Popular music can always serve as a fun source of debate. As highly anticipated songs and albums drop from our favorite artists, phrases such as “album of the year” or “best song of the year” get thrown around a lot, often with no lack of differing opinions and perspectives. While these debates will forever exist, the Grammy awards nonetheless do their best to settle them. Feb. 4th will mark the 66th edition of the award show, and with that date coming up soon, the Golden Arrow provides a full list of this year’s nominees in the major categories. Additionally, we’ll also take note of the contenders in each major genre. With a wide range of music spanning all the way from late 2022, here are the major nominees for the 2024 Grammy Awards.

Album of the Year:

World Music Radio – Jon Batiste: Released on Aug. 18, 2023, the seventh full-length album from Batiste comes as a follow-up to his 2022 Album of the Year winning project “We Are.” Over his 21 tracks, Batiste fuses modern pop music with his preferred style of jazz and soul while also integrating hip-hop influences through the guest appearances of rappers JID and Lil Wayne. Besides those two, the album includes an extensive list of features, perhaps most notably Lana Del Rey on the final song “Life Lesson.” “World Music Radio” didn’t see overwhelming commercial success, peaking only at #104 on the US Billboard 200 Albums, but still is still in the running for possibly Batiste’s second win in this category.

the record – boygenius: This project serves as the first full-length album from the group boygenius, a trio consisting of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Released on March 31, 2023, the album spans just 11 tracks, and sees the group cultivate a consistent indie rock and folk sound throughout its relatively short 42-minute run time. Despite peaking at #4 on the US Billboard 200, the album ended up hitting #1 in a handful of other countries, making it the first #1 project for any of the members. “the record” is also being considered for 6 other awards at the 2024 Grammys besides just Album of the Year.

Endless Summer Vacation – Miley Cyrus: The eighth studio album from Cyrus, “Endless Summer Vacation” was released

March 10, 2023, and features guest appearances from singers Brandi Carlile and Sia. Spanning 12 tracks, the album was one of the biggest pop releases of the year, hitting #1 in 10 countries and peaking at #3 on the US 200, and includes the #1 hit song “Flowers.” The album will be in contention for Album of the Year alongside a handful of other chart-topping pop records from some of the most prominent female artists in the industry. Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd – Lana Del Rey: Del Rey’s ninth studio album was released on March 24, 2023, and received acclaim from numerous music critics. The 16-song tracklist features appearances from a wide variety of musical artists, including singers Jon Batiste and Father John Misty, the rock band Bleachers and rapper Tommy Genesis. The alt-pop record debuted and peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200, and was a number-one hit in the United Kingdom. Alongside this award, the album has also provided four additional Grammy nominations for Del Rey.

The Age Of Pleasure – Janelle Monáe: Monáe’s fourth studio album comes after more than a five-year gap between this and her last project, 2018’s “Dirty Computer.” Released June 9, this R&B-centered album infuses aspects of reggae, afrobeats and soul, and features guest appearances from similarly oriented artists such as Doechii, Grace Jones, Amaaarae and CKay over its 14-song tracklist. Praised by critics for its positive and joyful tone, “The Age Of Pleasure” ended up peaking at #17 on the US Billboard 200, and is also in the running for the Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album.

GUTS – Olivia Rodrigo: Rodrigo’s second full-length album was released on September 8, 2023, and was preceded by two singles, including the Grammy-nominated “Vampire.” Spanning 12 tracks and a runtime of just 39 minutes, “GUTS” sees Rodrigo develop her pop rock and pop punk sound, following similar themes as her 2021 debut “SOUR.”

Commercially, the project was one of the biggest albums of 2023, as all 12 of its songs charted in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, and the album itself debuted at #1 on the US 200. Alongside critical acclaim, Rodrigo has received a handful of nominations for the album and its tracks. Midnights – Taylor Swift: The highly anticipated 10th studio album from Swift was released in full on October 21, 2022, the standard edition featuring 13 tracks. The project features personal themes such as insecurity and anxiety, laid out through the concept of each song representing a “sleepless night.” It stands as one of the most commercially successful pop albums of all time, not only being the best-selling album of 2022, but breaking records for a vinyl sales week and single-day streams on Spotify. Alongside debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, it also became the first album ever to fill all 10 spots of the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10.

SOS – SZA: The second studio album from R&B singer SZA was released on December 9, 2022, consisting of an expansive 23-song tracklist and guest appearances from Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers and Travis Scott. Blending aspects of pop and hip hop along with its prominent R&B sound palette, SOS was a resounding commercial success, breaking the record for the largest streaming week for an album of its genre in the US. Highly anticipated after a 5 year wait from her last project “Ctrl,” “SOS” became one of the longest charting albums of its kind in recent history, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 as well as in a handful of other countries. Not only that, but the album has also helped her to nine Grammy nominations this year, the highest of any contending artist.