Album of the Year strikes the interest of teenagers all over WHS. 2024 was filled with many album drops, leading to lots of controversy and “hot takes” around who would win the coveted award. Waterford students have a lot to say about this year’s selection.
Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Olivia Rodrigo all came out with popular albums recently and are eligible for the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Sophomore Isabella Maheu said, “I think either HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish or Brat by Charli XCX should win album of the year because both of them have circulated across social media, and a lot of the lyrics speak to me. Brat, especially, is a type of music a lot of people aren’t used to.”
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish consisted of hit songs, including “Birds of a Feather,” which is currently number two on global charts. Across social media, songs from this album are being used by teenagers. Billie Eilish and her music appeals to people across many demographics. With her positive online presence, young teenagers believe that she is a great role model.
On the other hand, the electropop vibe that Brat presents is something that the public isn’t quite used to, as it differs from other pop songs.
Taylor Swift has increased in popularity more than ever this year. With The Tortured Poets Department release being announced at the previous Grammy Awards, many automatically believed that Swift would take all of the awards away from other artists in 2025.
Maheu agrees, “Some [Grammy voters] will vote for her for every category just because they want to support her, and even though she is very talented in the music industry, other artists deserve awards too.”
Chappell Roan gained popularity on social media in April 2024, after playing at the Coachella Music Festival and opening for Olivia Rodrigo at the Guts tour. “Casual” began to get recognition at the time of the tour. Then in June, “Good Luck Babe” was released, hitting the Billboard Top 100 Charts. Many are surprised to hear that she will be at the Grammy Awards, but her album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess had seven songs on the charts even months after they were released. 
“Chappell Roan is one of my top artists right now. I definitely think she’s going to be nominated for multiple grammys because of how popular she’s become and how much of an impact her songs have had on the pop and music community,” Sophomore Evie Bellos explained.
Beyoncé’s album COWBOY CARTER lasted at number one for only two weeks, yet she was still scaring off other album releases. After the VMAS in 2009 when Taylor Swift beat Beyonce for
Best Female Video, as well as when Harry Styles won Album of the Year in 2023, beating out Beyonce’s Renaissance album, Beyoncé fans can get defensive when she doesn’t win an award she was nominated for.
“I think fans would act out because they have in past years, so it would just make sense, and I think it would happen again because history repeats itself,” says Sophomore Alexys Valda. When asked about who she thinks should win Album of the Year, she says, “Ariana Grande because I’ve liked her since I was a kid.”
Aside from these artists with millions of monthly listeners, freshman Elvis Macrino shares a more unpopular opinion stating, “My favorite album released this year was boy by 2hollis.”
Since releasing “Espresso” as the lead single for her new album, Sabrina Carpenter has become the newest ”Pop Princess.”
“I think Sabrina Carpenter should win for sure because it’s her first album that is different from others and there were a lot of hit songs,” Junior Leah Sanders said.
All of these music releases make it difficult for people to decide what albums they like the best, and it is a mystery as to who will win the various honors presented at the Grammy Awards.
