The 2018 Grammy Awards announce their nominations on Tuesday morning, November 28, live on “CBS This Morning” at 8:30am Eastern. But who will make the cut in the general field categories that combine music from all genres? According to our racetrack odds two artists will sweep their eligible categories: Kendrick Lamar and Ed Sheeran, who are projected to earn nominations for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. Neither is eligible for Best New Artist since they’ve been established for years, but they’re the only artists were predicting to earn that many general-field bids.
And not only are Lamar and Sheeran predicted to be nominees in those three categories, they’re also the two leading contenders in all three contests. Lamar is the frontrunner for Album of the Year (“Damn”) and Song of the Year (“Humble”), with Sheeran ranked second in both of those contests with his album “Divide” and single “Shape of You,” respectively, but “Shape of You” is just ahead of Lamar’s “Humble” in the race for Record of the Year.
Our official forecasts are based on the combined predictions of more than 1,000 users at Gold Derby, and if our collective predictions are right it would be historic. “Damn” would be only the second rap album to win Album of the Year, following “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” by OutKast in 2004. And “Humble” would be the very first rap song to win Song of the Year. The recording academy that decides the Grammys have long been skittish about rewarding hip-hop in the general field, but after Beyonce‘s controversial losses to Adele at the 2017 Grammys, voters may wish to correct their longstanding bias by honoring arguably the most critically acclaimed artist of the year.
A few other artists are projected to earn two nominations in the general field. Bruno Mars is expected to receive bids for Album of the Year (“24K Magic”) and Record of the Year (“That’s What I Like”). And Logic, Alessia Cara, and Khalid are expected to compete against each other for Best New Artist, as well as compete together for Song of the Year for co-writing their collaboration “1-800-273-8255.” Do you agree with our predictions? There’s still time to make or update your own picks here before Tuesday morning’s nominations announcement.
Be sure to make your Grammy nomination predictions so that Hollywood record executives and top name stars can see how their songs and albums are faring in our Grammy odds. Don’t be afraid to jump in now since you can keep changing your predictions until just before nominees are announced on November 28. And join in the fierce debate over the 2018 Grammys taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our music forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
