Will They Make History? – Billboard

Record-setting scenario: Eilish could receive her third record of the year award for “What Was I Made For?,” which would put her in a three-way tie as the artist with the most wins in the category. She would join Paul Simon (counting two Simon & Garfunkel hits) and Bruno Mars (counting a collab with Anderson. Paak as Silk Sonic). This would make Eilish the first woman to win three times; the first artist to win three times strictly as a solo artist; and the first artist to win three times in the space of five years. Eilish previously won for “Bad Guy” and “Everything I Wanted.”

Record-setting scenario: Swift could receive her fourth album of the year award for Midnights, which would make her the artist with the most awards in the category. She previously won for Fearless, 1989 and Folklore. She’s currently tied at three wins each with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon (again, counting a Simon & Garfunkel album).

“Anti-Hero” is nominated for record of the year, song of the year and best pop solo performance. Surprisingly, Swift has yet to win in any of those categories.

Record-setting scenario: If “Count Me Out” wins best music video, Lamar would become the first three-time winner in the category. He previously won as a featured artist on Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” and as the lead artist on “Humble.” He’s currently tied with Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Johnny Cash, Beyoncé and Swift with two wins each in this category.

Record-setting scenario: If “The Hillbillies” wins best rap performance, this would be Lamar’s seventh win in the category, extending his record. “The Hillbillies” is a collab with Lamar’s cousin Baby Keem. The two won in this category two years ago with “Family Ties.” They would become just the second pair to win twice, following Jay-Z and Kanye West, who won for “Otis” and “Ni—as in Paris.”

Record-setting scenario: If Jelly Roll, who will be 39 on Grammy night, wins best new artist, he’ll become the oldest solo artist to win in that category. That distinction is currently held by Sheryl Crow, who was 33 when she won on March 1, 1995. (Ward Swingle, leader of The Swingle Singers, was 36 when that choral group won in 1964.)

Record-setting scenario: Clarkson could become the first three-time winner of best pop vocal album if she wins for Chemistry. She previously won for Breakaway and Stronger. She’s currently tied with Adele with two wins in the category. Three of this year’s other nominees — Olivia Rodrigo, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift — are each looking for their second wins in the category.

Record-setting scenario: If The Record wins best alternative music album, boygenius will become the first group consisting entirely of women to win in this category. Two bands with women members, The White Stripes and Alabama Shakes, have won the award.

Boygenius consists of singer-songwriters Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus.

Record-setting scenario: If Victoria Monét’s “Hollywood” (on which Hazel, age two, and R&B legends Earth, Wind & Fire are featured) wins best traditional R&B performance, Hazel will become the youngest Grammy winner to date. That title is currently held by Leah Peasall of The Peasall Sisters, who was eight when the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack won album of the year in 2002. The youngest individual winner is currently Blue Ivy Carter, who was nine in 2021 when Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl,” on which she was featured along with Wizkid, won best music video.

Record-setting scenario: Ghenea could become the first person to win album of the year five times. The Canadian engineer/mixer has two albums in the running this year — Swift’s Midnights and Rodrigo’s Guts. Ghenea previously won in the category as an engineer/mixer on Swift’s 1989 and Folklore, Adele’s 25 and Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic. 

Record-setting scenario: Skrillex and The Chemical Brothers are currently tied for most wins for best dance/electronic music album (three each). Both are nominated again this year, for Quest for Fire and For That Beautiful Feeling, respectively. If either wins, they’ll break the tie and pull ahead.

Record-setting scenario: If Skrillex wins best dance/electronic recording for “Rumble,” a collab with Fred again… and Flowdan, it would be his record-extending fourth win in the category.

Recording-setting scenario: If “Angry” (which the rock legends co-wrote with Andrew Watt) wins best rock song, it would be the Glimmer Twins’ first win in a songwriting category. Their only previous nominations in songwriting categories were for “Bittersweet Symphony” and “Doom and Gloom.” (The Grammys were resistant to rock when The Stones were in their prime.)

Record-setting scenario: Only the Strong Survive could win best traditional pop vocal album. It would be Springsteen’s first Grammy win in 14 years, and his fourth in an album category. He won best rock album for The Rising, best traditional folk vocal album for We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions and best contemporary folk album for The Ghost of Tom Joad. Springsteen would be the first winner in the traditional pop category to also win in any of these three other categories — a sign of his broad appeal. He is a 20-time Grammy winner.

Record-setting scenario: If The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times wins best audio book, narration and storytelling recording, Obama will become the first first lady or former first lady to win twice in this category. She first won four years ago for Becoming. Hillary Rodham Clinton won once while she was first lady for It Takes a Village.

If Michelle Obama wins again, she’ll pull even with her husband, who won twice while he was a U.S. Senator. Read on.

Record-setting scenario: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is vying to become the third sitting U.S. Senator to win for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording. The first two were Sen. Everett Dirksen (R-Ill.), who won in 1968 for Gallant Men, and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who won in 2006 for Dreams from My Father and 2008 for The Audacity of Hope. (Hillary Rodham Clinton and Al Franken won before they became U.S. Senators.)

Record-setting scenario: “72 Seasons” could bring the veteran band its seventh award for best metal performance, extending its record in the category. Metallica previously won for “One,” “Stone Cold Crazy,” Metallica, “Better Than You,” “St. Anger” and “My Apocalypse.”

Record-setting scenario: But Here We Are could bring the band its sixth win for best rock album, extending its record. The Foos previously won for There Is Nothing Left to Lose, One by One, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Wasting Lights and Medicine at Midnight.

Record-setting scenario: “Rescued” could bring the band its third win for best rock performance, extending its record. The Foos previously won for “Walk” and “Making a Fire.”

Record-setting scenario: Antonoff could win producer of the year, non-classical for the third consecutive year. He would become only the second producer to win in three consecutive years, following Babyface (1995-97). Three other producers — David Foster, Quincy Jones and Pharrell Williams — won three times, but not consecutively.

Record-setting scenario: If the legendary composer wins best score soundtrack for visual media (which includes film and television), it would be his record-extending 11th win in the category. Williams is nominated for both The Fabelmans and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Williams has won in the category for Jaws, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, Memoirs of a Geisha and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He has won in every decade from the 1970s through the 2010s. A win this year will give him wins in six consecutive decades.

Williams, a 25-time Grammy winner, is nominated in three categories this year. If he wins them all, he will tie Quincy Jones for third place on the all-time Grammy leaderboard. Beyoncé leads with 32 awards, followed by the late classical conductor Georg Solti with 31 and then Jones with 28.

Record-setting scenario: If “White Horse” wins best country solo performance, it will be Stapleton’s record-extending fourth win in the category. He previously won for “Traveller,” “Either Way” and “You Should Probably Leave.”

Record-setting scenario: If “Cast Iron Skillet” wins best American roots song, Isbell will extend his record as the songwriter with most wins in the category. He previously won for “24 Frames” and “If We Were Vampires.”

Record-setting scenario: If Weathervanes (credited to Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit) wins best Americana album, Isbell will extend his record as the artist with the most wins in the category. He previously won for Something More Than Free and The Nashville Sound (the latter also credited to Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit).

Record-setting scenario: If Dylan’s Fragments – Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997): The Bootleg Series, Vol. 17 wins best historical album, it will be the third edition of The Bootleg Series to win in this category and will put Dylan just behind jazz legend Billie Holiday as the most-honored artist in this category. Four Holiday collections have won the award. The award in this category goes to the compilation producers, mastering engineers and restoration engineer, if there is one, not the artist, but the award also reflects on the stature of the artist. Almost all of the winning collections have been by legends.

Dylan and The Band’s The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete won in 2016. Dylan’s The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965-1966 won in 2017.

The Dylan project is competing with a Lou Reed collection, Words & Music, May 1965—Deluxe Edition, as well as three Various Artists collections.

Record-setting scenario: Blades could extend his record for most wins for best tropical Latin album. He is vying for his seventh win in the category with Siembra: 45º Aniversario (En Vivo en el Coliseo de Puerto Rico, 14 de Mayo 2022),a collab with Roberto Delgado & Orquesta. Blades and Delgado have collaborated on three winners in the category, Son de Panamá, Salsa Big Band and SALSWING!.

The Panamanian musician’s other wins in the category are for Escenas, Antecedente (a collab with Son Del Solar) and La Rosa de los Vientos.

Record-setting scenario: Frost could become the first eight-time winner for producer of the year, classical. He’s currently tied with Steven Epstein, Robert Woods and Judith Sherman with seven wins each. Frost is a 22-time Grammy winner.

Frost is the son of classical producer Thomas Frost, who won in this same category in 1987.

Record-setting scenario: If Sweeney Todd wins best musical theater album, it would be the fifth show to win twice in the category, following Gypsy, Les Miserables, West Side Story and Into the Woods. Stephen Sondheim wrote music and lyrics to both Into the Woods and Sweeney Todd and wrote lyrics for both Gypsy (composed by Jule Styne) and West Side Story (composed by Leonard Bernstein). Now, that’s what you call owning your lane.