2015 Grammy Poll: Which Artists Deserve To Take Home Music's Top Prize?
By Frank Donovan
Here we go--music’s biggest night is this weekend, and with all the tough calls on the ballot, we wouldn’t want to be on the voting committee. But we’re proud to see former You Oughta Know vets like Ed Sheeran, HAIM, and Sia--who’s up to possibly win her first Grammy--mixed in with recent YOK stars like Sam Smith and Hozier who each turned industry heads with their gut-wrenching ballads in 2014. Take a look at the nominees in four of the major categories below and cast your vote!
And while we're debating, hear tastemaker (and Top 20 guest host) Miss Info weigh in on this year'sr Best Rap Album noms!
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Record of the Year
"Fancy" - Iggy Azalea ft Charli XCX
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In addition to being one of the best-selling digital singles of all time, “Fancy” was Billboard’s Song of the Summer, Spotify’s most streamed song of the year, and Vevo’s most viewed video in the U.S. in 2014. This year was very fancy indeed.
"Chandelier" - Sia
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The cathartic, genre-bending “Chandelier” is Sia’s first single on the Billboard Hot 100. She’s nominated four times this year: best record, song, pop solo performance, and music video. Surprisingly, she has yet to win one, but we’re rooting for her to change that, if only for that glorious video.
"Stay With Me" (Darkchild Version) - Sam Smith
“Stay With Me” was everywhere this year, and somehow, we didn’t get sick of it. No one can resist this song’s tugs on their heartstrings, especially during the chorus-backed crescendo.
"Shake It Off" - Taylor Swift
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Unless you spent your summer under a rock, you know this record was the lead single on 1989, T-Swift’s much-anticipated crossover from country to pop, and therefore IT’S A BIG DEAL. It’s only the 22nd song to debut at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 list. We think that if she wins, Kanye would let her finish.
"All About That Bass" - Meghan Trainor
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Another year of butts in the books--add to Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” and J. Lo’s “Booty” Meghan Trainor’s ode to curvy bums that shot her from songwriting obscurity to viral vid sensation. While she received high praise for promoting body positivity, she also caught flak for some of her lyrics, including claims of anti-feminism, cultural appropriation, and plagiarism of the melody from a Korean group Koyote’s “Happy Mode.”
Album of the Year
Morning Phase - Beck
Beck’s twelfth album, and first in five years, was highly anticipated and did not disappoint. A “companion piece” to 2002’s Sea Change, Morning Phase represents Beck’s return to folk-rock after a more psychedelic turn with 2008’s Modern Guilt. He hasn’t won a Grammy since 2000, when he took home the prize for Best Alternative Music Performance for “Mutations.”
Beyonce - Beyonce
Beyonce’s visual album was like a surprise party for your great-grandmother. It’s so amazing and joyous but someone might end up passed out on the floor.. We’ll never forget that morning in December that the secret album and oh so many videos dropped in our laps.
X - Ed Sheeran
With huge singles “Sing” and “Don’t,” and the fact that X was Spotify’s most streamed album in the world in 2014 makes Ed a major contender in the category.
In The Lonely Hour - Sam Smith
Sam has described his debut album as “a diary from a lonely 21-year-old,” about a real unrequited love from his past. If you’ve listened, you’ll agree, his genuine heartache comes through.
Girl - Pharrell Williams
It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole eight years since Pharrell’s last solo album. He’s kept busy producing, making vocal cameos all over the place, and completely taking over the charts in 2013. Let’s see if his momentum keeps up.
Song of the Year
"All About That Bass" - Meghan Trainor
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Trainor co-wrote the hit (in 40 minutes) intending to pitch it to other artists, including Beyonce and Adele. Instead she played it on a ukulele for L.A. Reid herself and scored a record deal. It became the longest-running Billboard Hot 100 number one by a female artist in 2014.
"Chandelier" - Sia
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Sia has long been a songwriting prodigy, ghostwriting for Rihanna, Beyonce, Katy Perry, and Britney Spears, among many others. In fact, she originally had one of these ladies in mind when writing “Chandelier,” but we’re glad she reconsidered and belted this out herself.
"Shake It Off" - Taylor Swift
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Taylor’s crossover into pop really put the industry (and fans) into a tailspin this year. As a result, Taylor has gotten almost as much hate as undying love. But with this perfect pop track, haters ‘round the world are stepping to the left.
"Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)" - Sam Smith
Due to similarity to Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down,” Sam was recently required to share writing credits with Petty and co-writer Jeff Lynne. Could that damage the song’s legacy?
"Take Me To Church" - Hozier
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Irish singer-songwriter Hozier spent the year touring the states (his first time over here) playing this political ballad that sounds so refreshingly unlike anything else on the charts. The momentum took him from small New York clubs all the way to SNL, and he made fans out of Taylor Swift, Adele, and Stephen Fry along the way.
Best New Artist
Iggy Azalea
Iggy certainly made a splash this year, becoming the only artist other than the Beatles(!) to simultaneously rank numbers one and two on the Billboard Hot 100 with their first two hits (“Fancy” and “Problem”). But she’s also tangled herself in plenty of controversy and criticism.
Bastille
We bet lead singer Dan Smith is quite pleased he decided to branch out his solo project to a four-piece band a few years back, ‘cause these You Oughta Know Brits are contending for some major hardware.
Brandy Clark
Though she’s up for Best New Artist, this isn’t Clark’s first rodeo. She’s been nominated before as a co-writer on Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” and has written for Toby Keith, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, and other major country stars.
HAIM
Like Mr. Smith, the Haim sisters have been on the scene for a while. But with their regular rotation on Taylor Swift’s Instagram these days, they’re official. In fact, the group will be opening for Tay on select tour dates this summer! As of fall 2014, the ladies are recording their second album and we cannot wait.
Sam Smith
Sam’s been on the radar ever since we heard him on Disclosure’s “Latch” in 2012, but 2014 was his breakout year with the release of his first album In The Lonely Hour. He’s a VH1 YOK artist for a reason--we’re rooting for Sam!