The 56th annual Grammy Awards will be held this Sunday in Los Angeles. To me the show is not so much about the awards but the live performances. In this year’s Grammy Awards Metallica will perform with Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang, Robin Thicke will team up with Chigaco and Sara Brailles will perform with legendary singer songwriter Carole King. And that’s just scratching the surface. (See full list of performers here.) So, how about those actual Grammy Awards? All the “major” categories seem to have the same names popping up again and again. I don’t think there will be any one artist who will sweep the board clean this year, but one the biggest winners may be Lorde, the teenager from New Zealand who has conquered charts all over the globe with “Royals”. I will also (foolishly?) predict one of the biggest “losers” of the night could be Robin Thicke. Is one massive hit song a Grammy make? We will find out on Sunday, but in the meanwhile I have made some predictions on this year’s biggest winners and also chosen “my winners”, the ones I would give the Grammy Awards to if I could decide. (Full list of nominees can be found on the Grammy Awards official website.) I am quite obviously a massive fan of Bruno Mars…Here are my predictions and picks for Grammy Awards 2014. Who are your favourites to win?
RECORD OF THE YEAR
GET LUCKY- Daft Punk
RADIOACTIVE – Imagine Dragons
ROYALS – Lorde
LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN – Bruno Mars
BLURRED LINES – Robin Thicke
I’m guessing Lorde. She is young, fresh, the track is quite recent, and she seems to have that indie off beat quirky talent that adds instant credibility. She will be given a run for her money by French duo Daft Punk, so in reality, this category could go either way, but I’m putting my money on Lorde. Imagine Dragons had a massive radio airplay hit with Radioactive and well, we have all heard Blurred Lines a million times, but I have a hunch the Grammy voters will think of Blurred Lines as a more of a “novelty record”. Bruno Mars is a long shot. If only because let’s face it, the track was released originally in 2012, so by now it feels “old” compared to some of the other nominees. However, my personal pick is Bruno Mars. Locked Out Of Heaven has really cool influences (do I hear a bit of ska?) and is a real ear worm. I was obsessed with this record for months.
BEST NEW ARTIST
James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Ed Sheeran
Another category where the winner (in my opinion) is a foregone conclusion. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were unstoppable this year. What’s surprising about this category to me are two things, Lorde is not nominated and James Blake is. Don’t get me wrong, I love James Blake. His “Limit To Your Love” is one of the most beautiful, delicate and spellbinding songs I have ever heard. (In 2011 I was so taken by the song I wrote: I can hear echos and static through which, I swear, you can hear a distant rumbling of a street.) But James has not had the popular chart success in the US the rest of the nominees have. So really, a big high five to the Grammy voters for acknowledging James Blake. My pick however is the (virtually unknown in the UK) Kacey Musgrave with her sweet but down to earth country sound. She has been tipped as the “next Taylor Swift” for crossover potential, but I just like her matter of fact songs about lives in Same Trailer Different Park. (The name of her album.)
SONG OF THE YEAR
JUST GIVE ME A REASON – Pink/Nate Ruess
LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN – Bruno Mars
ROAR – Katy Perry
ROYALS – Lorde
SAME LOVE – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Again, Lorde will triumph, for the same reasons already explained above. I am a bit confused about the selection process for the nominees, as most of these seem to be massive chart hits, so where’s “Blurred Lines?” The inclusion of Katy Perry’s “Roar” seems to affirm that most recent hits get the nods (fresh in the mind) and whereas “Roar” is a great pop record, really, Song of the Year? My pick is Macklemore & Ryan Lewis with “Same Love”. Not only is it a stunningly beautiful song, it hits with an important message on equality and the live performance on MTV VMAs 2013 has stuck with me as something that brought tears to my eyes. Inspirational.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES – Daft Punk
THE BLESSED UNREST – Sara Bareilles
GOOD KID, M.A.A.D. City – Kendrick Lamar
THE HEIST – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
RED – Taylor Swift
The French electro duo Daft Punk have no competition in this category in my opinion. Their “comeback” was massive and had virtually the entire earth dancing to “Get Lucky”. Heavy hitting collaborations on the album like Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder and Pharrell Williams just added to the album’s appeal. Sara Bareilles….really? Taylor Swift, a long shot in my opinion. Red is critically acclaimed and has been a huge success, but I don’t think the album has the pulling force of Daft Punk with the voters. Kendrick Lamar has been hailed as fearless and brilliant and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are churning out a hit after hit, but don’t think any one of them come close to the critical and commercial success of Daft Punk. I have also gotten my groove on and I agree…my pick is also Daft Punk.
BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
PARADISE – Lana Del Rey
PURE HEROINE – Lorde
UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX – Bruno Mars
BLURRED LINES – Robin Thicke
THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE – Justin Timberlake
I think the girls are in a disadvantage here against the massive success of the boys. Lana Del Rey is sultry and unmistakably Lana and Lorde is the ingénue this year, but in this year particularly, the boys have dominated. To be fair, Justin Timberlake may walk away with this one, and I think this is the category in which I will almost definitely have egg on my face with this prediction, but I have taken a leap of faith for Bruno Mars and predict him as the winner. I have nothing against Robin Thicke, but I still don’t think he will sway the vote against everyone’s favorite Justin Timberlake or the versatility of Bruno Mars. Overall performance, to me it’s hands down Bruno Mars. Weather its pop, R&B or soul, Bruno has it all.
BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
BRAVE – Sara Bareilles
ROYALS – LORDE
WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN – Bruno Mars
ROAR – Katy Perry
MIRRORS – Justin Timberlake
This is probably a 3 horse race between Justin, Lorde and Bruno. Sara Bareilles does not get a look-in. The track is cute but that’s all I would say. (Again, I am a bit surprised of Sara Bareille’s nomination here.) Katy Perry, well, she might be the dark horse, but I think on the Grammy night this belongs to Justin Timberlake. Mirrors is one of the best tracks of the entire year (and I may go as far as to say of Justin’s entire career). The song and Justin’s vocals just pull at the heart strings. My pick goes along with my prediction: Justin Timberlake.
All images: Google.
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