It’s a rematch made in diva heaven.
When the 2023 Grammys go down, it will be a repeat of 2017’s sing-your-face-off between Adele and Beyoncé. On that night, the former’s “25” somehow beat the latter’s “Lemonade” for Album of the Year.
On Sunday, they’ll battle it out again for Album of the Year, with Adele’s “30” — which feels as if it was released 30 years ago — going up against Beyoncé’s far fresher — and fiercer — “Renaissance.” And the two pop goddesses will also square off for Record and Song of the Year, as Adele’s “Easy on Me” goes up against Bey’s “Break My Soul.”
Leading the field with nine nods on Sunday, Beyoncé will surely go home as the single most victorious nonclassical artist in Grammy history. (She currently shares the record of 28 wins with Quincy Jones.)
Here are our picks for who will win — and who should win — when music’s biggest night takes place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Record of the Year
“Don’t Shut Me Down” — ABBA
“Easy on Me” — Adele
“Break My Soul” — Beyoncé
“Good Morning Gorgeous” — Mary J. Blige
“You and Me on the Rock” — Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius
“Woman” — Doja Cat
“Bad Habit” — Steve Lacy
“The Heart Part 5” — Kendrick Lamar
“About Damn Time” — Lizzo
“As It Was” — Harry Styles
Will and should win: Styles. His third solo album may have been called “Harry’s House,” but it was really Harry’s world in 2022. He had the most ubiquitous single of the year in “As It Was,” which spent 15 weeks at No. 1, and his shimmying slice of ’80s pogo pop was as irresistible as it was inescapable.
Album of the Year
“Voyage” — ABBA
“30” — Adele
“Un Verano Sin Ti” — Bad Bunny
“RENAISSANCE” — Beyoncé
“Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)” — Mary J. Blige
“In These Silent Days” — Brandi Carlile
“Music of the Spheres” — Coldplay
“Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” — Kendrick Lamar
“Special” — Lizzo
“Harry’s House” — Harry Styles
Will and should win: Beyoncé. How has Bey never won Album of the Year despite owning a record 28 gramophones? She surely should have won at least once, probably twice already for her 2013 surprise self-titled set and/or 2016’s “Lemonade.” “Renaissance” was a true album, a complete statement from start to finish with the smoothest of track transitions taking you on a journey through the club underground while fiercely representing black queer culture. If Bey doesn’t finally win this one, there just may be an uprising.
Song of the Year
“Easy on Me” – Adele
“Break My Soul” — Beyoncé
“Just Like That” – Bonnie Raitt
“God Did” — DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy
“ABCDEFU” — Gayle
“As It Was” — Harry Styles
“The Heart Part 5” — Kendrick Lamar
“About Damn Time” — Lizzo
“Bad Habit” — Steve Lacey
Taylor Swift – All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)
Will win: Adele. Even though “30” was not the blockbuster (by Adele standards) that “21” or even “25” was, it’s hard to see her not winning one of the Big 4 awards for it, and it’s most likely coming in this category, where her kind of piano ballad cuts straight through to the song.
Should win: Beyoncé. With its post-pandemic wiggle, “Break My Soul” — Bey’s first No. 1 solo hit since 2008’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” which won Song of the Year for her only Big 4 victory — found the über-diva capturing the moment better than any other artist in 2022.
Best New Artist
Anitta
Omar Apollo
DOMi & JD Beck
Samara Joy
Latto
Måneskin
Muni Long
Tobe Nwigwe
Molly Tuttle
Wet Leg
Will win: Måneskin. The Italian glam rockers are the biggest name in a eclectic set with no clear favorite. And they’ve given a much-needed jolt to a genre that has seen far better days.
Should win: Anitta. This is really a toss-up between the Brazilian singer, indie-rock duo Wet Leg and Måneskin for me. I’d be happy to see any of them win. But for a year in which Latin artists made mucho moves, it would be nice to see one of them bring home a Big 4 trophy.
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
“Thank You” — Diana Ross
“When Christmas comes Around …” — Kelly Clarkson
“Higher” — Michael Bublé
“I Dreamed of Christmas (extended edition)” — Norah Jones
“Evergreen” — Pentatonix
Will and should win: Ross. The 78-year-old Motown queen — who somehow has been underrated and underappreciated as an artist over a supreme six decades — has never won a competitive Grammy in her legendary career, despite 13 nominations. Stop! In the name of Diana.
Best Rap Album
“God Did” — DJ Khaled
“I Never Liked You” — Future
“Come Home the Kids Miss You” — Jack Harlow
“Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” — Kendrick Lamar
“It’s Almost Dry” — Pusha T.
Will and should win: Lamar. K-Dot is almost as due as Beyoncé for an Album of the Year win. But the Pulitzer Prize winner — leagues above the rest of the field — will probably have to settle for his third triumph in this category.
Best R&B Song
Beyoncé – “Cuff It”
Jazmine Sullivan – “Hurt Me So Good”
Mary J. Blige – “Good Morning Gorgeous”
Muni Long – “Hrs & Hrs”
PJ Morton – “Please Don’t Walk Away”
Will and should win: Beyoncé. Bey ought to cuff this one her “Renaissance” roller boogie. But don’t count out Blige for her bluesy ballad, which, also nominated for Record of the Year, clearly has a lot of support.
Best Música Urbana Album
“Un Verano Sin Ti” — Bad Bunny
“Legendaddy” — Daddy Yankee
“La 167” — Farruko
“The Love & Sex Tape” — Maluma
Will and should win: Bad Bunny. With “Un Verano Sin Ti” being the first Spanish-language LP to be nominated for Album of the Year, this is about the surest lock of the night.
