2025 Grammy Predictions: Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Chappell Roan, and the List of Contenders

UPDATE: The 2025 Grammys are now behind us. While we correctly predicted several categories, we missed a lot of the big ones, as our second choices won most of those awards. Hey, that happens sometimes. If you’re ready to look ahead, check out our 2026 Grammy predictions.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The nominees were finally announced for the 2025 Grammy Awards, with Beyonce leading the way with 11 nods.

She’s followed by Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Charli XCX, and Post Malone with 7 nods each. Pop divas Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift, and Sabrina Carpenter scored six each.

Who’s going to walk away with the big awards on Grammy night? Let’s make some early predictions.

Our bottom line: Although Beyonce and Taylor Swift are the big names, it’s likely that the Academy heavily rewards another long-time Academy favorite.

To learn about some lesser-known Grammy nominees, see our feature on five under the radar nominees you should know, and see our instant reaction to the Grammy nominees.

2025 Grammy Predictions: Major Categories

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Nominees:
Now and Then, the Beatles
Texas Hold ‘Em, Beyonce
Espresso, Sabrina Carpenter
360, Charli XCX
Birds of a Feather, Billie Eilish
Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar
Good Luck, Babe!, Chappell Roan
Fortnight, Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone

The Beatles are nominated for Record of the Year in 2025. And they could very well win. The older voters in the Recording Academy who aren’t in touch with the new pop divas may actually vote for John, Paul, George and Ringo, and that could be enough for them to pull off an upset that nobody outside the Academy wants to see. It’s the only rock song nominated, after all, and rock voters make up a large portion of voters.

I don’t see Charli XCX contending here, as there are too many pop divas who are likely to split the vote. Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter may have an outside shot, since “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Espresso” were so ubiquitous. Taylor Swift probably won’t win, since “Fortnight” didn’t have the cultural impact of her previous hits. Beyonce may have a chance, especially if voters decide she’s overdue to win this category.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” might have been the best true record of the year, but rap songs almost never win this category.

Most likely, this is a race between the Beatles, Billie Eilish, and Beyonce, which is a bizarre sentence to write. Will young pop music fans’ heads explode if the Beatles win? Perhaps we’ll never know — we give a slight edge to Eilish.

Record of the Year prediction
Should win: Good Luck, Babe!, Chappell Roan
Will win: Birds of a Feather, Billie Eilish
Should have been nominated: Habits, Gary Clark, Jr.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Nominees:
New Blue Sun, Andre 3000
Cowboy Carter, Beyonce
Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter
Brat, Charli XCX
Djesse vol. 4, Jacob Collier
Hit Me Hard and Soft, Billie Eilish
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan
The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift

It seems like every year, Beyonce gets nominated for Album of the Year, and the critics say she should win, and the experts predict her to win, and then the Recording Academy chooses someone else.

There’s a lot of momentum and vibes that this will be Beyonce’s year. But I’m not buying it. I’ll believe it when I see it. Her country album didn’t have the staying power of her previous releases, and there may be some Beyonce fatigue within the Academy.

Taylor Swift has won a record four times, but Academy voters will probably feel like they’ve rewarded her enough. Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan will probably cancel each other out, preventing either from winning.

Andre 3000’s inclusion for an instrumental flute album is preposterous, and clearly a sign that some voters still care more about name recognition than quality of work. That said, Andre is a legend, and he could potentially get enough votes to pull off a surprise upset here. The jazz contingent within the Recording Academy is quite sizable.

All that said, assuming voters don’t go for Swift, Beyonce, or Andre 3000, then Billie Eilish is the most likely winner, given her appeal to both pop and rock audiences. She’s the only actual rock nominee in the category, which matters a lot when the vote is split eight ways.

Album of the Year prediction
Should win: The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan
Will win: Hit Me Hard and Soft, Billie Eilish
Should have been nominated: Tigers Blood, Waxahatchee

SONG OF THE YEAR (awarded to songwriter)

Nominees:
A Bar Song (Tipsy), Sean Cook, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Chibueze Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry & Mark Williams
Birds of a Feather, Billie Eilish & Finneas
Die With a Smile, Dernst Emile II, James Fauntleroy, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars & Andrew Watt
Fortnight, Jack Antonoff, Post Malone & Taylor Swift
Good Luck, Babe!, Chappell Roan, Daniel Nigro & Justin Tranter
Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar
Please Please Please, Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter
Texas Hold ‘Em, Brian Bates, Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro & Raphael Saadiq

This award goes to the songwriter, and that’s probably why Taylor Swift has a record 8 nominations in her career in this category. She has yet to win, though. Could she finally take home this award for “Fortnight?”

It’s possible, but not likely. The other Jack Antonoff song here, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please,” figures to get more love from the Academy. But neither is the favorite in this category.

Beyonce has a real shot here for “Texas Hold ‘Em.” So does Shaboozey, whose “A Bar Song” was the biggest track of the year. The problem is that both are pop-leaning country songs that are likely to appeal to the same groups of voters, so they may offset each other and prevent either from winning.

So who does that leave? Yet again, we pick Billie Eilish to emerge from a competitive field to win Song of the Year. If we’re correct, Eilish will sweep Record, Song, and Album of the Year, just as she did in 2020.

Song of the Year prediction
Should win: Good Luck, Babe!, Chappell Roan, Daniel Nigro & Justin Tranter
Will win: Birds of a Feather, Billie Eilish & Finneas
Should have been nominated: I Could Drive You Crazy, Sierra Ferrell

BEST NEW ARTIST

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

Chappell Roan is the most deserving Best New Artist winner, but something tells me Sabrina Carpenter has more industry support. She’s been recording for years, and has close ties with heavyweights like Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff. Yes, there are even cliques within the Recording Academy, and Carpenter happens to be in the right one, while Roan is more of an outsider.

Benson Boone and Teddy Swims are both worthy nominees, but competing against each other probably hurts their chances. Raye could be a dark horse, since she won Best New Artist at the BRIT Awards.

Otherwise, Shaboozey could be the spoiler. He appeals to listeners of country, pop, and hip hop, which is a powerful coalition of voters.

Our guess is that Carpenter edges out Shaboozey and Roan.

Best New Artist prediction
Should win: Chappell Roan
Will win: Sabrina Carpenter
Should have been nominated: Megan Moroney

Other 2025 Category Predictions

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM

Nominees:
Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter
Hit Me Hard and Soft, Billie Eilish
Eternal Sunshine, Ariana Grande
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan
The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift

The only thing we can certain of with Best Pop Vocal Album is that Ariana Grande won’t be winning. The other four all have a real shot.

Taylor Swift has won it twice, including just last year. She’s a strong contender again, although voters may want to move on to someone else.

Carpenter and Roan are the fresh faces. As we mentioned in our Album of the Year analysis, Carpenter likely has an edge over Roan in popularity among voters. But Eilish could play spoiler. She’s won 9 Grammys already, including this award in 2020. Her rock leanings could separate her enough from the other pop divas to prevail in this category.

Best Pop Vocal Album prediction
Should win: The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan
Will win: Hit Me Hard and Soft, Billie Eilish
Should have been nominated: Found Heaven, Conan Gray

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

Nominees:
Jessi Alexander
Amy Allen
Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Raye

The new Songwriter of the Year category was created to reward writers who work behind the scenes. Writers who are also performers are supposed to be excluded. Which makes it weird that the Academy allowed a nomination for British singer Raye.

Raye does write songs for other people, but she became a star last year in her own right. Raye is a fantastic artist. But unfortunately, she could win this category based strictly on her star power and name recognition, rather than an honest evaluation of her songwriting talents.

Raye has a great chance, but we think she will get edged out by Amy Allen, who co-wrote Sabrina Carpenter’s three big hits last year.

Songwriter of the Year prediction
Should win: Amy Allen
Will win: Amy Allen
Should have been nominated: Tobias Jesso Jr.

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM

Nominees:
Brat, Charli XCX
Three, Four Tet
Hyperdrama, Justice
Timeless, Kaytranada
Telos, Zedd

Charli XCX’s Brat was by far the biggest commercial and cultural success among these nominees. But in the Dance/Electronic field, that doesn’t necessarily matter.

Kaytranada and Justice have both won this award before. Zedd is a past Grammy winner, and Four Tet has been earning acclaim. All are solid contenders. And Charli had never even been nominated for a Grammy for her solo work until this year, so there’s some question how much the Academy really likes her.

That said, we do think Charli takes Best Dance/Electronic Album. It’s going to be a Brat winter at the Grammys.

Best Dance/Electronic Album prediction
Should win: Brat, Charli XCX
Will win: Brat, Charli XCX
Should have been nominated: Challengers, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

BEST DANCE POP RECORDING

Nominees:
“Make You Mine,” Madison Beer
“Von dutch,” Charli XCX
“L’amour de ma Vie,” Billie Eilish
“Yes, And?,” Ariana Grande
“Got Me Started,” Troye Sivan

Troye Sivan’s Something to Give Each Other was a fantastic dance-pop album. He earned two Grammy noms last year for “Rush,” and this year “Got Me Started” is a contender for Best Dance Pop Recording.

While Sivan would be the most deserving winner, he’s not likely to have enough Recording Academy support to win. Charli XCX was the big dance star of the year, and Billie Eilish is the Grammy favorite. Either would be a worthy winner.

This is the one category where Ariana Grande has a shot as well. “Yes, And?” was the biggest pop hit of these nominees, so it must be considered.

Our prediction is that Charli XCX edges out Grande and Eilish to win the award.

Best Dance Pop Recording prediction
Should win: Got Me Started, Troye Sivan
Will win: Von dutch, Charli XCX
Should have been nominated: Houdini, Dua Lipa

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

Nominees:
Cowboy Carter, Beyonce
F-1 Trillion, Post Malone
Deeper Well, Kacey Musgraves
Higher, Chris Stapleton
Whirlwind, Lainey Wilson

Beyonce famously didn’t get any CMA nominations, but here she is up for Best Country Album at the Grammys. Will she win? That’s one of the most fascinating mysteries of the 2025 Grammys.

She’s competing against Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, and Lainey Wilson, three Grammy favorites who have combined to win this category six times. That’s very tough competition.

Still, when pop music icons get nominated in niche categories, they tend to win. Stapleton and Wilson could pull this one out, but our hunch is that Beyonce will get just enough votes to prevail.

Best Country Album prediction
Should win: Whirlwind, Lainey Wilson
Will win: Cowboy Carter, Beyonce
Should have been nominated: Fathers & Sons, Luke Combs

BEST ROCK ALBUM

Nominees:
Happiness Bastards, Black Crowes
Romance, Fontaines D.C.
Saviors, Green Day
TANGK, Idles
Dark Matter, Pearl Jam
Hackney Diamonds, The Rolling Stones
No Name, Jack White

The Rolling Stones won the very first Best Rock Album Grammy in 1995, and they have decent odds of winning again in 2025 for their excellent comeback effort Hackney Diamonds, and its two solid singles, “Angry” and “Mess it Up.”

Standing in their way are past winners Green Day, past nominees Pearl Jam, and long-time hitmakers Jack White and the Black Crowes.

With seven nominees, this one’s truly a crapshoot. One of the Grammy-favorite veteran acts such as Green Day or Jack White could triumph, or the category could continue its recent string of rewarding more current acts, which would put Idles or Fontaines DC in the driver’s seat. We’ll predict Jack White edges the Stones and Fontaines DC for the win.

Best Rock Album prediction
Should win: Hackney Diamonds, Rolling Stones
Will win: No Name, Jack White
Should have been nominated: JPEG RAW, Gary Clark, Jr.

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM

Nominees:
Wild God, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Charm, Clairo
The Collective, Kim Gordon
What Now, Brittany Howard
All Born Screaming, St. Vincent

After Sinead O’Connor won the first Best Alternative Music Album award in 1990, male performers won for the next 23 years straight (aside from Meg White sharing the award twice with Jack White as the White Stripes.)

But that trend has reversed over the past decade, with women or female-fronted bands winning six times, including Fiona Apple, Boygenius, and Wet Leg. This year, Nick Cave is the only dude in the category.

St. Vincent has won twice, and has a great shot to win again for All Born Screaming. Her primary competition will likely come from Brittany Howard, who won in 2016 with Alabama Shakes.

Best Alternative Music Album prediction
Should win: All Born Screaming, St. Vincent
Will win: All Born Screaming, St. Vincent
Should have been nominated: Wall of Eyes, the Smile

BEST COMEDY ALBUM

Nominees:
Armageddon, Ricky Gervais
The Dreamer, Dave Chappelle
The Prisoner, Jim Gaffigan
Someday You’ll Die, Nikki Glaser
Where Was I, Trevor Noah

Since 2018, Dave Chappelle has been nominated six times for Best Comedy Album. He won each of the first five, and will probably win again this year, even though his work has become predictable and unimaginative in the past several years.

The only nominee who can possibly upend him is Nikki Glaser, whose celebrity exploded this year with her star turn at the Tom Brady roast. She’s never been nominated before, but she could win this award as the hip comic of the moment, just as Tiffany Haddish did in 2021.

Best Comedy Album prediction
Should win: Someday You’ll Die, Nikki Glaser
Will win: The Dreamer, Dave Chappelle
Should have been nominated: Cis Woke Grief Slut, Laurie Kilmartin

Original Article: Early 2025 Nominee Predictions

Note: The article below was written before the Grammy nominees were announced. This was our prediction of which artists might get nominated.

Eligibility Window for 2025 Grammys

The eligibility period for the ’25 Grammys runs from September 16, 2023 to August 30, 2024. So the Grammy year is already over.

We keep advocating for the Grammys to extend their eligibility window through the end of November, so that the Grammy year more accurately reflects the calendar year. Instead, they’re going in the opposite direction, which is disappointing.

Nonetheless, that’s the eligibility period. So who will be eligible? Let’s discuss the contenders.

2025 Grammy Predictions: Leading Contenders

Taylor Swift

Many thought Swift might finally take a bit of a break after capturing her record fourth Album of the Year win. Instead, she announced a brand new album in April called The Tortured Poets Department.

It set all sorts of sales records, and earned Swift the top 14 slots on the Hot 100, a record.

Though some critics say the album (a whopping 31 tracks, counting the extended edition) is too long, you can bet it will be in the running for several major categories at the 2025 Grammy Awards. Swift has 14 career Grammys and ranks #7 on our list of artists most likely to catch Beyonce’s record of 32 Grammys. She’s also a likely Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee someday.

Beyonce

The Queen surprised the world during the Super Bowl by dropping two new songs and teasing an upcoming album, Cowboy Carter, that goes on heavy on country music while also weaving in pop, R&B and hip hop.

Will this be the one that finally wins her Album of the Year? The jury is still out. But the bouncy, hummable “Texas Hold ‘Em” could definitely get some Grammy love. It will be interesting to see if that track is nominated in the country categories.

Zach Bryan

Some prognosticators are suggesting that the Album of the Year field could be entirely female, but that seems unlikely. It will be mostly female, for sure, but there’s often a surprise artist (like Jon Batiste) who comes out of nowhere to score a nomination.

The dude most likely to find himself with an Album of the Year nod is Zach Bryan, whose rootsy rock-meets-country appeals to large swaths of Grammy voters in multiple genres. Bryan is the rare commercially successful artist who also has high critical acclaim. Expect him to earn an Album of the Year nod.

Update: Bryan mysteriously pulled his music from Grammy consideration, so he will not be nominated.

Ariana Grande

Any list of 2025 Grammy predictions has to include Ariana Grande. She shot to #1 in January with “Yes, And?,” and the full album Eternal Sunshine saw a March release.

Grande has had a love-hate relationship with the Grammys, but she has 15 career nominations and two wins, including Best Pop Vocal Album in 2019 for Sweetener. Expect her to be in the mix in the pop categories once again.

Kacey Musgraves

On Grammy weekend, Kacey Musgraves teased her sixth album Deeper Well, which came out and revealed a mellow, gentle sound. The question is: Will it be considered in the country or pop category?

Musgraves has always been a Grammy favorite, from the moment her debut Same Trailer Different Park upset Swift to win the 2014 Best Country Album Grammy. She has 7 Grammys already, including one in 2024 for “I Remember Everything” with Zach Bryan.

Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan

Neither is truly a newcomer, but both are considered eligible for Best New Artist, and both are locks for nominations in that category.

Carpenter’s “Espresso” and Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” could both contend for Pop Solo Performance or even Record of the Year. Which one will earn more nominations? That’s hard to say. Carpenter has had more chart success, but Roan is more of a critical darling and overall cultural force. I’d lean toward Roan nabbing a few noms.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish has already won a ridiculous nine Grammy Awards in just her first two album cycles. Will new album Hit Me Hard and Soft receive even more love from the Recording Academy?

The reviews have been incredibly strong, and “Lunch” soared into the Top 5. She will definitely be nominated for multiple trophies.

Kendrick Lamar

Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud could lead to some interesting Grammy competition. Drake doesn’t submit his music for Grammy consideration anymore, but Lamar does, and he usually wins.

“Not Like Us,” Lamar’s most vicious attack song, has also become his biggest radio hit of the year and could be a Record of the Year contender, in addition to Best Rap Performance.

Post Malone

Another Grammy favorite — he’s one of only two artists in Grammy history to earn three consecutive Record of the Year nods — Post Malone is likely to earn recognition for his Morgan Wallen collab “I Had Some Help.”

Malone’s full country album drops in August. It remains to be seen whether that record will be good enough to earn additional noms, or whether Grammy country voters would welcome Malone.

Shaboozey

We could definitely see Shaboozey winning Record of the Year at the 2025 Grammys for his chart-topper “A Bar Song.”

Its multi-genre appeal to rock, pop, and country listeners will be hard to beat, especially given the large # of nominees in this category now. With eight nominees, a track can win with only 15-20% of the total vote… and his song has a very good chance of getting that much of the vote.

Shaboozey could even win Best New Artist if Roan and Carpenter split the pop vote, which is entirely feasible.

Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X has 11 Grammy nominations and two wins from just two album cycles. His last single “J Christ” could get some love in the Rap or Pop fields, depending where they place it. A full album, if he delivers one, could add some additional nominations.

Dua Lipa

Fresh off the success of “Dance the Night,” three-time Grammy winner Dua Lipa has a new album called Radical Optimism.

Although its singles weren’t smash hits, the lead single “Houdini” is a likely nominee in the new Best Dance Pop Recording category.

Chris Stapleton

Nashville singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton just keeps piling up Grammys. He’s won 10 in the past decade, including two more in 2024 for “White Horse.”

His latest album Higher is almost a shoo-in for a Best Country Album nom. Whether the album produces more hit singles could determine whether it ends up in the Album of the Year field.

Nicki Minaj

After her two losses for “Barbie World,” Minaj is now 0 for 12 in her career at the Grammys. So we’re not going to predict that she’ll win anything at the 2025 Grammys.

But she could earn some nominations, given that Pink Friday 2, the follow-up to her most successful album, debuted at #1 and has produced a few hits.

Rolling Stones

The legendary Stones dropped Hackney Diamonds in October, and it’s their freshest-sounding release in years. Lead single “Angry” was already nominated for Best Rock Song at the ’24 Grammys.

The rest of the record is eligible in 2025, and it’s likely it could earn a Best Rock Album nomination, given how much love musicians have for Mick and Keith.

Troye Sivan and Charli XCX

Troye Sivan, a two-time nominee for “Rush,” will be eligible for the full album Something to Give Each Other. But that album may be old news by the time 2025 rolls around.

His tour partner Charli XCX could be a contender in the new Best Dance Pop Recording category for “360” or other tracks from Brat, the viral album of the year.

Green Day

The pop-punk trio returned to their roots with the single “The American Dream is Killing Me,” a catchy, bratty track that reunited the band with their former producer Rob Cavallo. The song and its album Saviors should catch Grammy voters’ attention in 2025.

Green Day have won both Album and Record of the Year at the Grammys, for American Idiot and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” respectively. They should earn nods in the Rock or Alternative fields.

Justin Timberlake / *N Sync

The latest Trolls soundtrack will be eligible for the 2025 Grammy Awards, which means that *N Sync’s reunion single “Better Place” is in the running. By Grammy time, though, it will be 14 months old, so it may feel too old.

Justin Timberlake’s solo album Everything I Thought it Was, though, will be more current. The 10-time Grammy winner could be a contender again, unless voters are turned off by the recent accusations that he mistreated Britney Spears years ago during their relationship.

Timberlake’s Forget Tomorrow World Tour has been well-received. Read our review of his concert in Seattle.

Other Contenders

Muni Long’s “Made For Me” is the best old-school soul ballad in years. She’s a former Best New Artist nominee, and she will certainly get some love in the R&B categories for that track.

Doja Cat may be in the running if she can spawn more hits from Scarlet. Megan Thee Stallion and Jack Harlow have both scored hits early in 2024, so they’ll be in the running as well.

In the Rap field, 21 Savage’s new album could earn a nomination. PinkPantheress may also be considered for Rap categories and for Best New Artist.

Tate McRae and Renee Rapp could both be considered in the Pop field. They had some success early in the year, but by now, they may no longer be in voters’ minds, given how many other female pop stars had great years.

The Beatles could actually be contenders, since they released “Now and Then” in November 2023. Their final song as a group will be eligible for the Pop or Rock categories, depending how the Grammys classify it.

Former Grammy darlings Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark, Jr., and Norah Jones all have new music as well, so don’t rule them out.

And Andre 3000’s instrumental flute album could end up in the one of the genre categories, such as Best New Age Album.

Artists Who Would Be Contenders if They Released New Music

There’s a large group of artists who would have been Grammy contenders in 2025 if they release new albums. But time has run out, since the Grammy eligibility period is over.

An easy 2025 Grammy prediction is that Bad Bunny would have been in contention if he issued a new album. But that didn’t happen before the deadline.

Phoebe Bridgers just won three Grammys with Boygenius and one as a solo artist. She’s a critical favorite and will likely be nominated again as soon as she releases a new record. Maybe next year.

And don’t count out Lana Del Rey, who has been issuing new albums almost every year. Though she hasn’t yet won a Grammy, she has 11 career nominations, and she figures to be in contention again when she releases a new record.

What are your 2025 Grammy predictions? Leave a comment and let us know!

Last Updated on February 5, 2025