2026 Final Grammy Picks & Predictions: Who Will Win vs. Who Should Win

Subscribe on Substack: https://vinylbymars.substack.comGrammy week is here, so I’m locking my final predictions before the votes are revealed.In the first official episode of 2026, I break down my Grammy ballot across 12 categories, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. I also compare my picks against hundreds of listener submissions from my Grammy poll to see where the internet agrees with me and where it doesn’t.This episode is all about how the Recording Academy actually votes, where narratives matter, and which categories are primed for upsets.In this episode:Final Grammy predictions across the Big FourWhy Album of the Year is a three-artist raceThe category I’m least confident aboutListener poll results vs my actual picksDark horses the Academy could surprise us withThe next episode will be a full Grammy recap reacting to the winners, performances, and biggest moments of the night. Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast to be notified when the next episode drops!Chapters01:46 Predictions for Record of the Year03:53 Album of the Year Contenders07:55 Song of the Year Insights18:19 Best New Artist Predictions19:24 The Rise of Olivia Dean and Leon Thomas20:37 Predictions for Best Pop Solo Performance22:37 Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Insights24:33 Best Pop Vocal Album Showdown27:01 Best Dance Pop Recording Predictions28:04 Best Dance Electronic Album Insights29:17 Best Remixed Recording Analysis30:38 Best Traditional Pop Album Discussion31:46 Best Music Video PredictionsFollow & support:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vinylbymarsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/vinylbymars/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@vinylbymarsLinktree: https://linktr.ee/vinylbymarsSubstack: https://vinylbymars.substack.comTo provide feedback, please fill out this survey: http://bit.ly/livefrommars-survey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.