While some believe Record of the Year should have been the top Grammy award, others argue Album of the Year should have been the top honour. Both are highly esteemed, and each year there is an intense battle to win them. Seven of the eight contenders for Record of the Year vertical are female this time around, so it’s almost a certain that a female star—possibly one who has never won it before—will take home the trophy. But who will it be?
The Nominees
- Jon Batiste – “Worship”
- Boygenius – “Not Strong Enough”
- Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
- Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For?”
- Victoria Monét – “On My Mama”
- Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire”
- Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”
- SZA – “Kill Bill”
Who Will Win
- Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Who Should Win
- Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Choosing a winner can be challenging because there is room for interpretation over what qualifies as the Record of the Year for a single. Some voters find it easy to make a decision if they only consider commercial success. Cyrus makes a simple choice for the title if that is the metric that most people will use. More than a year after its debut, “Flowers” is still charting. It was the second-biggest single of 2023 in America (the No. 1 title, Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night,” was not nominated).
However, “Flowers” is stronger than the millions of copies it sold. Cyrus’s career, which was in decline following the underwhelming sales of multiple albums and singles, was all but saved by the song. It sticks out as her greatest achievement and proves that another pop star created by the industry apparatus may also be a fantastic artist. The Grammys adore telling such stories—just take a look at Harry Styles, the former member of One Direction, who won Album of the Year the previous year.
Record of the Year would be a huge accomplishment for Cyrus, who has never received a Grammy; yet, “Flowers” is worthy of the victory. However, there are other tracks that have the potential to win.
Inexplicably, Taylor Swift has never declared herself the Record of the Year. Though she’s not precisely underappreciated, there’s a growing consensus that she deserves one of the five biggest smashes for which she’s been nominated. Is “Anti-Hero” the greatest of the lot, even though she may have been overdue?
“Kill Bill” by SZA and “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish are both strong candidates in this category. Rap, R&B, and hip-hop are glaringly underrepresented in the Grammys’ top categories, which benefits and harms SZA. This implies that some voters might choose her because they feel compelled to recognise the outstanding work that musicians in those genres have been producing for years, but it also implies that many of the Recording Academy’s more senior members might not be aware of the song’s genius.
“What Was I Made For?” is Eilish’s second Academy Award nomination, and the song is becoming more and more popular. Voters won’t forget its beauty and how it was employed in Barbie, the biggest movie of the previous year, even if that award show is quite different. However, Eilish has already won two Record of the Year awards, so many people might be reluctant to bestow a third title on the 22-year-old so quickly.
