Singer Taylor Swift tops 2016 Grammy predictions

Never go out of style · Singer Taylor Swift performs in Shanghai last month. With the release of Swift’s latest album, 1989, late last year, the singer is in the running for Grammy nominations, especially Record of the Year. – Photo courtesy of Big Machine Records

The long-awaited nominations for this year’s Grammy Awards will be released Dec. 7. The big questions surrounding the announcement are who will rack up the nominations and who will get snubbed. Strong predictions are already being made, especially for the five most popular categories: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist.

Taylor Swift will, without a doubt, lead the nominations. She’s had a killer year with the release of her fifth studio album, 1989. Not only is she a strong contender for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, but the song “Blank Space” also blew up on the radiowaves, and the music video amassed over a billion views. That’s no easy feat, and “Blank Space” will most likely get nods for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance. In recent years, Swift has received a slew of nominations but been snubbed at the awards ceremony, so hopefully this year she has a chance to take home trophies for a job well done.

Record of the Year is another popular category that will face some strong competition. The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” and Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” will likely get nods. However, “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and ft. Bruno Mars is a song that might win this category this year, as it stayed relevant on the radio for quite some time.

Drake, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Dr. Dre are expected to lead in the category for Best Rap Album, and Lamar should most definitely receive an Album of the Year nomination for To Pimp a Butterfly. The Compton rapper received what was considered a huge affront two years ago when he lost Best Rap Album to Macklemore. This year, it would be an incredible snub if he lost again.

After winning the Academy Award and Golden Globe for “Glory,” it could almost be considered an insult if Common and John Legend didn’t take home the trophy for Song of the Year. They do have some amazing competition, though: “Blank Space” may sneak in another nomination, and Rachel Patten’s “Fight Song” has been one of the female anthems of the year. Additionally, Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s touching ballad, dedicated to late actor Paul Walker, pulls at the heartstrings — “See You Again” may be able to take it all.

Lastly, “Best New Artist” has always been a nail-biting category, as the artists who win are most definitely the best in the business. A nod to Meghan Trainor would be expected, as her first album Title debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and broke records as Epic Records’ first
No. 1 album since Sara Bareilles’s 2010 album, Kaleidoscope Heart. On the other hand, Fetty Wap has blown up the airwaves with “Trap Queen” and “My Way,” and might be able to snatch the trophy from bubbly blonde princess Trainor.

The 58th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony will be held on Feb. 15, 2016.