By Isabella Gallagher Rattan
The nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards have arrived, with some expected nominations and others that will shock you. Unsurprisingly, Beyonce dominates the list with a whopping 11 nominations, with other names such as Charli XCX, Post Malone, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish also popping up frequently.
The most anticipated categories are Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Artist, Best R&B Song, Best Country Album, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Progressive R&B Album, Best Folk Album, Songwriter of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Album. Does your favourite artist have a Grammy up for grabs? Keep reading to find out.
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 (deserved)
Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department
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 (iconic)
Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!
Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone – Fortnight
Song of the year:
Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy)
Billie Eilish – Birds of a Feather
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – Die With a Smile
Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone – Fortnight
Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!
Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us
Sabrina Carpenter – Please Please Please
Beyoncé – Texas Hold ’Em
If you’re confused about the difference between Record of the Year and Song of the Year, then don’t worry, you’re not alone. Record of the Year is an award for the entirety of the song, not just the composition but also the production and performance. It essentially judges the song on the vibes it gives, whilst Song of the Year is awarded based just on composition.
Best new artist:
Benson Boone
Sabrina Carpenter (is she really new?)
Doechii
Khruangbin
Raye
Chappell Roan
Shaboozey
Teddy Swims
Best Pop Vocal Album:
Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft
Ariana Grande – Eternal Sunshine
Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (more like the Rise of Iconic Lesbian Artists Dominating the Pop Industry)
Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department
Best R&B Song:
Kehlani – After Hours (my queen)
Tems – Burning
Coco Jones – Here We Go (Uh Oh)
Muni Long – Ruined Me
SZA – Saturn (a fan favourite)
Best Country Album:
Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter (are you seeing a common theme here?)
Post Malone – F-1 Trillion
Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well
Chris Stapleton – Higher
Lainey Wilson – Whirlwind
Best Pop Solo Performance:
Beyoncé – Bodyguard
Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
Charli xcx – Apple (is anyone else buying into the theory that influencers were paid to do the Apple dance therefore the song was not trending organically but by marketing manipulation?)
Billie Eilish – Birds of a Feather
Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!
Best Progressive R&B Album:
Chris Brown – 11:11 (Deluxe) (King of R&B?)
Lalah Hathaway – Vantablack
Muni Long – Revenge
Lucky Daye – Algorithm
Usher – Coming Home
Best Folk Album:
American Patchwork Quartet – American Patchwork Quartet
Madi Diaz – Weird Faith
Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future (if you haven’t listened to her this album is a must!)
Aoife O’Donovan – All My Friends
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings – Woodland
Songwriter of the Year:
Jessi Alexander
Amy Allen
Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Raye (one of the best singers/songwriters/performers out there right now)
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
Gracie Abrams featuring Taylor Swift – Us.
Beyoncé featuring Post Malone – Levii’s Jeans
Charli xcx and Billie Eilish – Guess
Ariana Grande, Brandy and Monica – The Boy Is Mine
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – Die With a Smile (the TikTok famous one)
Best Rap Song:
Rapsody featuring Hit-Boy – Asteroids
¥$ [Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign] featuring Rich the Kid and Playboi Carti – Carnival (it’s had its moment but I still love it)
Future and Metro Boomin featuring Kendrick Lamar – Like That
Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us
GloRilla – Yeah Glo!
Best Rap Album:
J. Cole – Might Delete Later (An 11 time Grammy winner who deserves another one)
Common and Pete Rock – The Auditorium, Vol 1
Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal
Eminem – The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)
Future and Metro Boomin – We Don’t Trust You
Best Alternative Music Album:
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Wild God
Clairo – Charm
Kim Gordon – The Collective
Brittany Howard – What Now
St Vincent – All Born Screaming
Best Rock Album:
The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards
Fontaines DC – Romance (if they don’t win I’m suing the Grammys)
Green Day – Saviors
Idles – Tangk
Pearl Jam – Dark Matter
The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds
Jack White – No Name
If you want to find out more, here’s a Spotify playlist with the Grammy nominated songs and artists from all categories: