4 artists who could shock us on Grammy nominations morning
While the Grammys are often dunked on for being too predictable, the reality is that they usually come with their fair share of surprise nominations. After all, unlike the Oscars, the Grammys don’t really have direct precursors, especially for the general field categories, so figuring out how the industry feels about certain songs and artists involves some guesswork. And predictions end up concentrating around the biggest stars of the year, leaving out some equally impressive genre players who inevitably get in. So if you want to be above most pundits, you should probably consider the following potential dark horses.
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Black Pumas
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This soul-rock duo aren’t strangers to the Grammys, and in particular Grammy surprises. At the 2020 awards, they received a surprising but well deserved nomination for Best New Artist, ahead of a lot of commercial favorites. Then the next year they did even better, scoring nominations for Record of the Year (“Colors”) and Album of the Year (“Black Pumas [Deluxe Edition]”). Since then they have been consistent nominees, particularly in the rock field. However, their new album “Chronicles of a Diamond” might be their first entry into the general field categories without the nomination review committees to help them out. But they might not need help at all. “Chronicles” was a bigger hit than their self-titled debut, peaking at number-69 on the Billboard 200 (compared to the number-86 peak for “Black Pumas”). The new album also includes the triple A hits “More Than a Love Song” and “Ice Cream (Pay Phone),” the former of which was nominated for Best Rock Performance last year and the latter of which is a contender for noms this year. With the potential support of Americana, rock, and perhaps some R&B voters too, the band could easily be in play for serious awards love once again.
NxWorries
The R&B field loves a surprise, and who better to deliver that than NxWorries, the collaborative project between producer Knxwledge and eight-time Grammy winner Anderson .Paak? The band’s “Why Lawd?” might not have reached the critical heights of Paak’s last solo album “Ventura,” but the album was still well received, both commercially and with critics. Most importantly, the R&B field looks a bit drier this year in terms of major album contenders, which could open up the door for a few field favorites to dominate. The band could net an Album of the Year nomination, in addition to a likely Best Progressive R&B Album nomination. And if they really over-perform, there might also be space for the band’s “KeepHer” and “FromHere” in respective Best R&B Performance and Best Traditional R&B Performance categories too.
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The Red Clay Strays
This Americana band has been on a meteoric rise in the past year or so, especially considering that American roots music doesn’t usually make a big impact on the charts, with a few notable exceptions. The band has so far charted two hits on the Hot 100, including “Wanna Be Loved,” a contender for Record and Song of the Year as well as Best Americana Performance and Best American Roots Song. Their album “Made by These Moments” also peaked in the top 30 on the Billboard 200, positioning it as a strong contender for Best Americana Album. But if the American roots crowd really loves them, then general field nominations wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, especially after we’ve seen artists like Brandi Carlile, Molly Tuttle, and Bonnie Raitt score noms there with that same bloc of support. Even beyond a Best New Artist nomination, which is looking likelier by the day, don’t be shocked if “Moments” is one of the eight finalists in Album of the Year.
Common and Pete Rock
The rap field could be dominated by commercial players like Kendrick Lamar, Future, Jack Harlow and GloRilla. However, one quiet contender that could surprise on nominations day is the collab between three-time Grammy winner and Oscar winner Common and iconic rap producer Pete Rock. Rock has never been recognized by the Grammys properly, so the duo’s project “The Auditorium, Vol. 1” could be a perfect opportunity to do so. We have seen rap voters gravitate towards veterans recently, with Nas’s overdue win for “King’s Disease” in 2021 and Killer Mike’s sweep in 2024. As such, if voters aren’t feeling the bigger hits like Future and Metro Boomin’s “We Don’t Trust You” or Eminem’s “The Death of Slim Shady,” especially with their mixed reviews, they might chase the opportunity to reward something they’re more passionate about.
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