Taylor, Miley, SZA, or a surprise — who could win big at the Grammys

Can Taylor Swift become the only person in music history to win the Album of the Year Grammy for a fourth time, with Midnights? The odds might be in her favor — but then again, the Grammys have always been one to defy the odds.

"Sometimes these awards are really a popularity contest, and you have someone like Taylor Swift — you'll find almost no one with any negative remarks about her as a performer and songwriter," EW music editor Jason Lamphier says on the latest episode of The Awardist podcast (below) about the artist who broke records in 2023 with her massive Eras Tour, reaching a new level of "pop culture icon" in the process. However, he adds, "Whereas Midnights is a safe choice, I don't think Midnights is as strong as several of the albums on this list — [but] I do think it feels very Grammys."

Those other albums on the list: World Music Radio by Jon Batiste, The Record by Boygenius, Endless Summer Vacation by Miley Cyrus, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey, The Age of Pleasure by Janelle Monáe, Guts by Olivia Rodrigo, and SOS by SZA.

"SOS is a very long listen. I think that the songwriting and the actual production is a little complex for a lot of voters. I think a lot of people appreciate it, but I don't think that record goes down as smoothly as some of the other records on the list," Jason explains. "[With] Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Lana Del Rey has written yet another fascinating record, [and] she's really shown her range this time. She's always shown her range, I think, with her songwriting, with lyrics, but here she really hops around genres as well. That said, these songs are complex [too]. A good handful of them are over five minutes long, and I don't know if the voting body will respond to that."

For Record of the Year, many of the same players are up for the top prize:
"Worship" — Jon Batiste
"Not Strong Enough" — Boygenius
"Flowers" — Miley Cyrus
"What Was I Made For?" [from the motion picture Barbie] — Billie Eilish
"On My Mama" — Victoria Monét
"Vampire" — Olivia Rodrigo
"Anti-Hero" — Taylor Swift
"Kill Bill" — SZA

"Given the Grammy's predilection for retro, I don't think we should rule out 'On My Mama,'" Jason says. "I think it's probably a long shot — that wasn't a huge radio hit, it wasn't a chart topper, but it's a nice blend of retro soul and hip-hop. So it may be the dark horse here."

"That said," he continues, "'Flowers,' too, has a retro sound to it. 'Flowers' is a modern-day disco track, and it goes down really easily. It's really catchy... That song was really inescapable for most of the year. And so I think that it could be the one to beat here."

Check out the latest episode of The Awardist, below, for more on those two categories, as well as the Song, Pop Vocal Album, and New Artist categories. Plus, we chat with Oscar nominee Da'Vine Joy Randolph, who has been sweeping awards season thanks to her quiet but unforgettable performance in The Holdovers.

Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in TV.

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