Who Will Nab a Nation Nom for Greatest Album and Track?

It’s been an exceptionally robust interval for nation music, with many albums and songs having great vital and industrial success because the style has transcended borders each stylistically and geographically. Moreover, artists from exterior the world of nation music jumped in with confidence, offering a number of the greatest and most substantial music of the yr.

Grammy nominations for the 67^th Annual Grammy Awards will likely be introduced on Nov. 8, with the ceremony going down Feb. 2, 2025 on the Crypto.com Area in Los Angeles. As Grammy eligibility attracts to a detailed at present (the eligibility interval is Sept. 16, 2023-Aug. 30, 2024), listed below are Billboard’s greatest bets for the contenders in greatest nation album and greatest nation tune.

Greatest Nation Album

Grammy voters usually pull from a variety of albums and artists right here, contemplating data that fall into Americana and country-adjacent music type and, due to this fact, make this class more durable to foretell than for the country-only awards reveals. Aside from Chris Stapleton’s Increased, which is a assured nominee, and Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind, the opposite three slots may simply as simply go to the albums talked about in Inside Attain — however that solely speaks to the energy of this Grammy season’s contenders.

Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter 

Grammy voters are usually much less insular than CMA Awards voters, so search for Bey to land her first nomination on this class. The album shouldn’t be solely a cultural touchstone, and “Texas Maintain ‘Em” went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Scorching Nation Songs chart, however voters need to help Beyoncé and present Nashville and the nation group have modified after her less-than-welcome reception on the 2016 CMA Awards.

Kacey Musgraves, Deeper Properly

Musgraves’ 2021 album, star-crossed, grew to become her first album to not be nominated for greatest nation album when the nation committee took it out of rivalry. Will she return to the class this yr, or is Musgraves now thought of a pop or Americana artist? Deeper Properly is a largely mid-tempo, light exploration by this cosmic cowgirl of lots of life’s greater questions that Nashville ought to be proud to embrace. 

Publish Malone, F-1 Trillion

Publish Malone got here to Nashville and conquered the city like few outsiders earlier than him. He put within the work, spending months writing with prime songwriters and taking part in native spots as he crafted a duets-heavy album that displays the place nation music is in the meanwhile, but in addition, particularly within the solo songs, pays homage to its wealthy, deep historical past. Add within the overwhelming success of “I Had Some Assist,” his collaboration with Morgan Wallen, and you’ve got a contender that’s going to attract votes from the nation and pop group. 

Chris Stapleton, Increased 

Increased is a certain guess on this class, as Stapleton has been nominated for each album he has launched and brought house the trophy 3 times. Like his earlier 4 studio albums, Increased debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Nation Albums chart, and first single “White Horse” rode to No. 2 on Nation Airplay. His unmistakably gruff, bluesy voice tackles affairs of the center in an intimate approach that few different modern artists can muster. 

Lainey Wilson, Whirlwind

Wilson’s final album, Bell Backside Nation, is the reigning champ on this class, and with Whirlwind, which got here out every week earlier than eligibility interval closed, Wilson has launched a set that won’t solely be recent on voters’ minds however is her most assured one up to now. From the fun-loving rush of first single, “Cling Tight Honey” to the heart-tugging “Whiskey Coloured Crowd” and sassy kiss-off of “Ring Finger,” Wilson’s broad enchantment might show irresistible to voters.  

Inside Attain: Zach Bryan, The Nice American Bar Scene; Luke Combs, Fathers & Sons; Cody Johnson, Leather-based; Megan Moroney, Am I Okay;  Willie Nelson, The Border

Greatest Nation Track

Given the vary of artists, from nation newcomers to established pop stars, who’ve launched nation and country-adjacent music over the previous yr, it appears probably that the most effective nation tune nominations (which honors songwriters) will span from multi-week chart leaders to extra boutique fan favorites. And given nation’s surging world enchantment, the writers on these songs have credit spanning the genres of nation, pop, hip-hop, R&B and extra.

Nominees for greatest nation tune should have been launched on a recording for the primary time, or achieved prominence for the primary time, throughout the present eligibility yr. There are historically 5 nominees on this class, however in three of the previous six years there have been six (resulting from ties), so we’re exhibiting six potentialities. 

“The Architect” (Kacey Musgraves)

Songwriters: Kacey Musgraves, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

From Musgraves’ Deeper Properly album comes this exquisitely crafted tune that questions whether or not there’s a increased energy guiding life occasions, or if conditions are merely the outcomes of a collection of random possibilities. Musgraves wrote the tune with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne. Musgraves has beforehand gained on this class twice, with “Merry Go ‘Spherical” (additionally written by Musgraves, McAnally and Osborne) and “Area Cowboy” (written by Musgraves McAnally and Luke Laird).

“Filth Low-cost” (Cody Johnson)

Songwriter: Josh Phillips

Johnson is not any stranger to this class, and positively is aware of how you can decide an award-worthy tune. One in every of Johnson’s beforehand recorded songs, “’Til You Can’t,” gained on this class in 2023. His tune “Filth Low-cost,” which is within the prime 10 on Billboard’s Nation Airplay chart, is a solo write by songwriter Josh Phillips. Much like “’Til You Can’t,” the tune is constructed on vivid imagery and a heartfelt sentiment.

“Midway to Hell” (Jelly Roll)

Songwriters: Jason DeFord (Jelly Roll), Jesse Frasure, Matt Jenkins, Jessie Jo Dillon

Launched in January, this observe continues Jelly’s penchant for rock-propelled songs detailing the duality of life, giving a voice to the plenty who journey the road between healthful dwelling and numerous vices, notably on traces reminiscent of “I’m a dive bar Sunday sermon/ Holy water with my bourbon.” “Midway to Hell” serves because the third single from Jelly Roll’s Whitsitt Chapel and topped the Nation Airplay chart this yr.

“I Had Some Assist” (Publish Malone and Morgan Wallen)

Songwriters: Ernest Keith Smith, Louis Bell, Morgan Wallen, Ashley Gorley, Austin Publish, Chandler Paul Walters, Hoskins, Ryan Vojtesak

Publish Malone has notched 10 profession Grammy nominations however may notch his first nation class nominations main as much as 2025’s ceremony, because of this Wallen collab. “I Had Some Assist” has spent six nonconsecutive weeks atop the Billboard Scorching 100, and 7 weeks atop the Scorching Nation Songs chart. Whereas lately, the most effective nation tune class has usually tilted towards songs that haven’t been multi-week chart-toppers, final yr’s nominations included one other Wallen-recorded tune, “Final Night time,” which spent 16 weeks atop the all-genre Scorching 100.

“Texas Maintain ‘Em” (Beyoncé)

Songwriters: Beyoncé, Brian Bates, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bulow, Nate Ferraro, Raphael Saadiq

Beyoncé stands alone because the artist who has earned probably the most Grammys, with 32 trophies — however the upcoming Grammy Awards ceremony may very effectively see the musical iconoclast lengthen her wins into nation classes, together with greatest nation tune, because of “Texas Maintain ‘Em.” Beyoncé has beforehand earned Grammys for songwriting within the rap subject (for “Savage”) and R&B subject (for “Say My Identify,” “Loopy in Love,” “Drunk in Love,” “Single Women (Put a Ring on It),” and “Cuff It”). Earlier this yr, Beyoncé grew to become the primary solo Black girl to prime the Billboard Scorching Nation Songs chart, with “Texas Maintain ‘Em,” which dominated the chart for 10 weeks from February via April.

“Tucson Too Late” (Jordan Davis)

Songwriters: Jordan Davis, Jacob Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins

“Tucson Too Late,” the fourth single from Davis’ Bluebird Days, topped the Nation Airplay chart in Might, changing into Davis’ fifth chief on that chart. The tune was penned by two units of brothers — Davis and his brother Jacob, in addition to brothers Josh and Matt Jenkins. This songwriter group is identical one behind Davis’ CMA tune of the yr winner “Purchase Filth.” Although “Tucson Too Late” ventures right into a extra mid-tempo groove than a few of his earlier balladry, the earnest storytelling right here has related with listeners.

Inside Attain: Zach Bryan, “Pink Skies”; Ashley Cooke, “Your Place”; Megan Moroney, “No Caller ID”; Shaboozey, “A Bar Track (Tipsy)”; Scotty McCreery, “Cab in a Solo”; Chris Stapleton, “Suppose I’m in Love With You”