The 68th annual Grammy Awards will take place at the Crypto.com Arena on 1/2 Los Angeles time (morning of 2/2 Hanoi time). This year, rapper Kendrick Lamar leads with 9 nominations. Following him are Lady Gaga and producers Jack Antonoff and Cirkut, each with 7 potential awards. Ranking third are Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Leon Thomas, and mixing engineer Serban Ghenea, with 6 opportunities to receive the golden gramophone.
Many news outlets describe this season as unpredictable because most nominees are deserving, especially in the general field categories: album of the year, record of the year, song of the year, and best new artist. AP states this year's competition is fierce, while Billboard considers the race tight.
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Lady Gaga performing at the Grammy Awards 2025. Photo: AP |
In the most important category, album of the year, ScreenRant notes the award is comprehensive, honoring works significant both culturally and creatively. Among the nominated list, experts selected GNX by Kendrick Lamar, Debi Tirar Mas Fotos (DtMF) in Spanish by Bad Bunny, and Mayhem by Lady Gaga as strong contenders.
According to some news sources, the award will go to Lady Gaga because her new project showcases her peak performance as she returns to the dance pop genre that made her famous. This marks the artist's fifth nomination in this category, but it would be her first win if she is named this year. Several newspapers, such as Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone, view Bad Bunny as a potential winner. Last year, DtMF helped him become the international singer with the highest Spotify streams, and he won album of the year at the Latin Grammy 2025. If he wins, this would be the first Spanish-language album to receive this honor.
Billboard predicts rapper Kendrick Lamar will win because no hip-hop album has won the top award since Outkast's Speakerboxx/ The Love Below 22 years ago. Similar to Lady Gaga, he has received this nomination 5 times but went home empty-handed in the previous four seasons. The specialized publication suggests the judging panel may consider Lamar because they have overlooked the rap genre and the artist for too long. Columnist Jonathan Landrum Jr. of AP also chose GNX, citing its broad appeal and appearance in many music, sports, and cultural events last year.
For record of the year, the Recording Academy honors performances and the contributions of music producers to a song. This year, APT. by Rose and Bruno Mars is expected to make history. Speaking with Rolling Stone, J.J. Italiano — head of global music selection and discovery at Spotify — called the song a cultural crossover, a meticulously crafted recording that aligns with the spirit of the award.
If this happens, Rose would be the first Kpop artist to win one of the four major categories, and Bruno Mars would surpass Paul Simon to become the artist with the most wins in this category. He previously won the award with Uptown Funk (Grammy 2016), 24K Magic (2018), and Leave the Door Open (2022).
Although APT. took the music world by storm last year, some news outlets consider luther by Kendrick Lamar and SZA a strong contender. According to Rolling Stone, the song evokes a timeless feeling, reminiscent of the 1982 track If This World Were Mine by soul legends Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn. Billboard describes Lamar's song as having a slow, cinematic rhythm. Los Angeles Times suggests the work features an intergenerational crossover - one of the factors favored by the judging panel.
For song of the year, the Grammy focuses on songwriting, often honoring compositions with meaningful lyrics and catchy choruses. Golden (from the Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack), APT., luther, and Abracadabra (Lady Gaga) are the standout tracks.
Billboard predicts Golden will be the first Kpop song to win this category, praising its catchy melody. According to AP, the award emphasizes precision, and Lady Gaga's track meets this criterion. This is evident in how the singer focuses on constructing the lyrical and melodic structure. "One can feel the discipline in the songwriting, where every word carries its own weight," the news outlet commented. Rolling Stone once praised Abracadabra as "the most Gaga-esque song," "surpassing Bad Romance."
In the best new artist category, specialized publications have different choices. According to Pitchfork, the competitive landscape is quite balanced, as everyone has achievements. However, the advantage leans towards Adison Rae, a vocalist with early 2000s pop sensibilities who effectively uses contemporary music, and sombr, whose song Back to Friend received widespread media coverage. On the other hand, Rolling Stone predicts Alex Warren will win due to a successful year with Ordinary, a song that dominated many radio stations and digital music platforms.
Billboard believes Leon Thomas will win for Mutt, an R&B ballad considered one of the year's most surprising hits. He also received the most nominations among the six new artists, including album of the year and best R&B album. Los Angeles Times chose Olivia Dean because her style resembles previous Grammy winners like Adele and Amy Winehouse, and her album The Art of Loving is popular with audiences.
The Grammy Awards, first held in 1959, are presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to honor artists who have made outstanding contributions to the music industry. Since 2024, the organizers added two new awards: producer of the year and songwriter of the year (both non-classical) to the general field categories. This year, Trevor Noah is the host, marking his sixth consecutive season in this role. This will also be his final time leading the event.
Nominees for main categories:
Album of the year:
DeBI TiRAR MaS FOToS - Bad Bunny
SWAG - Justin Bieber
Man's Best Friend - Sabrina Carpenter
Let God Sort Em Out - Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
MAYHEM - Lady Gaga
GNX - Kendrick Lamar
MUTT - Leon Thomas
CHROMAKOPIA - Tyler, The Creator
Record of the year:
DtMF - Bad Bunny
Manchild - Sabrina Carpenter
Anxiety - Doechii
WILDFLOWER - Billie Eilish
Abracadabra - Lady Gaga
Luther - Kendrick Lamar va SZA
The Subway - Chappell Roan
APT. - Rose va Bruno Mars
Song of the year:
Abracadabra - Lady Gaga
Anxiety - Doechii
APT. - Rose va Bruno Mars
DtMF - Bad Bunny
Golden (KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack) - EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI
Luther - Kendrick Lamar va SZA
Manchild - Sabrina Carpenter
WILDFLOWER- Billie Eilish
Best new artist:
Olivia Dean
KATSEYE
The Marias
Addison Rae
Sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young
By Phuong Thao (according to Billboard, Rolling Stone, AP)
