Grammys

Album of the Year

Should win: SOS, SZA

Will likely win: Midnights, Taylor Swift

After SZA’s first solo album, “CTRL,” went triple platinum, she returned with another massive commercial and critical success in December 2022 — “SOS.” This album kept the classic SZA sound, using melodic beats to compliment deeply personal lyrics while also succeeding in trying ambitious new concepts. In my opinion, this album is most definitely the most qualified Album of the Year winner, but despite this, the Grammys often make controversial decisions, and I believe this year will result in another. Taylor Swift has been on our social media feeds all year, and although her album isn’t the most critically acclaimed on the list, I fear that the Grammys will once again let their show devolve into a popularity contest and give the award to Taylor Swift for “Midnights.” 

Best New Artist

Should win: Noah Kahan

Will likely win: Ice Spice

This year’s Best New Artist class is stacked with extremely popular and talented artists. I believe that despite the competitiveness of the nominees, one most definitely rises above the rest: Noah Kahan, who specializes in emotional indie music in his distinctive style. Kahan’s music, accentuated by his New England accent and creative lyrics, is hard to stop listening to, and his album “Stick Season” catapulted him to stardom this year. Unfortunately, Kahan will very likely not win this year, as there is another artist who has been all the talk in 2023: Ice Spice. Although I think Ice Spice’s talent doesn’t match up to many of the other nominees, her publicity stunts and character have lifted her to stardom unprecedentedly fast. Once again, the Grammys will likely pick based on popularity and choose Ice Spice for this award, regardless if it is deserved or not.  

Song of the Year

Should win: Kill Bill, SZA

Will likely win: Anti-Hero, Taylor Swift

Song of the Year is arguably the closest race of all the main awards, as there are many extremely qualified candidates, including “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift, “Kill Bill” by SZA and “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus. I believe “Kill Bill” by SZA is the most deserving of the list, as it has earned critical praise and mainstream popularity, but unfortunately, I believe SZA will likely go 0-2 on the major awards, losing out both times to Taylor Swift. I’m leaning towards Swift to take the Song of the Year award with her song “Anti-Hero,” a personal song about her media perception and overall hate directed towards her. Despite SZA deserving it, “Anti-Hero” was almost as culturally relevant as Swift herself, and the Grammys would be hard-pressed not to pick it as the Song of the Year. 

Oscars

Best Picture

Should win: Oppenheimer

Will likely win: Oppenheimer

Carried by its legendary soundtrack, incredible cinematography and emotional acting, “Oppenheimer” is the leading favorite for this year’s Best Picture award, and rightfully so. “Oppenheimer’s” intense bomb drop scene — created without CGI — stuck out as one of the best scenes in any movie this year, adding to the collection of amazing scenes throughout the movie. “Oppenheimer” was equal parts a cultural phenomenon and a cinematic masterpiece, which likely makes it a shoo-in for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars despite the excellent competition. 

Best Director

Should win: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Will likely win: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

The genius behind “Oppenheimer” is Christopher Nolan, a director who had already cemented himself as an all-time legend with movies such as “The Dark Knight,” “Interstellar,” and “Inception.” Many would argue that “Oppenheimer” is Nolan’s best-ever film, as its iconic musical score, majestic visuals — including many without CGI — and heart-wrenching acting paint a dramatic picture of Oppenheimer’s life. Nolan understood the weight of the task before him, describing Oppenheimer as the “most important person to ever live,” and he did it justice, portraying Oppenheimer’s intense moral dilemma vividly.

Best Actor

Should win: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Will likely win: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Another major aspect that contributed to “Oppenheimer”’s success was its acting. Although Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., and others made impressive contributions, Cillian Murphy’s portrayal of the titular character outshined the rest. Murphy perfected Oppenheimer as a character, using facial expressions and dialogue to show intense emotions, and playing a challenging and dramatic character like Oppenheimer perfectly. 

Best Actress

Should win: Emma Stone, Poor Things

Will likely win: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon

After Margot Robbie’s snub from the slate of nominees, the Best Actress award has become much more contested. Both Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone showcased excellent performances, Gladstone with her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Stone with her portrayal of Bella Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things.” Although both deserve to win, I believe that Stone should receive both because of her impressive performance and because she embraced the challenge of playing a character who evolved constantly throughout the movie. Despite this, I believe that Killers of the Flower Moon’s incredible writing, directing, and cast will give Gladstone’s dramatic performance a leg up.