2025 Grammy Predictions: Revisiting the Big Four

This year has been a legendary one for music releases, and the nominations for this year’s Grammy ceremony reflect just that. With names like Chappell Roan, Beyonce, Charli XCX, and a couple of other heavy hitters in the major categories it’s hard guess who will take home a coveted award, but I’ll certainly give it my best shot!

The 2025 Grammy’s are quickly approaching, and each category is stacked this year. When nominations for the event were announced on the eighth of November, they were met with mixed responses. Some were overjoyed at the recognition shown to Charli XCX’s BRAT, and others reacted with shock or outrage at the lack of recognition given to Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine, or Megan Thee Stallion’s track HISS. No area was met with more opinion than the ceremony’s four general field categories: record of the year, song of the year, best new artist, and the most prestigious of the bunch, album of the year.

As part of the general field portion of the Grammy’s, these four awards aren’t tied to any one genre, or constrained by any restricting criteria, so receiving a win in one of these slots is extremely high praise. This makes them the awards that are usually most anticipated by both fans and artists alike, as they signify both a successful project and year for said artist.

While my sole qualification might be being a Gen Z music lover, I think it’s safe to say that this year’s releases and nominees have been quite good for those in that demographic. Due to such a stacked year, each category’s main prediction will also include a runner-up prediction. Scroll on to see me make my best guesses at who will take home an award in the big four this upcoming Grammy season!

Album of the Year

• André 3000 – New Blue Sun
• Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter
• Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
• Charli XCX – BRAT
• Jacob Collier – Djesse Vol. 4
• Billie Eilish – HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
• Chappell Roan – Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
• Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department

Following a phenomenal year of music, there’s no shortage of Grammy-worthy nominees up for Album of the Year. Despite the clear artistry present in Andre 3000’s ambient, New Blue Sun, and Jacob Collier’s ambitiously collaborative, Djesse Vol. 4, their chances likely aren’t as high as some of their competitors. Cowboy Carter’s lack of awards at this year’s Country Music Awards doesn’t bode well for Beyonce’s chances, despite it being a great album. Billie Eilish’s chances are likely a bit higher, with a history of Grammy love and an album that boasts some of her best production yet. My theory though, is that the award goes home with someone much newer to the category, and to Grammy acclaim in general.

Charli XCX has had quite the year, and my guess is that it’ll culminate in her leaving Crypto Arena with the most sought-after award of the night. Her album BRAT has succeeded with both the critics and the fans. She painted the second half of the year so neon green, the album even to found its way into a presidential campaign. The Grammy’s has long prided itself on awarding projects that not only influence the musical landscape, but culture itself, and “brat summer” was nothing if not a cultural movement. I think that brats everywhere have much to look forward to at this year’s ceremony.

My prediction: BRAT by Charli XCX

Runner Up: HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish

Record of the Year

• The Beatles – “Now and Then”
• Beyoncé – “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso”
• Charli XCX – “360”
• Billie Eilish – “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
• Chappell Roan – “Good Luck, Babe!”
• Taylor Swift – “Fortnight” ft. Post Malone

My answer for who I think will be taking this award home this year doesn’t take much thought, despite it being such a banger-filled category. There isn’t a song in this category that blended production, lyricism, and vocals at the same level Billie seemed to be on with the help of her brother Finneas on her track, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”. With this category being one that is meant to honor all of these elements rather than songwriting alone, her win seems both obvious and deserved.

Even outside of its crafting, the song was a hit within the public sphere with its breezy and easy-to-love melodies and touching lyrical message. I found myself unable to scroll very far on TikTok without seeing a montage dedicated to a best friend or sibling in the months following its release. I think it’s fair to assume that come February, we will see our favorite sibling pop duo take the stage to accept their crown for Record of the Year.

My prediction: “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish

Runner Up: “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter

Song of the Year

• Beyoncé – “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please”
• Billie Eillie – “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile”
• Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
• Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight”
• Chappell Roan – “Good Luck, Babe!”
• Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”

My prediction for this category is a bit harder to make, as many of these songs felt as inescapable as they were catchy. Both Beyoncé and Shaboozey crafted country songs that flooded both the speakers of my local college bars, and my for you page with new dances to learn. Taylor Swift’s lead single was beloved by Swifties everywhere. Chappell Roan seemed to find explosive success following the release of her single, “Good Luck, Babe!”. Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga’s “Die With a Smile” seems right up the Recording Academy voter’s alley.

Despite its stiff competition Lamar’s “Not Like Us” has the sauce it needs to secure its win in the category. Equally clever and clubby in nature, it followed an explosive and historic rap beef with Drake(who has a historically rocky history with the Grammy’s). Kendrick delivered the knockout blow while still giving us all a song to bump all summer. Had Sabrina swapped twangy, “Please Please Please” for her arguably catchier, “Espresso”, she might’ve had a slightly better chance at beating out my personal song of the summer. As of now, it seems like the ball is now in Lamar’s court.

My prediction: “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar

Runner Up: Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile”

Best New Artist

• Benson Boone
• Doechii
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Khruangbin
• Raye
• Shaboozey
• Chappell Roan
• Teddy Swims

As far as the fourth and final award in general field categories, the winner seems as clear to me as my Record of the Year guess. Following an explosive Coachella performance, Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”, and her inevitable rise to fame seemed to be all any music lover around me could talk about. It was a quick rise from an inspired Coachella debut to a whopping six Grammy nominations, with four of these nominations sitting in each category that makes up the “big four”. From themed concerts to power house vocals that have been praised by the likes of Elton John and Lady Gaga, it seems clear who will take home the award this upcoming ceremony.

My Prediction: Chappell Roan

Runner Up: Shaboozey

So, What do You Think?

With such huge names in the mix, there’s no doubt that the results will bring about lots of conversations. Whether my predictions are right or way off target the 2025 Grammy’s is shaping up to be what it has long promised: music’s biggest night. Who are you theorizing will win big at this years ceremony? Only time will tell. See you there!