The Grammys came and went, and while they brought about some great performances and expected wins, they also left some of us quite surprised. Most notable among the night’s surprises was Billie Eilish winning the “Big 4″ – Record of the Year, Best Album, Best Song, and Best New Artist. She is only the second artist ever to achieve this, and the first woman to do so. And all at the ripe age of 18!
Let’s do a quick overview of this year’s nominees for Record of the Year, the night’s most prestigious award.
1. “bad guy” by Billie Eilish (WINNER)
Following a massive rise to fame in 2018, first-time nominee Billie Eilish released her highly-anticipated debut album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? on March 29, along with its fifth single, “bad guy.” As with all of her music released so far, the dark-electropop artist’s older brother, a fellow first-time nominee FINNEAS produced the hit single, which later spawned a Justin Bieber remix.
Interestingly enough, we did a playlist of her songs earlier this month, click here for that.
2. “Hey, Ma” by Bon Iver
GRAMMY-winning Wisconsin-bred alt-rock group Bon Iver—consisting of Justin Vernon, Sean Carey, Matthew McCaughan, Michael Lewis, Andrew Fitzpatrick and Jenn Wasner—released their fourth studio album, i,i, on Aug. 9, three years since their last, the GRAMMY-nominated 22, A Million. Ahead of the LP, the group dropped two singles on June 3, “Hey, Ma” and “U (Man Like).”
3. “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande
Earlier this year, at the 61st GRAMMY Awards, pop princess Ariana Grande won her first-ever GRAMMY, for Best Pop Vocal Album for her 2018 No. 1 album Sweetener. 2019 also saw the release of its follow up, her fifth studio album, thank u, next, on Feb. 8, which was preceded with is second viral lead single, “7 rings,” on Jan. 18.
4. “Hard Place” by H.E.R.
Following her first-ever nominations and two wins at the 61st GRAMMYs in February, R&B songstress/guitarist H.E.R. dropped another emotive track, “Hard Place,” on April 26. The I Used To Know Her mixtape/compilation LP followed on Aug. 30, which combined the two EPs sharing the same name into a cohesive album, along with a handful of new songs, including “Hard Place.”
5. “Talk” by Khalid
Past Best New Artist nominee Khalid released the sophomore follow up to his critically acclaimed, GRAMMY-nominated 2017 debut, American Teen, on April 7. The album, Free Spirit, was led by the hit single “Talk,” on Feb. 7, which is currently nominated for Record Of The Year.
6. “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X Ft. Billy Ray Cyrus
Rising genre-nonconformist rapper/cowboy Lil Nas X wraps up a monumental debut year with his first-ever GRAMMY nominations, earning six total. His breakout hit, “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, is up for Record Of The Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video.
Happy Listening!