2013 Grammy Awards Winners – PopCrush Predictions
Although we have no way of knowing the 2013 Grammy Awards winners until the show airs on Sunday, Feb. 10, the staff at PopCrush has been buzzing about who will pick up the biggest awards of the evening.
The Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist and Album of the Year are the most coveted, but who will take home the golden gramophone trophies in these categories? Aside from Kelly Clarkson, there aren't a whole lot of straight-up pop acts nominated in these categories (save for the random nod for Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen here and there) -- instead, many mainstream crossover artists like indie power pop trio fun. and R&B crooner Frank Ocean picked up major nods across most of these categories.
We expect Frank Ocean to walk off the red carpet with at least two Grammy Awards to his name, and we have a hunch fun. will be able to secure at least one win, as well. Finally, Gotye is sure to pick up a trophy for his outstanding 2012 hit 'Somebody That I Used to Know.' Check out PopCrush's predictions for the 2013 Grammy Awards Winners below, and stay tuned for complete coverage of the event on Feb. 10!
Record of the Year
'Lonely Boy,' The Black Keys
'Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),' Kelly Clarkson
'We Are Young,' fun.
'Somebody That I Used to Know,' Gotye -- OUR PICK
'Thinkin’ ‘Bout You,' Frank Ocean
'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,' Taylor Swift
Why He'll Win: To some people, Record of the Year and Song of the Year may sound like the exact same category, but they're actually quite different. The Grammy for Record of the Year is awarded to an artist, producer, and recording engineer for a single's overall performance and production, while Song of the Year honors the actual songwriting and composing processes.
Now that the Grammy lesson is out of the way, we believe Gotye's smash hit 'Somebody That I Used to Know' will be crowned champion for Record of the Year. While the competition is fierce in this category -- the Aussie is going up against Frank Ocean, the Black Keys, Kelly Clarkson, fun. and Taylor Swift -- 'Somebody' is truly an impressive and crazy infectious listen. There's even a viral video about how you just can't resist this unique chart-topping breakup tune, no matter how much the radio overplayed it.
From the relatable lyrics and unconventional xylophone-driven beat to De Backer and Kimbra's outstanding and climactic vocal deliveries, 'Somebody' is pop perfection. In a day and age riddled with plagiarism lawsuits and the same dance-y beats playing on repeat, it'd be a crime for the Academy to overlook a song so quirky and bewitching.
Song of the Year
‘The A Team,' Ed Sheeran
‘Adorn,' Miguel
‘Call Me Maybe,' Carly Rae Jepsen
‘Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),' Kelly Clarkson
‘We Are Young,' fun. -- OUR PICK
Why They'll Win: fun. racked up a ton of nominations for their album 'Some Nights,' including an Album of the Year nod, but the category we feel they'll shine in is Song of the Year... Even if they're up against the monster that is 'Call Me Maybe.'
Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff fed off each other's creativity and made their 2012 LP a real collaborative effort, and their breakout hit 'We Are Young' was no exception. Ruess wrote the 'We Are Young' chorus pretty much off of the top of his head after a boozy night out, and later finished the tune with his bandmates, producer Jeff Bhasker and featured vocalist Janelle Monae.
The results of these studio sessions was one of the biggest songs of 2012, a rousing and intense (yet lighthearted) power ballad about wild, carefree youth -- one of those rare, exhilarating gems that makes you want to sing along at the top of your lungs. The track took off after a few months, topping the charts in more than 10 countries, including the Hot 100, Pop Songs, Alternative Songs, Rock Songs charts in the U.S. Now, when was the last time you remembered a band doing that?
Best New Artist
Alabama Shakes
fun.
Hunter Hayes
The Lumineers
Frank Ocean -- OUR PICK
Why He'll Win: Frank Ocean was 2012's "It" artist, with his critically-acclaimed debut 'Channel ORANGE' hitting No. 1 on Billboard's R&B and Hip-Hop Albums charts and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. In addition to landing a features on Jay-Z and Kanye West's 'No Church in the Wild,' many branded 'Channel ORANGE' as the best album of 2012 -- with such a strong compilation of songs, from the superior composition and production to the relative lyrics and beautiful vocal delivery, this title was rightfully deserved.
And although this doesn't say anything about his musical career, Ocean also came out as bisexual in 2012, a confession that just increased his popularity. Basically, no matter what kind of music you listen to, we bet you heard at least a little bit about this talented and complex singer-songwriter this past year.
Album of the Year
'El Camino’, The Black Keys
'Some Nights,' fun.
'Babel,' Mumford & Sons
'Channel ORANGE,' Frank Ocean -- OUR PICK
'Blunderbuss,' Jack White
Why He'll Win: As if we had to reiterate this anymore, Frank Ocean really blew listeners away with his debut album 'Channel ORANGE' when it dropped in July 2012.
The New Orleans native displayed his musical brilliance with deeply personal, raw songwriting on tracks like 'Thinkin' Bout You,' 'Sweet Life,' 'Super Rich Kids,' all while balancing these weightier subject matters (young love, socioeconomic disparities in the U.S., the destructive nature money can have) with lighthearted songs like 'Pyramids,' the 25-year-old's ode to strippers. Ocean's inner reflections in addition to his assessments of society as a whole are thought provoking and heartfelt, and to deliver them in such a silky smooth manner makes this captivating body of work all the more digestible.