Witness Greatness — Grammy Awards 2016
Every year we put a spotlight on music’s greatest of the past year.
In total there are 83 Grammy awards given out each year. This year the academy is focusing on the theme of “Witness Greatness”, and that to me embodies the awards perfectly. Every award is saying congratulations you’ve done something amazing this year and we all thank you for it. Thank you for contributing something great to the music industry.
“When greatness is illuminated, no other light can outshine it” — The GRAMMYs
Of course like every televised awards show, they’ll be people that agree and others that disagree, with the winners.
As a music business student and someone hoping to put her own spin on greatness in the industry, here’s my choices (not predictions) to win some of this year’s awards.
The Grammy awards complete list of awards and nominees is found here.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR –
Beauty Behind the Madness — The Weeknd
Seems to me that every single this man puts out is a hit. And the album is just a collection of genius.
He does a great job of creating his own sound and keeping it interesting for listeners with intriguing lyrics and varying tempos. The songs blend well together to create an album as well as being great songs each on their own.
BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
1989 — Taylor Swift
Deciding to crossover into a new genre of music isn’t an easy choice for an artist, and crossing over successfully is even harder.
But I think it’s safe to say with Taylor’s loyal fan base and her relatable music and lyrics, her journey from country to pop was one of the most successful crossover albums ever created.
BEST R&B ALBUM
Coming Home — Leon Bridges
Leon Bridges took a giant leap with his music taking the vintage approach. His whole album has a very retro 1960’s sound. He took a throwback moment and expanded it into an entire album of classic soul R&B.
It’s difficult to make vintage inspired music that sounds fresh and new. Bridges was successful in making is album something that sounds new instead of a copycat to older artists and I definitely wouldn’t mind out the record on replay. (And if you weren’t already aware, vinyl is back in vogue. I would definitely recommend buying this album on vinyl.)
BEST COUNTRY SONG
Girl Crush — Little Big Town
Never in my life have I heard a song that so accurately illustrates the feeling of jealousy a girl gets when she loses the love of her life to another girl . That type of jealousy that’s almost admiration. You may even have to listen to the song a couple of times through to fully understand its message. The deep insight of these lyrics are spectacular and that alone should be enough to give these guys the best country song award.
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Bad Blood — Taylor Swift
You have to give credit to Tay on this one. There’s so many celebrity faces in this video its epic on a completely different level. Only Taylor Swift could get that many artists/actors/models to agree to work together on one project.
SONG OF THE YEAR
Thinking Out Loud — Ed Sheeran
This song is so beautifully written and composed. The accompanying music video also displays the simple beauty of the song perfectly.
This song is also nominated for Record of the Year. If Ed wins either award I’ll be satisfied because this song is simply beautiful in every way.
BEST NEW ARTIST
This girl has one powerful voice and her melodic riffs are fantastic. Her lyrics are relatable as well speaking of love and hardships. There’s something about her music that makes me think she’s going to be putting out hits for years to come. If you haven’t heard her stuff yet you should check her out. Some of my favorites from her include All in My Head, Nobody Love, and Hollow.
My runner up for best new artist: Megan Trainor
BEST LATIN POP ALBUM
A Quien Quiera Escuchar — Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin has been releasing Latin hits for more than 20 years and his music continues to deliver in his latest album. His album features both upbeat pieces and romantic ballads
My runner up for Best Latin Pop Album: Terral — Pablo Alborán
BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
Glory — Common & John Legend
Intense lyrical verses from Common combined with the smooth voice of John Legend created this song that was featured in the motion picture Selma and carries a powerful message.
My runner up for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: Classic Man — Jidenna Featuring Roman GianArthur
BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA
See You Again — Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth
This song was written for the motion picture Furious 7. I think it’s safe to say that with the death of Paul Walker this song brought many tears to the eyes of viewers/listeners within the latest addition to the Fast & Furious series.
My runner up for Best Song Written for Visual Media: Love Me Like You Do — Ellie Goulding.
So there it is! Ten of my choices to win awards in the upcoming 2016 Grammy awards! Regardless of the outcomes congratulations to all this year’s nominees! Be sure to tune in February 15th!
Disclaimer: I chose my winners based on personal taste and what I see, I choose music that is popular not only to me but that I observe to be popular around me.
