Secret Grammy voters reveal who's up, who's down at end of Phase 1 - United States News Beep

After 10 long days of listening, Grammy voting is officially over, meaning Recording Academy members have turned in their ballots to decide who will be the 2027 nominees across all 100 categories. Predicting Grammy nominees can be a very difficult task, with virtually no precursor awards and music being far more subjective than film or television. To provide a clearer understanding of who’s in and who might be vulnerable, Gold Derby polled three anonymous voters, who shared their unfiltered thoughts on the upcoming awards, touching on recent controversies, the main contenders generating the most excitement, and some surprising names that might be on the snub list.

Voter 1: A global music and pop instrumentalist
Voter 2: A songwriter in pop/dance and alternative music
Voter 3: An R&B and hip-hop artist/rapper and producer

Perhaps the biggest topic this year among Recording Academy members has been the creation of, and instant backlash to, the Best Asian Pop Performance category. “I think the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category was well-intentioned, but poorly designed,” says Voter 1 when asked about how the fallout — including the withdrawal of BTS — could impact voting. “K-pop is more than just Asian music, it is a global phenomenon, and that makes it much bigger than a minor category. The same is true for Chinese Mandopop, which has its own massive market and awards show. Artists in these genres should be competing in the main categories.”

They continue: “Voting won’t necessarily be affected because most of the big artists have not even submitted their music due to the insult.” After BTS pulled out, several other groups abstained from submitting for the award, echoing the sentiment that the category felt like a ghettoization of Asian artists and an exclusionary tactic to justify their lack of big nominations across the general field. “It was a historic miscalculation by the Recording Academy and a missed opportunity.” Voter 2, who has worked alongside Asian pop artists, agrees: “It’s sad that it became such a big story since now a lot of the artists submitted might not necessarily feel good about getting the nomination. I wouldn’t be surprised if the category ceases to exist next year.”

As far as who is on our voters’ ballots, several expected names were mentioned. The only artist all three voters highlighted was Brit superstar Olivia Dean, who is currently a front-runner for Album, Record, and Song of the Year despite last-minute plagiarism allegations. “She’s a breath of fresh air among so much overproduced pop music,” says Voter 2, who, alongside Voter 1, also raves about another soulful Brit: Raye. “Her story is so inspiring and the music is amazing. It’s music made with such attention to detail from the instrumentation to her lyricism, one of the most ambitious albums I’ve heard in a very long time,” adds Voter 2 regarding This Music May Contain Hope, which is also expected to land nominations in Album, Record, and Song of the Year. Voter 1 says of both artists: “I love Olivia Dean and Raye […]. Dean reminds me of a young Dionne Warwick with her Motown sound and her voice sounds like a soft trumpet singing elegant melodies. Raye is more bombastic, and her singing, songwriting, and production skills are off the charts.”

Voter 3 also includes a third superstar when it comes to favorite records of the year. “It wasn’t a hard decision to vote for Noah [Kahan]. He is one of the best poets around.”

As far as Voter 3, their pick for the artist of the year might surprise you, although her commercial success speaks volumes: “Ella Langley. I low-key might be an Ella-Fella [Langley’s die-hard fandom] at this point. She is undeniable and inescapable, and it’s been a while since an artist has had that type of impact.” Of course, Voter 3 is referring to Langley’s commercial dominance with “Choosin’ Texas,” the hit single which broke the record for the most weeks ever at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. When asked about Langley, Voter 2 is less enthusiastic: “That type of music isn’t really my taste.”

And on the topic of types of music, while country might usually be underrepresented at the Grammys, one genre that did have a major breakthrough last year with nominations was rap, scoring three nominations for Album of the Year. This year, though, most pundits are predicting the genre won’t score any major nominations in the Big Three categories. Voter 3 seems to agree, despite working primarily in rap music: “I think this year I would be super surprised if any … hip-hop and R&B [artists] make their ways to some of these General [categories]. I mean Olivia Rodrigo, Olivia Dean, Ella … there are a lot of [artists in other genres] who had huge years.” Asked who in hip-hop could be the exception, they add: “I think the people I would love to find their way into those fields would be Rapsody, Cardi B, Don Toliver, and Baby Keem. This year is going to be super competitive.”

Finally, while discussing what trends from the 2025-2026 cycle could repeat this year, voters were excited about the possibility of a second consecutive Hispanic artist getting nominated in Rosalía with Lux, following Bad Bunny’s historic win last year with Debí Tirar Más Fotos. “I think Lux is hands-down the Album of the Year. It is a true work of art. She sings in 13 different languages inspired by the lives of 13 female saints from history. Each song is poetic in its arrangement and lyrics. She uses all live musicians, features incredible collaborators like Caroline Shaw and El Guincho, and fuses classical and pop. The album elevates the listener and challenges them at the same time,” says Voter 1. “I hope Bad Bunny’s win last year is a sign that voters are open to Spanish-language music as a major award winner, but I doubt it.”

Voter 2 has an equally excited reaction, though a more hopeful one: “I’ve been a fan for so long, her musicianship is insane and all my fellow member-friends have been excited about her as well,” they say. “It would be crazy for her to lose out on a nomination at the very least — that’s an album made for other music creators.”

Interesting omissions? We acknowledge this is a small sample size, but notably absent from our voters’ discussions were Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and other Grammy titans with albums met with critical malaise. Says Voter 2: “Great artists but I would prefer something fresher.”

Perhaps the Academy is changing after all. We’ll know for sure when nominations are unveiled on Nov. 16.

Gold Derby’s Grammy Nomination Odds

Record of the Year

Olivia Dean