The 61st Grammy Nominations Are out and Yes, You Should Be Excited!

Unofficially dubbed the "Oscars of Music", the 61st Grammy awards are here and the nominations this year show how far we have progressed in terms of music and the different genres. Leading the pack is of course the man himself, "Kung Fu Kenny", Kendrick Lamar with 8 nominations, followed by Mr OVO, Drake, with 7 nominations and veteran Brandi Carlile with 6 nominations reminding everyone that folk-country is still a force to be reckoned with. Below is my commentary on the heavy-weights in nominations and predictions for the major categories. Don't @ me!

Okay, let's be honest here, there are three questions, after the nominations were announced, that are on everyone's mind. Is Kendrick Lamar unstoppable? Does "Kiki" love Drake? Why does "Carlile" sound so familiar?

If you look at the year Lamar is having, you will understand the question. From winning the Pulitzer prize for his studio album "DAMN" to his co-direction and composition on the official "Black Panther:The Album", could a few shiny gold statues be the cherry on top of this pioneering year? Spoiler alert-Yes. Lamar is up for Album, Song and Record of the year to name a few of the categories.

Now unless you have living under a rock for this past year or missed everyone jumping out of their cars to do the "Kiki Challenge", Drake is back. Did he ever leave though? His fifth studio album, "Scorpion" debuted at number one on the billboard charts and broke the record for the most number of times streamed in 24 hours across any service and yes, I was one of them. Drake is up for Album, Song and Record of the year among others.

We need to talk about Brandi Carlile. The name should not be new to you if you had your ear to the country-folk scene for the past few years. With a near 13 year career of song writing and six studio albums later, she is finally getting the recognition she deserves for her dedication to her craft and perfecting her sound. She is up for Album, Song and Record of the year to name a few.

A stand out fact about the 2019 nominations list is that female artists lead the pack with more collective nominations than their male counterparts. So let me answer your question, yes, the future is female.

This should come as no surprise though, there can be no denying the success of female artists this year and by any standard for that matter. Artists like Dua Lipa, Cardi B, Camila Cabello, H.E.R. and the pop princess herself, Ariana Grande, have dominated the Billboard Charts, on-line streams and album sales.

Can we talk about Dua Lipa for a second. There is no denying the world-wind year she has had. The question is, how? In a world of Cabellos, Rexhas and Grandes, here came this British temptress alpha-female who challenges women to stop the self-destructive behaviours in relationships with "New Rules" to also giving us the ultimate summer dance anthem with "Electricity", which is playing in the background on my Amazon music as we speak. She was a breath of fresh air and the whole world agrees, how else would she have gained over 5 billion streams across all services for 2018, yes, you read correctly. Billion, count em'.

I promised some predictions earlier in this article and without further delay, here we go. Oh yes, there will be surprises.

1. Record of the Year-Gods' Plan (Drake)

2. Album of the Year-Scorpion (Drake)

3. Song of the Year-All the Stars (Kendrick Lamar)

4. Best New Artist-Dua Lipa

5. Best Pop Vocal Album-Shawn Mendes (Shawn Mendes)

6. Best Dance Recording-Electricity (Dua Lipa/Silk City/Diplo/Mark Ronson)

7. Best Rock Performance-Four Out of Five (Arctic Monkeys)

8. Best Rap Album-Astroworld (Travis Scott)

9. Best Country Album-Golden Hour (Kacey Musgraves)

10. Best Americana Album-By the Way, I Forgive You (Brandi Carlile)

DISCLAIMER:This list is subject to change. We will all have to wait until the actual night to see just how accurate my predictions are, best two out of three? Apart from the shiny statues on the night, we can no doubt expect some stellar performances and acceptance speeches thanking parents, fans and even Kiki.

There you have it ladies and gentlemen, my predictions for the 61st Grammy Awards. Set to take place 10 February 2019. Feel the list above should be different? Agree that it is on the money? Let me know in the comments below and see the full list in the link provided.