Based on the reaction to last year’s Grammys, it’s apparent that there were some issues. The good news is that, so far, the 2019 awards are off to a stronger start. Women came away with a lot of significant nominations after last year’s backlash, and Travis Scott agrees that this year’s nominees better reflect “the full spectrum of hip-hop.”
Since Astroworld was one of 2018’s biggest albums, Scott himself has a handful of nominations. Aside from that, there were a lot of other big music narratives in 2018, and most of them are represented in the 2019 nominees. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born was a hit both theatrically and musically, the Black Panther soundtrack was huge, Ariana Grande dominated the year after some personal struggles, Childish Gambino had a politically-motivated hit this summer, Post Malone and Scott emerged as bona fide superstars… yeah, last year was a big one.
Ahead of this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony, take a few minutes to revisit some of the best songs up for prizes this year with our playlist below, and head to the bottom of this post if you want to take these songs with you in Spotify playlist form.
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper — “Shallow”
2018 truly was the year of the movie soundtrack. It feels like Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s work on A Star Is Born and their song “Shallow” break new records every day, so naturally, the song is all over the nominees list.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA — “All The Stars”
Speaking of movie soundtracks, Black Panther was perhaps the biggest of them all as far as an entire album goes. It produced a ton of play-worthy tracks, and “All The Stars,” like “Shallow,” earned four Grammy nominations.
Ariana Grande — “God Is A Woman”
Even though “Thank U, Next” was perhaps the defining song of 2018, it came out after the Grammy eligibility window, so it won’t be in the running until next year. Let’s not forget, though, that Sweetener was a smash before that song, and “God Is A Woman” earned itself a nod for Best Pop Solo Performance.
Childish Gambino — “This Is America”
The unofficial “song of the summer” title is an honor, and this year, many folks would say it went to Gambino’s political track. The song itself racked up four nominations: Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best Rap/Sung Performance, and Best Music Video.
Travis Scott — “Sicko Mode”
Scott was a huge name in the hip-hop community before Astroworld, but that album, and the monolithic Drake and Swae Lee-featuring single “Sicko Mode,” turned him into a superstar.
Drake — “God’s Plan”
Drake is the undisputed king of the Spotify era, and “God’s Plan” was the biggest of the many streaming hits from his 2018 album Scorpion.
Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage — “Rockstar”
Just a few years ago, Post Malone was a virtual unknown, but now, he’s a household name who goes to Olive Garden with Jimmy Fallon. Although he had a few successes before “Rockstar,” that was his first No. 1 song that set the stage for his future chart-toppers “Psycho” and “Sunflower.”
Zedd Featuring Maren Morris and Grey — “The Middle”
“The Middle” was a huge moment for Maren Morris, as it proved that she could not only survive, but thrive outside of the country music realm. It was one of 2018’s defining songs, and maybe above all, it’s a real fun listen.
Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin — “I Like It”
Cardi B was absolutely one of the biggest stars of last year, and she was able to parlay that into a bunch of Grammy nominations. Her Invasion Of Privacy album and tracks from it are all over the list of nominees, and her No. 1 hit “I Like It” is up for the prestigious Record Of The Year.
Greta Van Fleet — “Black Smoke Rising”
Greta Van Fleet was perhaps one of the most contentious new bands of 2018: They do what they do very well, but it sure does sound like something very specifically familiar. Regardless, these Best New Artist nominees know how to rock, as evidenced by their nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance.
St. Vincent — “Masseduction”
Rock and indie music might be in a strange place right now, but there were some nominations in these categories that are hard to argue with. Annie Clark, for instance, rightfully got nods for Best Rock Song (for “Masseduction”) and Best Alternative Music Album (Masseduction).
Mac Miller — “Self Care”
Miller earned himself a posthumous Grammy nod with his final album Swimming up for Best Rap Album, and “Self Care” has become a defining song on the record following Miller’s tragic death.
Kacey Musgraves — “Butterflies”
Musgraves has proven herself to be a crossover success, if her multiple nominations in non-country categories are evidence of that. Aside from Album Of The Year, she also got nods for Best Country Album (for Golden Hour), Best Country Solo Performance (“Butterflies”), and Best Country Song (“Space Cowboy”).
The Carters — “Apesh*t”
Jay-Z and Beyonce are no strangers to award recognition, and this time around, the power couple has earned themselves a few nods. Perhaps the most notable among them is their Best Music Video nomination for “Apesh*t,” which was filmed in The Louvre.
Bombino — “Tehigren”
The most popular award categories are just a fraction of the Grammys equation. For example, Bombino’s Deran is nominated for Best World Music Album, and on it, the Nigerian singer combines a variety of influences on his guitar-focused brand of Tamasheq language psychedelic rock.
Stream all the songs above in our Spotify playlist below, and check out the full list of this year’s Grammy nominees here.
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