Chewing on ROTY and SOTY

As we’ve mentioned, ROTY and SOTY may be two different categories—one for performers/producers and one for songwriters—but many of the year’s key hits could be contenders in either or both. Rather than give you two largely similar lists, we’ve compiled the titles we consider the most eligible and indicated, where appropriate, if they seem to skew toward one category or another.

Ella Langley

Olivia Dean

Taylor Swift

Bruno Mars

Ariana Grande

The Top Tier

Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas” (Columbia): This silky country tale of lost love is bigger than, well, Texas, and amounts to the genre’s most colossal crossover since Tay wore cowboy boots. It’s hard to imagine that Langley’s long-running mega-smash won’t get a nomination in Record, Song or both.

Olivia Dean, “Man I Need” (Island): The reigning Best New Artist has a breezy sophistication that’s reminiscent of a bygone era, but her pop hits are state-of-the-art gems. The gossamer-grooving “Man” epitomizes Dean’s winning, sweet-natured charisma, of which the Academy is already a proven fan.

Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia” and “I Knew It, I Knew You” (Republic): Taylor is always Grammy bait, and the slinky, sparkling “Ophelia” seems fated for a ROTY nod. “I Knew It,” meanwhile, which Tay penned for Toy Story 5, channels the singer-songwriter greats of the ’70s and looks like a strong pick for SOTY.

Bruno Mars, “I Just Might” and “Risk It All” (Atlantic): Bruno can do it all and frequently does it all at the same time. The buzzy, funkily joyful “Might” is likely to earn ROTY consideration, while the lovely, mariachi-spiced ballad “Risk”—which will probably grace wedding playlists from now until doomsday—seems like a vigorous contender for SOTY.

Ariana Grande, “hate that i made you love me” (Republic): The hooky, minimalist lead single from the multimedia megastar’s chartbusting return, petal, showcases her reliably incredible singing and some powerful dynamics. Post-Wicked, she shines even more brightly in the pop space.

Noah Kahan

Olivia Rodrigo

Tame Impala's Kevin Parker

RAYE

SIENNA SPIRO

Noah Kahan, “The Great Divide” (Mercury): The bearded troubadour is a bona fide chart champ and a massive live act. The title track from his #1 album, which Kahan co-penned with longtime collaborator Gabe Simon, is precisely the sort of hard-charging, emotionally potent anthem that has his fans on their feet singing along.

Olivia Rodrigo, “the cure” (Geffen): O-Rod references classic alternative pop not only on the title of this top-streaming gem but in its brittle guitars and vitriolic metaphors. With its impeccable, beautifully sad chorus, “the cure” is a potent distillation of her considerable talents—and a reminder of what made her a Grammy darling in the first place.

Tame Impala, “Dracula” f/JENNIE (Columbia): This chart-topping remix of Kevin Parker’s percolating pop anthem for nighthawks (which he co-wrote with Sarah Aarons) gets an intoxicating boost from K-pop thrush JENNIE’s fetching vocals. “Dracula” would seem to lean ROTY, but you never know.

RAYE, “Where Is My Husband!” (Human Re Sources): The British soul-pop savant is one of the most gifted vocalists on the scene, and she shows off her jazzy, virtuosic pipes to fine effect in this fleet, tongue-in-cheek slice of Motown-ish R&B. “Husband” has charm to burn—could it catch a bouquet?

SIENNA SPIRO, “Die on This Hill” (Capitol): Another soulful British siren with stunning vocal chops, SPIRO has earned comparisons to Adele. She certainly draws inspiration from the same tradition of regal divadom, and it’s easy to picture her blowing the roof off if she gets to perform “Hill” on the Grammy telecast.

Gaga & Doechii

STELLA LEFTY

Malcolm Todd

Shakira & Burna Boy

SOMBR

Other Contenders

Lady Gaga With Doechii, “RUNWAY” (Interscope): Gaga is always dangerous, Doechii is a Grammy darling and this designer dance-floor duet from The Devil Wears Prada 2 (co-written by the two stars with Andrew Watt, Bruno Mars and other top pros) drips with attitude and style.

STELLA LEFTY, “Boston” (Atlantic Outpost): The Americana singer-songwriter’s rousing hit about romantic entanglement interpolates a bit of Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” but yanks the heartstrings quite differently. Stella, touted as a strong BNA contender, is a true arrival.

Malcolm Todd, “Earrings” (Columbia): The young singer-songwriter has had quite a year, and much of the heavy lifting in his career ascent has been done by this bouncy pop smash, a nonstop streaming juggernaut. Todd is certainly a BNA contender—could the song that helped him get to this early career pinnacle also get some Grammy love?

Shakira & Burna Boy, “Dai Dai” (Sony Latin): This World Cup theme is about as global as it gets, and its mix of Latin grooves and highlife guitar undergirds a tune that could bring out the champion in anyone. “Dai Dai,” which numbers Ed Sheeran, Jon Bellion and A.C. Vasquez among its writers, probably leans ROTY.

SOMBR, “Homewrecker” (Warner): The lanky pop heartthrob born Shane Boose has the goods. It’s possible that this finely wrought bop has been overshadowed by the massive success of his other hits, but “Homewrecker” may be the fullest realization yet of his considerable gifts.

Harry Styles, “Aperture” (Columbia): The British superstar’s foray into EDM-accented pop was a huge creative leap; much speculation ensued about whether or not Grammy would reward the risk. In any case, this propulsive track, with its “We belong together” refrain, exudes a very human warmth. Expect Harry’s residency tour to boost his visibility amid the voting.

Harry Styles

Madonna

ROSALÍA

Don Toliver

Madonna, “Danceteria” (Warner): Madge’s irresistible dance-club reverie—from her acclaimed #1 set CONFESSIONS II—is an electric paean to the creative ferment of the ’80s, when she strode to fame. It’s fun, but it’s also deep. A nom would hail both this return to form and her fab career.

ROSALÍA, “Berghain” f/Björk & Yves Tumor (Columbia): One of the most adventurous songs on the Spanish marvel’s dazzling album LUX, “Berghain” finds her singing operatically in multiple languages over an orchestra. It’s as far from conventional pop as it gets—could that be reason enough for Grammy to acknowledge it?

Bella Kay

Justin Bieber

KATSEYE

KAROL G

Dominic Fike

Don Toliver, “E85” (Atlantic): This R&B-leaning cut from the rapper’s gigundo album OCTANE seemed to be on every playlist; its blissed-out vocals and fuzzed-out guitars are the quintessence of nightlife. If a hip-hop song snags a nom, it’s likely to be this one.

Bella Kay, “iloveitiloveitiloveit” (Atlantic): The Florida singer-songwriter went from TikTok renown to DSP dominion with this slice of guitar pop detailing a masochistic attachment to someone who’s “a bad idea but a real good time.” What seems at first to be a hooky little ditty reveals more depth—and fearless honesty—upon further listening.

Justin Bieber, “Speed Demon” (Def Jam): Biebs came roaring back to the forefront of the conversation when his YouTube-fueled Coachella set supercharged his catalog. On this frisky, funky jam from SWAG II, the megastar vocalist shows once again why he’s king of the road.

KATSEYE, “Animal” (HYBE x Geffen): The global girl group developed with K-pop “methodology” has magnetism—animal and otherwise—to burn, and this frothy pop confection exemplifies its considerable appeal.

KAROL G, Judeline and rusowsky, “BbY WOW” (Bichota/Interscope): Latin luminary KAROL and her singing collaborators have hit the stratosphere with this percolating Spanish-language single, a swoony delight that’s equally suited to the dance-floor and the boudoir.

Dominic Fike, “Babydoll (Live)”/“White Keys” (Columbia): The multimedia heartthrob seems to be hitting his creative stride, and these streaming biggies (submitted for ROTY and SOTY, respectively) capture both his facility with pop-rock tropes and his willingness to bend them to his will. The new live version of his unstoppable 2018 smash reveals his remarkable growth as a singer.