2023 Grammy Nominations are just one day away, and it’s time to place some flags in the sand. Since the eligibility period began all the way back in October 2021, this has been a big year for even bigger albums. Long-awaited and triumphant projects from Kendrick Lamar, Adele, and Beyoncé are all likely to dominate the general categories. (Neither Drake nor The Weeknd, who would likely otherwise be frontrunners this year, submitted their albums for consideration this year.) An exciting race should also be on for Best New Artist—and yes, that’s a race that could somehow, this far into her illustrious career, involve Mitski.
From all-but-certain contenders to underdog sleeper favorites, there’s plenty of music worth recognizing this year—that’s why The A.V. Club has rounded up 20 artists we’d like to see recognized on this year’s Grammy ballot.
Beyoncé
Categories: Album Of The Year (Renaissance), Song Of The Year (“Break My Soul”), Record Of The Year (“Break My Soul”), anything and everything else she can carry
If there is any justice in the world, not only will Beyoncé sweep the Grammy nominations, but the awards themselves. There hasn’t been another album this Grammy season that has captured the public’s attention for such a sustained period of time as Renaissance; even heavy hitters like Drake and Adele couldn’t battle social media attention spans the way that Beyonce can and did. While there have been rumblings that Renaissance was submitted for consideration under Dance categories instead of Pop or R&B, it’s the general categories to watch for: “Break My Soul” will get noms for both Song and Record of the Year, and Renaissance seems like a lock for Album Of The Year. [Drew Gillis]
Harry Styles
Categories: Record Of The Year (“As It Was”), Best Pop Solo Performance (“As It Was”), Best Pop Vocal Album
Harry Styles is a bit of a Grammy darling coming off of last year’s “Watermelon Sugar” coup. Harry’s House is less interesting—both lyrically and musically—than its predecessor Fine Line, but its smashing success and glossy confidence seem guaranteed to get awards attention. His name is more than likely to appear in the pop categories, but a bigger get would be Record Of The Year recognition for “As It Was,” the album’s lead single and one of his best tracks yet. [Mary Kate Carr]
Kendrick Lamar
Categories: Album Of The Year (Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers), Best Rap Album (Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers), Record Of The Year (“The Heart Part 5"), Best Rap Performance (“The Heart Part 5")
How does one follow up nabbing the inaugural Pulitzer Prize for an entire genre This was the question Kendrick Lamar faced in the wake of 2016's well-loved DAMN, a pivotal album in Lamar’s career (though in my own opinion, not his best.) With Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Lamar is as reflective as ever, questioning the state of the world itself and his own morals with equal nuance and weight. Best Rap Album and Album Of The Year are well within his reach—boxing Lamar from either category would feel like a snub. The Record Of The Year and Rap Performance categories will likely favor the album’s first single (and bonus track) “The Heart Part 5,” but the gorgeously jubilant “Die Hard” also deserves some love. [Hattie Lindert]
Adele
Categories: Album Of The Year (30), Record Of The Year (“Easy On Me”), Song Of The Year (“Easy On Me”), Best Pop Vocal Album (30), Best Pop Solo Performance (“Easy On Me”)
Even if the hype for 30 has largely come and gone, it’s a safe bet that we’ll see Adele in both the general categories—Album, Record, and Song Of The Year—and the pop categories. While “Easy On Me” didn’t have the same impact as previous lead singles “Rolling In The Deep” or “Hello,” Grammy voters have always loved Adele. [Drew Gillis]
Rosalía
Categories: Best Latin Pop Album (Motomami), Album Of The Year (Motomami)
Motomami was one of the most exciting albums of the year, and it launched Rosalia into a new level of fame and critical respect. A nomination (and let’s be honest, a win) for Best Latin Pop Album is practically a given, but we’d really like to see some love in the general categories. Though there isn’t exactly a standout single to compete for Song or Record Of The Year, the album itself is a standout—let’s give it its due and include it in the Album Of The Year conversation. [Drew Gillis]
Pusha T
Categories: Best Rap Album (It’s Almost Dry), Best Rap Performance (“Let The Smokers Shine The Coups”)
After nabbing a nomination in 2019 for the spare and whip-smart Daytona, Pusha T’s iconic “yeughs” returned to form on his latest album It’s Almost Dry. A joint production effort between The Neptunes and Kanye West, It’s Almost Dry doesn’t quite match Daytona’s hermetic production and sharp focus. But Push has a blast, as always, recalling old rivalries and finding endless ways to describe cocaine. It’s a formidable effort from one of rap’s most underrated heavyweights—a Best Rap Album nomination is more than deserved (although if this writer had her choice, “Let The Smokers Shine The Coups” would get a nod all its own.) [Hattie Lindert]
Mitski
Categories: Best Alternative Album (Laurel Hell), Best New Artist
Mitski has never been nominated for a Grammy. Not in 2016 for Puberty 2 when she could have reasonably been considered a new artist and not in 2018 for the triumphant Be The Cowboy. Laurel Hell may not have reached the depths of her previous work, but it’s still a gooey, gorgeous album deserving of a nod. (That one-two punch of “The Only Heartbreaker” and “Love Me More,” for example Delicious.) As for an artist with six LPs to her name being considered “new” Let’s just chalk it up to an acknowledgment of her years of high-quality output and hey, it’s always been a bit of a wonky category. Mitski has always fiercely resisted categorization–in a way, this would be the ultimate recognition of that. [Emma Keates]
Doja Cat
Categories: Best Song For Visual Media (“Vegas” from Elvis), Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“I Like You [A Happier Song]” with Post Malone)
Compared to the past couple of years, this was not the biggest year for Doja Cat, but a couple of her singles do have the potential to do well at the 2023 Grammys. “Vegas,” her single from the Elvis soundtrack, is a big “if” for the Oscars, but seems like a lock for the Best Song For Visual Media category at the Grammys at minimum. Her collaboration with Post Malone, “I Like You (A Happier Song)” was also a decent-sized hit, and will likely score a nomination in one of the ever-shifting collaboration categories.[Drew Gillis]
Steve Lacy
Categories: Best New Artist, Record Of The Year (Gemini Rights), Song Of The Year (“Bad Habit”)
With Steve Lacy’s impeccable rise to the top of the charts this year with “Bad Habit” from his newest album Gemini Rights, the musician and producer is primed for the Best New Artist and Record Of The Year categories. He’s been previously nominated under the Best Urban Contemporary Album category for Apollo XXI, as well as The Internet’s Ego Death. Similar to his dethroning of Harry Styles on the charts over the summer, it’s entirely likely he’ll surprise us at this year’s Grammys. [Gabrielle Sanchez]
BlackPink
Categories: Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album (Born Pink), Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“Pink Venom”)
BlackPink feels like a girl group from another era, with the potential to dominate the industry from multiple angles. Their most recent record, Born Pink, finds them well on the way to doing so. Gummy, colorful, and fun, the album is a shoo-in for Best Pop Vocal Album—TikTok-dominant single “Pink Venom” also has a fair shot for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Beyond that, a Best New Artist nomination also feels like an absolute cinch. But if any up-and-coming group has the star power and wherewithal to break into the general categories on a first nomination, it’s these four. How you like that [Hattie Lindert]
Angel Olsen
Categories: Best Alternative Album (Big Time), Best Country Album (Big Time), Best Country Solo Performance (“All The Good Times”), Best Country Song (“All The Good Times”)
Angel Olsen has a way of making every space feel vast and expansive, even if you’re listening from a crowded train or shoebox apartment, and Big Time—her best album yet—is no exception. This shimmery meditation on self-discovery, grief, hope, and identity sees Olsen embracing her natural twang for the first time and absolutely deserves to secure her first Grammy nod in at least one of these categories (especially after she was robbed in 2019 for the brilliant All Mirrors). Sure, maybe Country is pushing it a little bit, but in the words of the album’s wonderful marketing campaign (which, frankly, deserves its own award), “It’s not country … but it’s not not country!” Please Grammy gods: it’s Angel’s time. [Emma Keates]
Wet Leg
Categories: Best New Artist, Best Alternative Album (Wet Leg), Best Alternative Music Performance (“Chaise Lounge”/”Wet Dream”)
Wet Leg’s self-titled debut album has been one of the most warmly received rock albums of the year. The Grammys’ Rock/Alternative distinction has been weird for a while now, and though there doesn’t seem to be all that much “alternative” about Wet Leg, it’s likely that the duo will get nominations in the category for album and song/record, for either single “Chaise Longue” or “Wet Dream.” The biggest coup of all, though, could be a nomination for Best New Artist. [Drew Gillis]
Florence + The Machine
Categories: Best Pop Vocal Album (Dance Fever), Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“King”), Best Rock Performance (“King”)
Despite the consistent quality and enduring popularity of Florence + The Machine, Grammys have continued to elude the band. Teaming up with Grammy favorite producer Jack Antonoff could be the boost they need to finally take home a trophy this year. On top of that, Dance Fever is a culmination of all the things that made the previous albums great (Florence Welch’s poetic lyrics and powerhouse performances, wrenchingly personal themes over baroque-pop sounds, etc). Nods seem assured for the categories in which they’ve previously been recognized (with six total nominations): Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Best Rock Performance. Whether this is the album that will finally break the band into the general categories is less of a sure bet, though those Autumn de Wilde-directed music videos deserve some love. [Mary Kate Carr]
FKA Twigs
Categories: Best Pop Vocal Album (Caprisongs)
Pop’s experimental vanguard, FKA Twigs, burst through the gates of 2022 with Caprisongs, a captivating, transcendent listen that spans genres. Although it feels like a long shot, I’d love for FKA to get some love from the Grammys this year, even if they don’t usually reward those who push the boundaries on genre definition. Nonetheless, we’ll be channeling some positive energy for our ethereal meta angel. [Gabrielle Sanchez]
Big Thief
Categories: Best Alternative Music Album (Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You), Best Rock Song (“Change”)
The indie-rock outfit has already received some Grammy love recently, what with U.F.O.F. and “Not” nabbing nominations over the last two years. And the band certainly deserves one more for its sprawling, 20-track strong release this year, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, which was recorded throughout the States, with sessions in Upstate New York, Topanga, the Rocky Mountains, and Tucson. Plus, not for nothing (and not to invoke a High Fidelity-ism), “Change” is, hands down, my top side one, track one of the year. (Adrianne Lenker’s delivery of ”Could I feel happy for you when I hear you talk with her like we used to” kills me every time.) [Tim Lowery]
Megan Thee Stallion
Categories: Best Rap Song (“Plan B”/”Her”/”Sweetest Pie ft. Dua Lipa”), Best Rap Performance
After winning big at her debut Grammys two years ago, Houston’s Megan Thee Stallion left last year empty-handed. However, she’s had a good year in 2022 following the release of her album Traumazine. There are a lot of contenders on Traumazine, including “Plan B,” “Her,” and her Dua Lip collaboration “Sweetest Pie,” all of which would have a rightful spot under the Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance categories. [Gabrielle Sanchez]
Black Country, New Road
Categories: Best New Artist, Best Alternative Music Album (Ants From Up There)
It’s been a turbulent and transformative year for Black Country, New Road, the luminous young British experimental rock group often hailed as the new Arcade Fire. Their sophomore album, Ants From Up There, is a sparse, searing triumph, anchored by lead singer Isaac Wood’s arresting vocal and as technically skillful as it is achingly raw. Just four days before the record was released, Wood shared a letter announcing that he would leave the group indefinitely to focus on his mental health. The group has continued to perform as a sextet, but a first Grammy nomination in either the Best New Artist or Alternative Music Album category seems a fitting way to honor their masterful final opus with Wood. [Hattie Lindert]
Charli XCX
Categories: Best Pop Vocal Album (Crash)
Charli XCX has had a weird career; after a couple of early smashes (“I Love It,” “Fancy”) she largely retreated from the charts in favor of experimentation. 2022’s Crash is something of a synthesis of her two halves—it’s her poppiest album in years, but it still brims with the hyperpop sound she largely mainstreamed. It’s been critically well-received and relatively commercially successful. Though technically a pop album, it doesn’t necessarily fit in the pop categories with the Harry Styleses and the Dua Lipas of the world; still, it would be nice to see Charli get something. [Drew Gillis]
Fontaines D.C.
Categories: Best Rock Album (Skinty Fia)
Second time’s the charm Fontaines D.C. received their first Grammy nomination back in 2021—a Best Rock Album nod for their second record, A Hero’s Death. They lost that year to The Strokes’ The New Abnormal, but the Irish post-punk group has done the opposite of slow down. Their follow up, Skinty Fia, ups the experimental ante, and brings the group to both bigger places and quieter moments. As the group continues to innovate within the genre, it feels like high time for a second nomination, if not some real hardware. [Hattie Lindert]
Bad Bunny
Categories: Album Of The Year (Un Verano Sin Ti), Best Música Urbana Album (Un Verano Sin Ti)
Puerto Rico’s own Bad Bunny has been nominated for the last four years, with two wins under his belt. Seeing his name come up among the nominations once again this year will be no surprise following the release of his critically acclaimed album, Un Verano Sin Ti. The record has continued to propel the Latin music movement, which Bad Bunny’s led for years now. It will likely be a tight race between him and Rosalía this year. [Gabrielle Sanchez]