2019 Grammy Awards Betting Preview & Picks

On Sunday night, the Staples Center in Los Angeles will be the site of the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, with singer-songwriter Alicia Keys serving as the host. Nominations came out in early December 2018 for the best recordings, artists and compositions between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018. The show will honor Dolly Parton as the MusiCares Person of the Year two days ahead of the show on February 8. It is possible to bet on all of the categories, so take a look at the nominees and some of our online 2019 Grammy Awards betting thoughts.

2019 Grammy Awards Betting Preview & Picks

Record of the Year Nominees

• “I Like It” (Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin)
• “The Joke” (Brandi Carlile)
• “This Is America” (Childish Gambino)
• “God’s Plan” (Drake)
• “Shallow” (Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper)
• “All the Stars” (Kendrick Lamar & SZA)

No hip-hop track has ever taken home the Record of the Year prize. There are some who would like to see “I Like It” honored because of the ways in which crossover songs featuring multicultural acts represented a major trend this year, but “God’s Plan” was streamed over 1.1 billion times through Spotify, according to Rolling Stone. “The Middle” is a dark horse pick here, as the country-dance blend has had a wide listening audience across multiple age groups. The favorite (1/1) is “This Is America,” and it’s important to remember that this award is more about the recording than the song itself, which means that this is about the production rather than the composition. “This Is America” adds a political statement to a hip-hop track, so there would be additional motivation for the selectors. Prediction: “This Is America”

Album of the Year Nominees

• Invasion of Privacy (Cardi B)
• By the Way, I Forgive You (Brandi Carlile)
• Scorpion (Drake)
• H.E.R. (H.E.R.)
• Beerbongs & Bentleys (Post Malone)
• Dirty Computer (Janelle Monae)
• Golden Hour (Kacey Musgraves)
• Black Panther: The Album, Music From and Inspired By (Various Artists)

Golden Hour is considered by some to be a smart pick here, as there are elements in Musgrave’s work that will interest both the old school voters and the up-and-coming voices. Others like Post Malone’s album, which could be a dark horse. The Vegas co-favorites are Golden Hour and Black Panther, and while experts in the music community like Golden Hour, a lot of public sentiment is behind the movie soundtrack. As popular as Black Panther was with the film critics, another chance to support progressive music that is also elite in terms of quality could be tempting for the Grammy voters. Prediction: Black Panther

Best Pop Vocal Album

• Camila (Camila Cabello)
• Meaning of Life (Kelly Clarkson)
• Sweetener (Ariana Grande)
• Shawn Mendes (Shawn Mendes)
• Beautiful Trauma (Pink)
• Reputation (Taylor Swift)

Ariana Grande’s work makes a stronger statement, as an album, than any of her previous work, and there is no pop star who is more in charge of the scene than she is. Her hit “thank u, next,” which did not come out on an album, put her name in front of the voters just as the nominations came out. Her album is the Vegas favorite (1/1), and despite the lack of value, with all that momentum rolling in her direction, it would be silly to bet on any other album.

Best New Artist

• Chloe x Halle
• Luke Combs
• Greta Van Fleet
• H.E.R.
• Dua Lipa
• Margo Price
• Bebe Rexha
• Jorja Smith

Dua Lipa rocked the charts with “New Rules,” and while Margo Price has built a solid discography under the radar, the fact that she was just nominated may be all the recognition that she gets for that, at least this year. H.E.R. picked up a lot of nominations that many music experts did not expect, so the Grammy voters may be pushing a tidal wave in her direction. The dark horse here is Luke Combs; even though country music does not always get a lot of buzz in the New Artist category, Combs’ track record could make that change. The favorite (2/1) is H.E.R., and this has been a year for the R&B genre to make a bit of a comeback. Her combination of traditional roots and progressive performance is something that the Grammy voters have made a tradition.