How Pop Stars Are Gaming the Grammy Ballot

As a music enthusiast who has been following the Grammys for over three decades now, I must say that this year’s nominations are more exciting than ever! It seems like the Academy is finally embracing diversity and pushing boundaries with their choices.

Besides Beyoncé and Post Malone, there are other popular musicians aiming for a Grammy nomination in the country category. You can also add Sabrina Carpenter to this group.

The artist known for her “Espresso” hits submitted her guitar-accented song “Slim Pickens” to both the best country song and best country solo performance categories in this year’s awards. Although the Recording Academy’s country committee has turned away songs from non-industry figures before, they chose to include this track. This decision could contribute to Carpenter’s ongoing musical dominance when the nominations are announced on November 8th.

2025 Grammy nominations are seeing a surge of artists typically known for genres other than country music dipping their toes into the country genre – an intriguing detail found within this year’s ballot, which isn’t publicly available but has been obtained exclusively by THR, shedding light on key information.

COMING FOR COUNTRY

Beyoncé and Post Malone are expected to receive several country music nominations, given their initial success on the country charts. Artists like MGK, Kesha, Gwen Stefani, Julia Michaels, T-Pain, Avril Lavigne, Marshmello, Noah Kahan, NEEDTOBREATHE, K. Michelle, and Yung Gravy also submitted entries to the country genre; some of them collaborated with established country artists.

The Cyrus sisters might find themselves competing for the best country duo/group performance: Miley could potentially be nominated for her guest spot on Beyoncé’s “II Most Wanted” – one of the most popular tracks from Cowboy Carter – while Noah’s appearance on Shaboozey’s “My Fault” is also a strong contender.

I’M A ROCK STAR

Megan Thee Stallion is making a bold move into the world of rock music! Her track “Cobra (Rock Remix)” collaborating with metal band Spiritbox, led by Courtney LaPlante, has been nominated for both ‘Best Rock Performance’ and ‘Best Rock Song’. Childish Gambino also stepped into the rock realm with two accepted submissions – “Lithonia” and “Running Around”. Notably, Lady Gaga, Norah Jones, Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll, and Dolly Parton, who released her debut rock album last year, are all contenders in the rock category nominations.

STUDY THIS STRATEGY

Regarding Megan Thee Stallion, she opted out of submitting her collaboration with Cardi B, “WAP,” for major categories to avoid competing against herself. This move paid off, as she bagged two Grammys for “Savage” instead. Others might want to learn from this strategy. Currently, Jelly Roll faces a tough competition in several categories: five songs are vying for each of the best country song, best country/duo group performance, and best music video awards, making it challenging to secure a nomination due to vote splitting. Moreover, he has four songs competing for record and song of the year. Dolly Parton is also in a tricky situation: she has four tracks contending for best pop duo/group performance.

FAMOUS FACES

Matthew Perry, the cherished character from “Friends,” stands a chance for a posthumous Grammy nod. His memoir, titled “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, was submitted for consideration in the category of best audio book, narration, and storytelling recording. Joining him on the ballot are Michelle Williams, who narrated Britney Spears’ memoir “The Woman in Me“, as well as RuPaul, Jill Biden, George Takei, Nancy Pelosi, Liev Schreiber, Laura Linney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rebel Wilson, and a host of other talented individuals. Grammy winners such as Whoopi Goldberg, Jack Black, Jimmy Carter, and Tiffany Haddish are also in the running.

Dave Chappelle and Penélope Cruz might go head-to-head in the performance category, as they’ve both been nominated for Best Alternative Music Performance. Chappelle, who boasts five Grammy awards, could be among the nominees due to his feature on Travis Scott’s “Parasail,” while Cruz could contend through her poetic delivery on Latin rapper Residente’s “313.” Both tracks have also earned them respective Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations.

THE POST MALONE SHOW

It’s possible that Post Malone could secure the most nominations for the 2025 Grammys. His wide-ranging appeal has led to acceptance within the country music community, making him a strong contender for all four country categories. Moreover, his successful country album and singles have garnered attention in the top three mainstream categories (Album, Song, and Record of the Year). Adding to this, he’s featured on Taylor Swift’s hit song “Fortnight,” which she has submitted for major awards, and his collaboration with Beyoncé on “Levii’s Jeans” is also in contention. However, while he may receive the most nominations, it’s unlikely that he will win the most awards, as he will be competing against himself in multiple categories.

MORGAN’S MOMENT

For the past four years, Morgan Wallen has been a prominent figure on pop music charts without receiving a Grammy nomination. However, this could change in 202x due to his collaboration with Post Malone on the hit single “I Had Some Help.” Typically, bro-country artists don’t receive recognition at the Grammys; however, it may be challenging for the selection committee to overlook Wallen this year since “I Had Some Help” is one of Malone’s main songs submitted for awards consideration.

BOYS WHO BOYCOTT

Despite swearing off Grammy recognition following disputes with the awards ceremony, Drake and The Weeknd have still been honored due to their successful collaborations being recognized by others. It’s likely that this trend will continue at the 2025 event. Drake might receive nominations for his songs with Sexyy Red and Gordo, while The Weeknd could be nominated for his collaboration on Future and Metro Boomin’s “We Still Don’t Trust You” – a title that might reflect The Weeknd’s sentiments towards the Grammys.

ALL HAIL QUEEN BEY

At the 2017 Grammys, Beyoncé broke records by being the first artist to receive nominations in the rock, hip-hop, R&B, and pop categories all in one year with her album “Lemonade”. Since then, she’s picked up a couple of dance Grammy awards and could potentially add country and American Roots genres to her list of achievements this year. Furthermore, Beyoncé’s collaboration with country music trailblazer Linda Martell on the song “Spaghetti” might lead to Martell receiving her first-ever Grammy nomination. Martell, who was the first Black woman to perform solo at the Grand Ole Opry, is also featured in this track along with Shaboozey, and it has been submitted for the category of Best Melodic Rap Performance.

LET IT BE(ATLE)

20 years ago, The Beatles last graced the Grammy stage, but in 2023, they might make a triumphant return with their latest single, “Now and Then.” This track is nominated across three categories: Record of the Year, Best Rock Performance, and Best Music Video. Additionally, a short film about the song could potentially be recognized as Best Music Film. Interestingly, if things go my way, I might find myself competing against my bandmates in the Best Rock Performance category, given that I’ve also submitted “Gonna Need Someone.

QUEER COWBOYS

For many years, Willie Nelson had been performing a cover of Ned Sublette’s 1981 song “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other” during his tours, but it wasn’t until 2006, following the success of Brokeback Mountain, that he officially released his version. Now, almost two decades later, this song might receive a Grammy nomination. Nelson’s 2024 duet with openly gay country singer Orville Peck is under consideration for both the best country duo/group performance and best music video categories.

HIP-NOT and R&BOOOOO

Tommy Richman, an emerging musical talent, generated controversy when he declared on Twitter that he wasn’t a hip-hop artist regarding his hit song “Million Dollar Baby.” However, things got interesting when it was discovered that his team had entered the viral TikTok track in the rap categories at the Grammys. Although the decision was questionable and should have been reversed, it wasn’t, causing discontent within the Black music community on social media platforms like Twitter.

The Grammys might have showcased more appropriate recognition for Tyla’s self-titled album, as it was originally submitted in the Best R&B Album category. However, considering its progressive elements, it could have been better suited for the Best Progressive R&B Album category. Unfortunately, it was reclassified into pop music, placing Tyla against notable artists like Swift and Eilish. This is a situation where the Grammys might consider moving an entry to another category.

PARTY LIKE IT’S 1999

As a gamer, I’m buzzing about how NSYNC reunited for the Trolls Band Together soundtrack! If we’re lucky, they might score their first nomination in more than two decades with their hit “Better Place.” Fingers crossed they get recognized in the category of best pop duo/group performance.

The R&B artists Monica and Brandy, famous for their Grammy-winning collaboration “The Boy Is Mine” from 1998, have joined forces once more in a remix of Ariana Grande’s “The Boy Is Mine.” This reworked song is up for consideration in two categories this year.

BILLIE ‘ENGINEER’ EILISH

Most singers usually don’t handle their own project engineering, but Victoria Monét broke new ground this year by sharing the Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) award with her fellow engineers. Billie Eilish might follow suit as she is credited as an engineer on her upcoming third album, “Hit Me Hard & Soft.” Eilish’s debut album took home the engineering award in 2020, and the recognition went to her co-writer/producer/brother Finneas. Justin Timberlake is among a small group of pop stars who could compete in this category because he has an engineering credit on his latest album, “Everything I Thought I Was.

ARIANA, THE ARRANGER

Ariana Grande, known for her powerful vocals, is up for a unique Grammy nomination for her work on music arrangements and vocals. She’s credited as an arranger for the song “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)”. This category is Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals. Similarly, Billie Eilish and Finneas could also receive nominations for their arrangement work on the song “Birds of a Feather” in the same category.

“You can find this article in the October 30th edition of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To get future issues, consider subscribing by clicking here.

2024-10-31 19:25