money Grammy insiders reveal their secret ballots for the 2020 nominees
It’s become an annual EW tradition: Three industry insiders — past winners and current nominees — share their unfiltered opinions about who they think (and hope!) will take home the big prizes at the Grammys. Our anonymous participants for the 2020 ceremony include THE MAESTRO, a Grammy nominee and veteran producer for A-list pop, rock, and country artists; THE TUNESMITH, one of Nashville’s most highly decorated and respected songwriter-producers; and THE CRAFTSMAN, an owner of a caseful of golden gramophones and a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer for today’s biggest acts in pop, alt-rock, and country. You can find out the real winners when the 62nd Grammy Awards air Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
As told to EW’s Sarah Rodman and Alex Suskind.
RECORD OF THE YEAR
• “Hey, Ma” — Bon Iver
• “Bad Guy” — Billie Eilish
• “7 Rings” — Ariana Grande
• “Hard Place” — H.E.R.
• “Talk” — Khalid
• “Old Town Road” — Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus
• “Truth Hurts” — Lizzo
• “Sunflower” — Post Malone & Swae Lee
THE MAESTRO: It’s going to be between Billie Eilish and H.E.R. But let’s go with Billie. I think she’s representing a change, and in [this] climate, we are looking for change across the board.
THE TUNESMITH: I mean, “Old Town Road,” if they gave him that many nomi- nations, it could go that way. It’s hard for me to say that, but man, I guess it’s what people vote on. But I think “Truth Hurts” will win.
THE CRAFTSMAN: “Old Town Road.” We could not escape that song. It’s a hip-hop track with a Trent Reznor sample with country lyrics and melody. It covers everything.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• I, I — Bon Iver
• Norman F—ing Rockwell! — Lana Del Rey
• When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? — Billie Eilish
• Thank U, Next — Ariana Grande
• I Used To Know Her — H.E.R.
• 7 — Lil Nas X
• Cuz I Love You — Lizzo
• Father of the Bride — Vampire Weekend
THE MAESTRO: I’m going to give that one to H.E.R. She’s like the female Prince and Lauryn Hill put together. The songs are strong. I love the emotional content. Musically, it’s at a whole other level.
THE TUNESMITH: I don’t understand that [Lil Nas X] nomination. If I was Taylor Swift, that would feel like a serious punch in the gut, because it’s [an EP], not a record. My personal pick is Ariana Grande.
THE CRAFTSMAN: As far as what I would pick, I love the Vampire Weekend album. Thinking about the industry and how it usually votes, I think it’s between Lizzo and Billie.
SONG OF THE YEAR
• “Always Remember Us This Way” — Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Lori McKenna
• “Bad Guy” — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell
• “Bring My Flowers Now” — Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker
• “Hard Place” — Ruby Amanfu, Sam Ashworth, D. Arcelious Harris, H.E.R. & Rodney Jerkins
• “Lover” — Taylor Swift
• “Norman F—ing Rockwell” — Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey
• “Someone You Loved” — Tom Barnes, Lewis Capaldi, Pete Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn & Sam Roman
• “Truth Hurts” — Steven Cheung, Eric Frederic, Melissa Jefferson & Jesse Saint John
THE MAESTRO: Lewis Capaldi, H.E.R., or Billie are the frontrunners. I mean, “Bad Guy” is a great song. So, I’ll go with Billie.
THE TUNESMITH: “Always Remember Us This Way” from A Star Is Born is the best song in that category. I don’t think people are taking it as a serious contender because they [nominated] “Shallow” last year.
THE CRAFTSMAN: Going off of the atmosphere and what’s really making a big impact, I just feel [it’s] Billie Eilish.
BEST NEW ARTIST
• Black Pumas
• Billie Eilish
• Lil Nas X
• Lizzo
• Maggie Rogers
• Rosalía
• Tank and the Bangas
• Yola
THE MAESTRO: Billie is going to get that. She’s getting it. We don’t even have to talk about it.
THE TUNESMITH: I feel like they’re going to go with Lizzo because of her overall impact. People love a Cinderella story.
THE CRAFTSMAN: This is a really hard one, because there’s so many new artists that really made a big splash. I mean, we got Maggie [Rogers] and Rosalía, but…I think Billie is going to win.
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
• Desperate Man — Eric Church
• Stronger Than the Truth — Reba McEntire
• Interstate Gospel — Pistol Annies
• Center Point Road — Thomas Rhett
• While I’m Livin’ — Tanya Tucker
THE MAESTRO: I’m going to give that one to Tanya Tucker. She is a legend in country music, and it’s a great comeback story. It’s an amazing record.
THE TUNESMITH: I think “should win,” Eric Church; “will win,” Tanya Tucker.
THE CRAFTSMAN: I am going to go with Eric. There’s something raw and organic about the album, and it just seemed like the kind of record that could win a Grammy. I’ve just got a feeling.
BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
• The Lion King: The Gift — Beyoncé
• When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? — Billie Eilish
• Thank U, Next — Ariana Grande
• No. 6 Collaborations Project — Ed Sheeran
• Lover — Taylor Swift
THE MAESTRO: They’ll probably give it to Ed Sheeran. I mean, it’s either to Ed because he deserves it, or to Beyoncé because they think they should give it to her.
THE TUNESMITH: There is no other nominee in that category but Ariana Grande to me. And it sucks for Taylor because I actually think Taylor really deserves to be in Album of the Year.
THE CRAFTSMAN: I’ve listened to all these and I think Billie’s going to win this one just because of the impact of what she’s doing. I just feel like it’s her time.
BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM
• Beastie Boys Book — Various Artists
• Becoming — Michelle Obama
• I.V. Catatonia: 20 Years as a Two-Time Cancer Survivor — Eric Alexandrakis
• Mr. Know It All — John Waters
• Sekou Andrews & the String Theory — Sekou Andrews & the String Theory
THE MAESTRO: Of course it’s going to go to Michelle Obama. She’s got a wonderful message, and [it’s] a great “f—k you” to put on there right now where we are [in] politics.
THE TUNESMITH: If anybody says anybody other than Michelle Obama, they’re lying. I mean, come on.
THE CRAFTSMAN: There’s a lot of people who grew up listening to the Beastie Boys, and because we’re talking about the Grammys and music, I feel like [they] would win this category.
Related content:
