The two biggest names at Sunday night’s 59th Annual Grammy Awards will likely be mononyms: Adele and Beyoncé, who are facing off in three of the Big Four cross-genre categories. With “25’’ and “Lemonade’’ up for album of the year, and singles from each (“Hello’’ and “Formation’’) nominated in both the record and song of the year categories, the night will likely focus on them. And with good reason: “25’’ and “Lemonade’’ both provided big stories for the music business: The former brought back memories of the industry’s salad days, when a hit record sold 10 million copies; the latter turned an album release into the premiere of an HBO prestige drama. Both artists are slated to perform during the ceremony, too, which will only cement their coronation as pop’s reigning queens. The broadcast, hosted by James Corden, begins at 8 p.m. on CBS. Who’ll win? Who should? Our predictions, Page N4.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“25,’’ Adele
“Lemonade,’’ Beyoncé
“Purpose,’’ Justin Bieber
“Views,’’ Drake
“A Sailor’s Guide To Earth,’’ Sturgill Simpson
Will win: Adele’s “25’’ didn’t reinvent any wheels, but it did ably showcase Adele Adkins’s formidable voice, and it also became only the second album since 2004 — yes, 2004 — to crack the RIAA’s vaunted Diamond certification status, which signifies 10 million albums shipped. The music business loves to celebrate mega-success when it’s accompanied by artistry. (The other record to reach that milestone in that time? Adele’s “21.’’)
Should win: The ambitious “Lemonade,’’ which in audio and audio-visual forms was “the personal is political’’ as a gorgeously realized concept album. It also showcased Beyoncé’s stylistic breadth, as evidenced by nominations for individual tracks in the pop (“Hold Up’’), rock (“Don’t Hurt Yourself’’), and rap/sung (“Freedom’’) categories — not to mention the twangy “Daddy Lessons’’ being submitted for consideration in country as well.
RECORD OF THE YEAR
“Hello,’’ Adele
“Formation,’’ Beyoncé
“7 Years,’’ Lukas Graham,
“Work,’’ Rihanna, featuring Drake
“Stressed Out,’’ Twenty One Pilots
Will win: “Hello’’ was the monster lead single from the monster third album by the massively popular — yet so charming and down to earth! — Adele. Plus, hearing it again when Adele accepts her trophy will allow the audience to flash back to the simpler times of late 2015.
Should win: The lead single from Rihanna’s “Anti,’’ which could have taken her duet partner Drake’s place in the Album of the Year category, was sinewy and sexy, Rihanna working out her romantic frustrations over a craveable beat.
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Formation,’’ Khalif Brown, Asheton Hogan, Beyoncé Knowles & Michael L. Williams II (Beyoncé)
“Hello,’’ Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin (Adele)
“I Took a Pill in Ibiza,’’ Mike Posner (Mike Posner)
“Love Yourself,’’ Justin Bieber, Benjamin Levin & Ed Sheeran (Justin Bieber)
“7 Years,’’ Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Pilegaard & Morten Ristorp (Lukas Graham)
Will win: “7 Years’’ is dripping with sentimentality and faux-deep reflection, both of which are catnip for certain blocs of Grammy voters.
Should win: In its initial form, “I Took a Pill in Ibiza’’ was a wary, stripped-down look at partying and being “a singer who already blew his shot’’ by the singer-songwriter Mike Posner, who had achieved pop fame in the late ’00s with confessional R&B-tinged tracks. A party-ready remix by the Norwegian duo Seeb led to it being a left-field hit in 2016. Posner, for his part, has a sanguine attitude about his song’s ironic fame, and the song in both forms is well-crafted.
BEST NEW ARTIST
Anderson .Paak
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
Chance the Rapper
Maren Morris
Will and should win: Chance the Rapper, whose mind-bendingly creative mixtapes, captivating live performances, political acumen, and savvy use of music industry platforms that barely existed 10 years ago make him the standard bearer for up-and-coming artists in 2017.
BEST ALTERNATIVE ALBUM
“22, a Million,’’ Bon Iver
“Blackstar,’’ David Bowie
“The Hope Six Demolition Project,’’ PJ Harvey
“Post Pop Depression,’’ Iggy Pop
“A Moon Shaped Pool,’’ Radiohead
Will and should win: While Bowie was notoriously ignored by the Grammy establishment while he was alive — he didn’t receive his first nomination until 1984, and his only non-Lifetime Achievement award honored his 1985 short film “Jazzin’ for Blue Jean’’ — the audacious, immersive “Blackstar’’ is a stunning enough statement that it should edge out even the Academy-beloved Bon Iver.
BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
“Lemonade,’’ Beyoncé
“Ology,’’ Gallant
“We Are KING,’’ KING
“Malibu,’’ Anderson .Paak
“Anti,’’ Rihanna
Will and should win: “Lemonade’’ is the obvious choice here, but this category speaks to an especially strong year for urban music in 2016. “Anti’’ was a biting statement on love that also revealed Rihanna’s soft spots; “We Are KING’’ was a love letter to analog synths that had a future-shocked feel; “Ology’’ showcased Gallant’s supple yet full-bodied voice; and “Malibu’’ was omnivorous and nervy, its grooves shot through with ambition. That this category could have been filled out by a number of other albums (by Maxwell, Fantasia, Tweet, and more) is a good sign.
BEST RAP/SUNG PERFORMANCE
“Freedom,’’ Beyoncé, featuring Kendrick Lamar
“Hotline Bling,’’ Drake
“Broccoli,’’ D.R.A.M., featuring Lil Yachty
“Ultralight Beam,’’ Kanye West, featuring Chance the Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin, and The-Dream
“Famous,’’ Kanye West, featuring Rihanna
Will and should win: “Freedom,’’ Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar’s anthem to black female strength, is fiery and fierce, with a top-notch verse from Lamar and a gutsy performance by Beyoncé. Between the gospel-inspired, stirring “Ultralight Beam’’ and the bubbly “Broccoli,’’ though, this category wins the “most jam-packed with driving anthems’’ contest.
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
“Big Day in a Small Town,’’ Brandy Clark
“Full Circle,’’ Loretta Lynn,
“Hero,’’ Maren Morris
“A Sailor’s Guide to Earth,’’ Sturgill Simpson
“Ripcord,’’ Keith Urban
Will win: Simpson, whose pushing of country music’s boundaries has made his live shows unmissable — and garnered him an album of the year nomination.
Should win: Clark, whose strengths as a chronicler of small-town life are only growing.
59TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS
On CBS, Sunday at 8 p.m.
Maura Johnston can be reached at maura@maura.com.
