Every year the Recording Academy comes together to decide what musical artists had the most impact on the year before, and whether they’re worthy of one of the most prestigious awards in the music industry. Every year there are also standouts–artists that we love that put out an outstanding album or song. Now considering all these artists and their collective works, here are my picks for winners for the 64th Grammy Awards.

Album of the Year

One of the biggest categories at the Grammys, Album of the Year has been presented every year since the beginning of the awards show. This year’s nominees are:

Planet Her by Doja Cat 

Back of My Mind by H.E.R. 

Happier Than Ever by Billie Eillish 

We Are by Jon Batiste 

Donda by Kanye West

Sour by Olivia Rodrigo

Justice by Justin Bieber

Montero by Lil Nas X

Evermore by Taylor Swift

Love For Sale by Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett 

While all these albums represent an achievement in music, my pick for winner of Album of the Year is Planet Her by Doja Cat.

Getting better by every song, Doja Cat has truly proven herself to be a remarkable artist. Planet Her came with 19 amazing new tracks, each one in itself a great song, while also coming together to form a cohesive album. Proving her musical abilities, Doja Cat gave us several songs that were huge in 2021 such as “Kiss Me More”, “Need To Know”, and “Woman.” While many albums do come with a great track list, this one is able to create a united sound that lets you know it’s Doja Cat. Planet Her shows off her wide range of capabilities and there’s no question that Doja Cat deserves Album of the Year.

Song of the Year

Song of the Year, one of the four big categories of the Grammys, is presented every year to the songwriters of an outstanding song. This year’s nominees are: 

“Right On Time” by Brandi Carlile

“Driver’s License” by Olivia Rodrigo

“Leave The Door Open” by Bruno Mars

“Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran

“Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish

“A Beautiful Noise” by Alicia Keys

“Peaches” by Justin Bieber

“Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat and SZA

“Montero” by Lil Nas X

“Fight For You” by H.E.R.

Many good songs were nominated this year, but my pick for Song of the Year is “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish.

It turned out to be a great year for Billie Eilish, with the release of her second album and titular track she is once again up for many awards. “Happier Than Ever” wowed many of us with its unexpected twist from melo guitar solo to rock ballad. You can feel the raw emotion that went into every note. Whether you suffered from a break up or any of life’s downfalls, this song is almost therapeutic in the sense that it gives an outlet for all these emotions. Between the beautiful lyricism and wide variety of instruments, “Happier Than Ever” is definitely the Song of the Year.

Record of the Year

Considered the biggest award of the Grammys, Record of the Year is presented to all of the people who worked on the record, who made it so great. This year’s nominees are: 

“Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eillish

“Right On Time” by Brandi Carlile

“Driver’s License” by Olivia Rodrigo

“Leave The Door Open” by Silk Sonic

“I Still Have Faith In You” by ABBA

“I Get A Kick Out Of You” by Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett

“Freedom” by Jon Batiste

“Peaches” by Justin Bieber

“Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat and SZA

“Montero” by Lil Nas X

Although it was a hard choice, my pick for Record of the Year is “Montero” by Lil Nas X.

Lil Nas X impressed us all this year with his long-awaited debut album, Montero. 

There were many stand out tracks featured on the album but the one we were all talking about was “Montero.” Titled after the rapper’s real name, it dominated the music charts for a while and it showed good things to come for Lil Nas X. Although the song and its video caused a bit of controversy, it couldn’t have gone any better. You can tell that a lot of hard work went into this song and it’s no doubt in my mind that “Montero” deserves Record of the Year.

Best New Artist

A major honor in music, Best New Artist represents the artist who shows the most promise. This year’s nominees are: 

Jimmie Allen

Japanese Breakfast

Baby Keem

Arlo Parks

Finneas

The Kid Laroi

Saweetie

Olivia Rodrigo

Arooj Aftab

Glass Animals. 

My pick for Best New Artist of 2021 is Olivia Rodrigo.

Nobody this year came onto the music scene quite so strongly as Olivia Rodrigo. With her hit single “Driver’s License” being released early in the year and her debut album, Sour, not too long after she has already become a huge artist. She became a world-wide phenomenon with “Driver’s License” being one of the most listened to songs of 2021. With a lot of huge accomplishments already, such as performing on SNL and winning big at the VMAs, Olivia Rodrigo has shown herself to be the Best New Artist.

Best Music Video

Although many awards are given for the musical abilities of an artist, giving your song or album a perfect visual look is also important. Best Music Video is all about turning your song into a visual and being able to represent it through imagery. This year’s nominees are: 

“Good 4 U” by Olivia Rodrigo

“I Get A Kick Out Of You” by Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett

“Freedom” by Jon Batiste

“Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eillish

“Peaches” by Justin Bieber

“Montero” by Lil Nas X

“Shot In The Dark” by AC/DC 

My pick for Best Music Video is “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eillish.

Directed by Billie Eillish, the music video for “Happier Than Ever” perfectly goes along with the song. The transition between the first and second half of the song was flawlessly done with a great build up to that moment. The settings, the outfits, and the lighting of the video all came together to create a beautiful scene. It gives a great visual to the song and perfectly expresses the emotions in it. The Best Music Video was definitely “Happier Than Ever.”

Best Rap Performance

There are so many genres of music it would be hard to judge them all against each other. Best Rap Performance represents outstanding work by hip-hop and rap artists and is for individual songs. This year’s nominees are:

 “Thot S**t” by Megan Thee Stallion

“Up” by Cardi B

“my life” by J. Cole, 21 Savage, and Morray

“family ties” by Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar 

My pick for Best Rap Performance is “Thot S**t” by Megan Thee Stallion.

Megan Thee Stallion has continually shown us how great of an artist she is, and “Thot S**t” is no different. With her beautiful voice and impressive lyricism, the rapper gives us a truly great performance. Another hot girl anthem, “Thot S**t” is a lively song that couldn’t have been done any better, and for that Megan Thee Stallion deserves Best Rap Performance.

Best Rock Performance

Although not a long standing award, Best Rock Performance honors those in the rock genre who have given an outstanding performance. This year’s nominees are: 

“Making A Fire” by Foo Fighters

“Know You Better” by Black Pumas

“Nothing Compares 2 U” by Chris Cornell

“Shot In The Dark” by AC/DC

My pick for Best Rock Performance is “Making A Fire” by the Foo Fighters.

With a mellow beat and some good instruments, “Making A Fire” is a song you could relax or dance to. The Foo Fighters show their wide range of talents with this song including great songwriting, instruments, and sound mixing. Although there were many good rock songs, the Foo Fighters had the Best Rock Performance.

Best Pop Solo Performance

Another huge genre, Best Pop Solo Performance awards artists for their individual contributions to pop music. This year’s nominees are: 

“Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eillish

“Right On Time” by Brandi Carlile

“Driver’s License” by Olivia Rodrigo

“Anyone” by Justin Bieber

“Positions” by Ariana Grande

My pick for Best Pop Solo Performance is “Driver’s License” by Olivia Rodrigo.

One of the hugest songs of 2021, “Driver’s License” was a beautiful song about love and loss that sounds even better in Olivia Rodrigo’s graceful voice. With beautiful lyrics and Olivia Rodrigo’s impressive piano abilities, “Driver’s License” is a great pop song from one of our favorite artists. Olivia Rodrigo definitely gave the Best Pop Solo Performance.

While there are many categories in the Grammys, these few represent a wide range of music and genres. Although the date of the Grammys hasn’t been announced yet, we can’t wait to watch the great performances and learn who our winners are. Make sure to catch the awards ceremony when it’s on and check out the music in any of the categories to see if you agree with who should win.