The Grammy Awards are music’s most prestigious awards, and this year there are many tough choices and possible outcomes for Sunday’s ceremony.
The awards are unpredictable, and many big-name artists don’t end up taking a trophy as they lose out to new comers or the underdogs. This year there are plenty of new comers contending to take home the golden award.
Jay Z leads the way with nine nominations, but he is not a favorite to win the most number of trophies, according to USA Today.
Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis each have seven nominations, but they find themselves on the bottom tier in their categories as well.
When breaking the major categories this year, the Grammy’s curse remains the same: it’s the year of the underdog.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: “Red” by Taylor Swift, “good kid, m.A.A.d city” by Kendrick Lamar, “The Heist” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, “The Blessed Unrest” by Sarah Bareilles, “Random Access Memories” by Daft Punk.
Swift and Macklemore and Lewis had huge record sales, and many hits off of their albums find a spot on the Billboard Top 40. Yet they are not favored to win in this category, according to USA Today’s report. Although Bareilles should be recognized for her talent, she’s expected to get snubbed as well.
Between Daft Punk and Lamar, this year’s Grammy should go to Lamar. The up-and-coming hip-hop artist has maintained a strong fan base while approaching the hip-hop genre in an untraditional manner. His album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” exploded onto the charts with his hit “Poetic Justice.”
RECORD OF THE YEAR: “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers, “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons, “Royals” by Lorde, “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars, “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams.
Daft Punk won’t “Get Lucky” and Mars will be “Locked out of Heaven” this year in their categories. Even though Thicke and Imagine Dragons had a great run in 2013, neither will be able to beat out newcomer Lorde. Lorde has been a media favorite, according to Rolling Stone, and is featured on the soundtrack for the blockbuster hit the “Hunger Games.”
SONG OF THE YEAR (songwriters): “Just Give Me a Reason” by Pink, Nate Ruess and Jeff Bhasker; “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine; “Roar” by Katy Perry, Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee and Henry Walter; “Royals” by Lorde and Joel Little; and “Same Love” by Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert.
Perry is the first one out of the competition as there was much controversy surrounding “Roar,” which was accused of being a copy of fellow nominee Bareilles’s “Brave.” Similarly, there was much speculation that Thicke copied Marvin Gaye’s record for “Got to Give It Up” on his track “Blurred Lines.”
Mars won’t be getting into heaven once again. Even though Pink won last year, “Same Love” is the number one contender this year as it has been an anthem for the past year and loved by the masses and critics alike.
The Grammy Awards are always surprising to watch, and the winners are up in the air until they are announced.
The show will be full of huge performances, and this year the lineup includes Jay Z and Beyonce, Swift, Perry and Lamar among others.
The award show will broadcast live Sunday on CBS at 7 p.m.