2022 Grammy Awards Predictions: Album of the Year
The 2022 Grammy Awards will be held on April 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Silk Sonic, BTS, Lil Nas X, Carrie Underwood, H.E.R., and more are expected to perform at the award show. At the Grammy Awards, Album of the Year is one of the most prestigious categories of the night. Here are Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s predictions for Album of the Year.
The nominees for Album of the Year at the 2022 Grammy Awards
Album of the Year is one of the General Field categories at the Grammy Awards along with Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist.
In 2021, the Recording Academy changed the number of nominees for Album of the Year from eight to 10. The Album of the Year award honors an entire album versus a singular song.
If an album wins Album of the Year, the performing artist, songwriters, producers, featured artists, and others who contributed to the making of the album will receive the award.
2022 Album of the Year nominees:
- We Are, Jon Batiste
- Love For Sale, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
- Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe), Justin Bieber
- Planet Her (Deluxe), Doja Cat
- Happier Than Ever, Billie Eilish
- Back Of My Mind, H.E.R.
- Montero, Lil Nas X
- Sour, Olivia Rodrigo
- Evermore, Taylor Swift
- Donda, Kanye West
Olivia Rodrigo’s album ‘Sour’ is the one to beat
Much like Eilish did at the 2020 Grammy Awards, it seems Rodrigo could very well sweep Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
Rodrigo released Sour in May 2021, and it serves as her debut album. Sour includes the successful singles “drivers license,” “Deja Vu,” “Good 4 U,” “Traitor,” and “Brutal.”
The impact of Sour following its release cannot be understated. It broke streaming records, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, was one of the most acclaimed albums of the year, and launched Rodrigo into stardom.
At the 2022 Grammy Awards, Rodrigo is nominated in seven categories, and Sour is also nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. The lead single from Sour, “drivers license,” is nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance, and the single “Good 4 U” is nominated for Best Music Video.
It’s unlikely another album will beat ‘Sour’ at the 2022 Grammy Awards
Given what a powerhouse Rodrigo has been with Sour, it does not seem likely that any other album will beat Sour for Album of the Year.
Because Swift won in the same category last year for evermore‘s companion album folklore, it is unlikely she will win again this year.
Eilish also won the category in 2020, but she is more likely to pull an upset than Swift. Batiste leads in nominations this year with a total of 11, giving him a slight edge.
Bennett and Lady Gaga’s album Love For Sale could beat Sour due to the fact it is Bennett’s final album, but it seems more fitting that the Recording Academy would honor Bennett and Lady Gaga in a different nominated category.
Out of all of the nominated albums, we think Lil Nas X’s album Montero is the one that could possibly pull an upset. Lil Nas X is a previous Grammy winner, and songs from Montero earned the artist nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Music Video, and Best Melodic Rap Performance.
