Taylor Swift. Right here, THR takes a take a look at the most important gamers, from essentially the most to least variety of nominations, who’re competing for album of the 12 months and different classes on the 2023 Grammys.
BEYONCÉ
2023 NOMINATIONS 9
CAREER NOMINATIONS 88
GRAMMY WINS 28
Beyoncé has received just one high Grammy thus far — music of the 12 months for “Single Women (Put a Ring on It).” And if she doesn’t win one of many large three (album, music or report of the 12 months) on the 2023 Grammys, she’ll nonetheless stroll away from the present making historical past if she wins three out of 9 nominations. Then she’ll tie the report for many Grammy wins of all time, set by late Hungarian-British conductor Georg Solti, who died in 1997 and received 31 honors. One or two of these three might come within the dance class, for finest dance/electronica album (Renaissance) and finest dance/electronica recording (“Break My Soul”). And with bids within the R&B classes, Beyoncé is all however set to develop into the queen of the Grammys.
KENDRICK LAMAR
2023 NOMINATIONS 8
CAREER NOMINATIONS 47
GRAMMY WINS 14
Rap’s had a nasty historical past at successful the massive classes on the Grammys. It was solely in 2019 when the style lastly prevailed and received the Grammys for report and music of the 12 months because of Infantile Gambino’s “This Is America.” And solely two rap-based acts have received album of the 12 months: Lauryn Hill and OutKast. If there’s a rapper who’s subsequent to win the massive honor, it’s Lamar. One factor we all know for certain: Lamar will, a minimum of, sweep the rap classes.
ADELE
2023 NOMINATIONS 7
CAREER NOMINATIONS 25
GRAMMY WINS 15
Courtesy of Cliff Lipson/CBS
Regardless of main competitors, there was no probability Adele was dropping the massive three Grammys in 2012 with 21 and “Rolling within the Deep” and in 2017 with 25 and “Howdy.” However occasions have modified, and voters received’t go simple on the songstress this go-round. Whereas 30 was critically acclaimed and “Simple on Me” topped the Billboard Scorching 100 chart, the album and music didn’t make massive sufficient splashes to ensure wins. The place Adele almost certainly will add to her gramophone assortment: finest music movie for Adele: One Evening Solely, which received all 5 Emmys it was nominated for.
BRANDI CARLILE
2023 NOMINATIONS 7
CAREER NOMINATIONS 24
GRAMMY WINS 6
Courtesy of Elektra
Carlile has develop into a important darling on the Grammys, incomes a number of nominations for the previous 5 consecutive years — not just for her personal music however for her work as a producer and songwriter for others and her nation music supergroup, The Highwomen. And this 12 months she has reached new heights: Together with nominations within the nation and American roots fields, she scored her first-ever nominations in rock (finest rock music and finest rock efficiency for “Damaged Horses”). And if voters from the nation, rock, Americana, people and bluegrass genres align, Carlile’s In These Silent Days could be a loud winner, particularly for album of the 12 months.
HARRY STYLES
2023 NOMINATIONS 6
CAREER NOMINATIONS 9
GRAMMY WINS 1
Nobody has had fairly the 12 months Kinds has. He launched a number of high 10 hits, and “As It Was” practically set a report for many weeks at No. 1. Harry’s Home dominated on streaming companies and the pop charts. And his electrifying dwell reveals have develop into a must-see, even in the event you weren’t an enormous fan earlier than going. He already has received one Grammy — finest pop solo efficiency for “Watermelon Sugar” — however he’s lastly competing for the massive three for the primary time, and he has an opportunity to be the following Brit to dominate America’s largest music present.
MARY J. BLIGE
2023 NOMINATIONS 6
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Filmmagic/Neilson Barnard/Getty Pictures
CAREER NOMINATIONS 37
GRAMMY WINS 9
The final time one in all Blige’s albums competed on the Grammys was on the 2009 present. So it was a pleasant shock when the Recording Academy introduced that Good Morning Attractive was up for six honors this 12 months. Nevertheless it’s not stunning — the two-time Oscar nominee is, certainly, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. And she or he has some particular helpers working as secret weapons — H.E.R. and Anderson .Paak, modern stars whom Grammy voters love. H.E.R. co-wrote and co-produced Blige’s title observe, whereas .Paak contributed to a number of songs on the album, together with “Right here With Me,” which is nominated for finest R&B efficiency.
LIZZO
2023 NOMINATIONS 5
CAREER NOMINATIONS 13
GRAMMY WINS 3
Courtesy of Good Life/Atlantic; Adobe Inventory
It’s about rattling time Lizzo wins one other Grammy, if voters have their method. She was the highest nominee on the 2020 present along with her major-label debut album and the ever-present hit “Reality Hurts,” which received finest pop solo efficiency. She’s again once more with the TikTok-approved jam “About Rattling Time,” and the success of the music helped her album Particular rating nominations for album of the 12 months and finest pop vocal album.
JAY-Z
2023 NOMINATIONS 5
CAREER NOMINATIONS 88
GRAMMY WINS 24
Jay-Z held the report for many Grammy nominations of all time — till his spouse flipped the script this 12 months. Renaissance helped Beyoncé attain 88 nominations, and funnily sufficient, Jay-Z’s 5 nominations this 12 months match the feat. And what’s even sweeter? Two of Jay-Z’s nominations are for his contributions to Beyoncé’s album. His different three are for his visitor verse on DJ Khaled’s “God Did,” which is up for music of the 12 months, finest rap efficiency and finest rap music.
TAYLOR SWIFT
2023 NOMINATIONS 4
CAREER NOMINATIONS 46
GRAMMY WINS 11
Taylor Swift’s newest album, Midnights, will qualify for the Grammys in 2024, however she nonetheless has an opportunity to personal the present in 2023. She might attain one in all her objectives and win her first-ever music of the 12 months honor — an award reserved for writers — with the rerelease of her 2012 music “All Too Effectively.” The brief movie created for the music, which Swift directed and is being pushed for Oscar competition, earned a Grammy nomination for finest music video. Her different bids embody finest nation music (“I Wager You Suppose About Me”) and finest music written from visible media (“Carolina”).
BAD BUNNY
2023 NOMINATIONS 3
CAREER NOMINATIONS 9
GRAMMY WINS 2
Dangerous Bunny shockingly earned solely three Grammy noms after launching the 12 months’s largest album and monster hits like “Tití Me Preguntó” and “Me Porto Bonito” (with Chencho Corleone). Neither earned music nor report of the 12 months nods, one thing the Recording Academy must reply for. And whereas there isn’t a class for Latin songs on the Grammys — solely Latin albums — the state of affairs raises a query: Did Dangerous Bunny’s workforce try and submit him to the rap or world music classes however get kicked to a different style? He did obtain one nomination in pop: finest pop solo efficiency for “Moscow Mule.” However with the 12 months he had, Dangerous Bunny’s music ought to have been celebrated throughout a number of classes and genres.
This story first appeared within the Dec. 16 challenge of The Hollywood Reporter journal. Click on right here to subscribe.
