The Grammys is a prestigious award show that recognizes the talent of music artists every year. Receiving a Grammy is a huge stepping stone or a breakthrough for many established and uprising artists’ careers. Each category winner should be well thought out, but is it?
The Big four Grammy categories each year consist of Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. They almost got it all right this year. But not quite.
Here are my grades for each award.
Record of the Year
Who Won: Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
This award acknowledges a single track, and the artist’s overall performance, impact and contribution to the production.
Kendrick Lamar is an American rapper and songwriter, who has created many hits like “Humble”, “Loyalty”, and “Swimming Pools (Drank)”. He is an extremely talented and beloved artist, who has continuously extended his legacy over the years. He is known for collaborating with other well-established artists, like SZA, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna.
Lamar received the Grammy for Record of the Year for his hit diss track “Not Like Us”. This song is a continuation to a rap feud between himself and Drake, where he calls out allegations and rumors against the famous rapper.
Despite “Not Like Us” being a diss track, it is a song to remember for having such a widespread impact, because of its catchy chorus, wittiness, and drama. Lamar most definitely should be awarded for his talent, but it is debatable if Record of the Year is best suited for the song.
Who Should’ve Won: Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
Billie Eilish is a twenty-three-year-old American singer songwriter, with hits like “Ocean Eyes”, “bad guy”, and “lovely”. She is the fourth-most listened to artist on Spotify worldwide, proving her musical impact and foothold on the industry.
Eilish has co-written nearly all the songs in her discography with her brother Finneas. She is well-known for her lyricism, but also for her dreamy vocal abilities and incomparable agility. She has won over 200 awards, with over 400 nominations.
Eilish’s song “Birds of Feather” explores the desire for a lasting, deep connection, and the inner turmoil of love. It holds a minimalistic, easy-to-listen-to instrumental, with Eilish’s ethereal vocals and intricate lyrics to enhance the emotional weight to the song.
“Birds of a Feather” had a large impact on our culture, and with over one billion streams. It has even performed significantly better than “Not Like Us”, with nearly double the number of streams on Spotify. “Not Like Us” and “Birds of a Feather” are both two very different genres, but each song highlights the artist’s talent perfectly. Either way, they picked the wrong track.
Grade: B-
Album of the Year
Who Won: Beyonce – Cowboy Carter
This award recognizes an entire body of work in terms of artistic quality, writing, creativity, and overall impact.
Beyonce is an American singer, songwriter, and actress, first known as the lead singer in music group Destiny’s Child. She has led a very successful career with many classic songs under her wing, such as “Halo” and “Crazy In Love”. Her best album is Lemonade, which features “Sorry”, “6 Inch”, and “Hold Up”.
Beyonce is known for her captivating performances, powerful dances, and strong vocals. She has received over 700 awards, and over 1000 nominations.
Album of the Year was awarded to her country album Cowboy Carter, which has twenty-seven tracks in total. Beyonce wished to emphasize the large impact that Black artists have had on the sound and history of country music, and this impact is usually overlooked.
The songs on this album include many featured artists, including those who are aspiring and established. Beyonce has consistently put in the effort to advocate and address key issues, like women empowerment and racism.
Likely due to it being a lengthy album, very few songs are well-known. This has caused many to question the genuine impact of the album, which is supposed to be a criteria for the award. Many have yet recognized the lyricism and allure of the album, so it’s not certain that Beyonce is truly deserving of the award.
Who Should’ve Won: Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft
Billie Eilish’s most recent album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, encapsulates the most perfect blend of emotional rawness and artistic innovation. Lyrically, Billie is so gifted, using rich figurative language to address mental health, love, self-reflection and vulnerability throughout the album.
The album itself has generated over twenty-one million streams daily, since its release in May. The impact of this album can be found not only in the numbers, but also in the emotional reaction it has created.
This album has the ability to evoke hard-hitting emotions, with just the power of Eilish’s voice. There are so many online videos of young children swelling with tears because of her songs, even though they are not able to understand their meaning. This further proves how much her voice can touch the hearts of people. Overall the creativity, lyricism, impact and quality is top tier, and Eilish should’ve been recognized and acknowledged for it.
Grade: C
Song of the Year
Who Won: Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
This is a songwriting award that recognizes a track for its lyric quality and composition.
“Not Like Us” highlights Kendrick Lamar’s lyricism, with his witty word play. This diss track is a bold statement, displaying his great confidence to speak his mind. The repetitive chorus has allowed it to become an anthem to many, and it is currently the longest-running number-one song on the Hot Rap Songs chart.
Even if it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, no one can deny the huge impact this track had over the Summer of 2024. This song could be heard everywhere on every platform, so it truly dominated the charts and deserves the award.
Who Should’ve Won: Kendrick Lamar
The Contenders: Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please” & Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars – “Die with a Smile”
There are a couple contenders for this award. Sabrina Carpenter is a successful pop singer, songwriter, and actress known for her catchy melody, outstanding performance and stage presence. “Please Please Please” is a huge part of the success of her Short n’ Sweet album, and it became a hit because of its deep lyrics, its infectious hook and its upbeat melody. This song is a strong contender, as it is a perfect summer anthem, with a witty but deep meaning.
Lady Gaga is an iconic singer, songwriter, and actress, known for her vocals, flashy dances, and boundary-pushing style. Everyone has heard of this icon, with incredible songs like “Poker Face”, “Bad Romance” and “Shallow”. Bruno Mars is an American singer, songwriter, and producer who is well established in the industry, known for his versatility as an artist. His most popular hits include “Just the Way You Are”, “Locked out of Heaven” and “That’s What I Like”.
These two artists recorded “Die with a Smile”, a blend of pop, soul, and ballad, and the song emphasizes their raw vocals. The lyrics focus on living life to the fullest, embracing every moment of life and recognizing our inevitable deaths. It was a cultural reset for both artists, as they both made their popular return to the industry and charts.
These two contending songs are both deserving of this award, but neither of them was more impactful than “Not Like Us”.
Grade: A
Best New Artist
Who Won: Chappell Roan
The Best New Artist recognizes an up-and-coming artist that has had the biggest impact and breakthrough this year. 
Chappell Roan is an indie pop singer and songwriter, whose music explores themes of self discovery and love. Her album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess caused a great breakthrough for her career, as she was recognized for her unique sound and versatility.
Roan has become an icon for the queer community, embracing gender identity and expression, while using her voice to advocate for the rights of LGBTQ+ people everywhere. She is currently the best new artist with a huge, impactful platform.
Who Should’ve Won: Chappell Roan
The Contender: Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter has been known due to her acting career, but people have now begun to recognize her talent as a musician. 2024 was a huge milestone year in Carpenter’s career, and she won her first two Grammys. She is a Barbie pop girl icon, and no one can deny her impact on the industry.
Both girls are insanely talented, but this was Chappell Roan’s year.
Grade: A-
In the end, the Grammys is a fun award show to watch, but we need to see the reality of it. You can’t get your hopes up about your favorite artist winning, because not all artists are going to be recognized for their hard work. And of course this sucks, but we can show our support in other ways, by streaming their music and going to their concerts.
