Grammy Awards logo. Image retrieved from https://allears.net.

On Nov. 8, the Recording Academy unveiled their nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements in the music industry. This year, there are nominations for 94 categories, the most prestigious among them still being the so-called “Big Four.”

The “Big Four” are categories that are open to any artist of any genre, and include record of the year, song of the year, album of the year, and best new artist. Winning all four fields in the same year is a difficult feat, and only two people have done so this century: Billie Eilish in 2020 and Norah Jones in 2003. This year, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter both have an opportunity.

The Racquet Press conducted a small survey of University of Wisconsin-La Crosse students to see who they wanted to win each of the “Big Four” categories.

First on the survey was record of the year, which, according to the award’s criteria, is given “to the Artist(s), Album Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s), and/or Mixer(s), and Mastering Engineer(s) if other than the artist.”

While nominations include former chart-toppers “Fortnight” by Taylor swift feat. Post Malone and “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyonce, the song that UWL students voted for the most was Kendrick Lamar’s anthemic diss track “Not Like Us,” which received 28% of the vote. Right behind Lamar was Chappell Roan’s smash hit “Good Luck, Babe!” which received 25% of the vote and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” with 20% of the vote. The full list and breakdown are as follows:

1. “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar (28.3%)
2. “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan (25.3%)
3. “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter (20.2%)
4. “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish (13%)
5. “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone (5%)
6. “360” by Charli xcx (4%)
7. “Now and Then” by The Beatles (4%)
8. “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyonce (1%)

Second on the survey was song of the year, which is awarded to the songwriter(s). Leading this category is once again Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” tallying up 25.5% of the vote. And, once again behind Lamar are Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter with their songs “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Please Please Please,” respectively.

The full list and breakdown are as follows:

1. “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar (25.5%)
2. “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan (21.4%)
3. “Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter (15.3%)
4. “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish (14.3%)
5. “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars (13.3%)
6. “A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey (7.1%)
7. “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone (3.1%)
8. “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyonce (0%)

The third of the “Big Four” categories was album of the year. Familiar names headline this category as well: Sabrina Carpenter’s album “Short n’ Sweet” leads with 26.5% of the vote with Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” trailing with 24.5% of the vote. While there are numerous heavy hitters in the lineup, several students felt Ariana Grande’s most recent album, “Eternal Sunshine,” was snubbed from the nominations list.

The full list and breakdown are as follows:

1. “Short n’ Sweet” by Sabrina Carpenter (26.5%)
2. “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” by Chappell Roan (24.5%)
3. “Hit Me Hard and Soft” by Billie Eilish (17.3%)
4. “The Tortured Poets Department” by Taylor Swift (11.2%)
5. “Brat” by Charli xcx (10%)
6. “New Blue Sun” by Andre 3000 (7.1%)
7. “Cowboy Carter” by Beyonce (3.1%)
8. “Djesse Vol. 4” by Jacob Collier (0%)

Last is the award for best new artist, most recently won by Victoria Monet in 2024. While the other awards were close, the students of UWL have spoken for this category in a big way: Chappell Roan commands a huge lead, with almost 50% of students voting for her.

Chappell Roan has had a massive year and has become a household name in a short amount of time. Her single “Good Luck, Babe!” reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100, her debut album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” reached number two on the Billboard 200, and she opened for several shows of Olivia Rodrigo’s most recent tour. Even UWL’s own Screaming Eagles Marching Band has caught Chappell Roan fever, adding her viral track “Hot To Go!” to their pep band repertoire.

The list and breakdown are as follows:

1. Chappell Roan (47.5%)
2. Sabrina Carpenter (24.2%)
3. Benson Boone (15.2%)
4. Doechii (6.1%)
5. Teddy Swims (4%)
6. Shaboozey (2%)
7. RAYE (1%)
8. Khruangbin (0%)

Final round voting for the Grammys takes place from Dec. 12, 2024 to Jan. 3, 2025, and the awards take place Feb. 2, 2025.