GRAMMYs 2024: FYC Ad Breakdowns
It’s that time of year again! For The Bulletin’s first round of 2024 GRAMMYs coverage, we’re compiling all of the FYC ads we can find and trying to deduce what submissions each artist is hinting at. A separate post will be regularly updated with all confirmed submissions.
Before we dive in, let’s take a look at the Grammy rulebook to refresh our memories about what is and isn’t allowed on FYC ads.
ALLOWED: 1) Artwork related to product under consideration 2) Brief, unembellished descriptions of the recording or creators 3) Copies or links to product 4) Links to websites that promote eligible recordings 5) Link to Recording Academy website where Voting and Solicitation Guidelines are posted 6) Lists of the creators who worked on the recording 7) Reference to nominations, once nominations are announced. List Category(s) by full name 8) Reference to the Grammy Award with proper registered marks. Reference can be made by name only. Use of logo is prohibited.
NOT ALLOWED: 1) Cast a negative or derogatory light on a competing recording. Any tactic that singles out the ‘competition’ by name or title is not allowed 2) Exaggerate or overstate the merits of the music, an achievement or an individual 3) Include any Recording Academy trademarks, logos or any other protected information. Logo use is reserved for paid Recording Academy sponsors or partners 4) Include entry list numbers or category numbers 5) Include chart numbers, number of streams, sales figures, or RIAA awards 6) Include personal signatures, personal regards or personal pleas to listen to the eligible recordings 7) Misrepresent honors or awards, past or present, received by either the recording or those involved with production 8) Reference the year or the telecast number (i.e., 2023 or 66th Grammy Awards)”
So, without any further ado…
Meghan Trainor: Looks like Team Trainor is angling for “Made You Look” as their prize horse — almost certainly the original solo version. Trainor won Best New Artist back in 2016 and hasn’t seen any Grammy love since. Based on the genre and her submission history I’d wager that they’re sending Takin’ It Back to Album of the Year (AOTY), Best Pop Vocal Album (BPVA), and probably Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. “Made You Look” will likely be her submission for Record of the Year (ROTY), Song of the Year (SOTY), Best Pop Solo Performance (BPSP), and probably Best Music Video (BMV). Wouldn’t be surprised to see the “Made You Look” a cappella remix sent to Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella.
Olivia Rodrigo: The “Drivers License” singer took home three awards for SOUR two years ago and she’ll probably score the exact same nominations haul this year. Expect to see GUTS in AOTY, BPVA, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; “Vampire” in ROTY, SOTY, BPSP, and BMV (maybe “bad idea right?” gets that slot instead). This is less likely, but not entirely implausible — “ballad of a homeschooled girl” in Rock Song and Performance?
Miley Cyrus: Pretty simple here. Endless Summer Vacation in AOTY and BPVA, with chances of submissions in Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. “Flowers” in ROTY, SOTY, BPSP, and BMV. Potentially… “Thousand Miles” (with Brandi Carlile) in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (BPDG).
Billie Eilish: She’ll absolutely do Barbie across the board. So, “What Was I Made For?” in ROTY, SOTY, BPSP, BMV, and Best Song Written for Visual Media. Depending on what the credit situation is, she could also show up in ROTY, SOTY, and BPDG for her Labrinth collab “Never Felt So Alone.”
Tinashe: Since the FYC ad already lists the submissions, I won’t re-type them here. Other possible submissions for Tinashe would be collaborations with other artists, including Shygirl’s “Heaven” (Best Dance Recording) and Kyle’s “Who’s Taking You Home” (Best Melodic Rap Performance),
Pinkpantheress: Pretty simple here too. Expect to see her in Best New Artist (BNA) and “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” in ROTY, SOTY, BPDG and BMV. She could possibly show up in Best Dance Recording for Skrillex collab “Way Back” (with Trippie Redd) and Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Angel” from Barbie.
Ice Spice: This one is a bit tricky because Ice has several big hits that could be rightfully placed in more than one genre category and she also has really big collaborations competing against each other. I think it’s safe to call submissions in Best New Artist, Best Rap Album and AOTY (Like..?), and Best Song Written for Visual Media (“Barbie World,” with Nicki Minaj and AQUA). I think she’ll probably opt for her and Minaj’s “Princess Diana” in Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance. She’ll also likely stick with “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” in BPDG over her and Taylor Swift’s “Karma.” She could also angle “In Ha Mood” for Best Melodic Rap Performance. As for ROTY and SOTY, I have a feeling that “Barbie World” will be her submission there, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to see “Princess Diana” there as well.
Selena Gomez: Don’t know why they even bothered mentioning “Single Soon”… aside from it being a waste of time it would directly compete against “My Mind & Me” in most categories. Anyways, expect to see “My Mind & Me” in ROTY, SOTY, Best Song Written for Visual Media, BMV, and BPSP. The real question is “Calm Down” (with Rema). Should the song be deemed eligible for this year’s race, it’ll surely get submitted to ROTY, SOTY, and BMV. As for the genre categories… there’s a compelling argument and an equal shot the song ends up in either BPDG or Best African Music Performance regardless of where it was initially submitted. Still waiting for confirmation on the status of that song. Expect to see her “My Mind & Me” documentary in Music Film too.
Taylor Swift: This is also fairly simple. Midnights in AOTY, BPVA, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, and, possibly, Best Recording Package or Best Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. “Anti-Hero” in ROTY, SOTY, BPSP, and BMV. Also wouldn’t surprised if she went with “Snow On the Beach” (with Lana Del Rey) over “Karma” (with Ice Spice) in BPDG. I doubt she submits anything from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), maybe she throws “Timeless” in Best Country Song/Performance.
Lana Del Rey: Exepct Ocean Blvd. in AOTY, BPVA, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. “A&W” in ROTY, SOTY, and BPSP + “Candy Necklace” (with Jon Batiste) in BPDG and BMV. I could also see a scenario where she sends “A&W” to Best Alternative Music Performance and opts for “Say Yes to Heaven” in BPSP instead.
Coco Jones: I’m expecting BNA, “ICU” in ROTY, SOTY, R&B Song, R&B Performance, BMV, and What I Didn’t Tell You in AOTY and R&B Album. If they’re feeling spicy, they could angle “ICU” for Traditional R&B Performance and opt for “No Chaser,” “Double Back,” or “Crazy for You” in R&B Performance instead.
Caroline Polachek: She’ll probably send Desire to AOTY, BPVA, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Perhaps “Smoke” in BMV and BPSP?
Diddy: Expecting The Love Album in AOTY and R&B Album, “Another One of Me” in ROTY, SOTY, BMV, and Melodic Rap Performance, and any of the album tracks in R&B Song, R&B Performance, and Traditional R&B Performance.
Kelsea Ballerini: I think she goes with Rolling Up the Welcome Mat in AOTY, Country Album, and Music Film, and “Penthouse” in Country Solo Performance, Country Song, ROTY, and SOTY.
Arctic Monkeys: The Car will obviously be in AOTY and Rock Album, the real challenge is figuring out which songs they sent to which genres. Maybe “Body Paint” to Alternative Music Performance and “Sculptures of Anything Goes” to Rock Song and Rock Performance?
Soundtracks: Confirmed submissions for The Little Mermaid, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtracks — Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.
Score Soundtracks: Confirmed submissions for the Indiana Jones and the DIal of Destiny, Elemental, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Chevalier scores — Best Score Soundtrack Album for Visual Media.
Young Thug: Expect to see Business Is Business in AOTY and Rap Album, and “Oh U Went” (with Drake) in ROTY, SOTY, Rap Song and Rap Performance.
Kelly Clarkson: Expect to see Chemistry in AOTY and BPVA, “Mine” in ROTY, SOTY and BPSP — outside chance she splits those submissions with “Me.” I can also see “That’s Right” (with Sheila E.) in BPDG and the David Guetta remix of “Favorite Kind of High” in Best Remixed Recording.
Noah Kahan: Expect to see him in Best New Artist, Stick Season in AOTY and BPVA, and “Dial Drunk” in ROTY, SOTY, and BPSP… or BPDG if he submits the Post Malone version.
Post Malone: Expect to see Austin in AOTY and BPVA; “Chemical” in ROTY, SOTY, BPSP, and BMV.
Zach Bryan: Based on the FYC ad, looks like he’s gunning for Zach Bryan in AOTY and Country Album. This probably means “I Remember Everything” (with Kacey Musgraves) will show up in ROTY, SOTY, Country Song and Country Duo/Group Performance. Nonetheless, he could send that duet to BPDG and slot “Hey DriveR” (with The War and Treaty) in Country Duo/Group. Any other album tracks could theoretically appear in Rock Song, Rock Performance or Country Solo Performance.
DJ Khaled: “Supposed to Be Love” will probably be sent to ROTY, SOTY, and Melodic Rap Performance. God knows why.
Drake: Looks like Drizzy is putting his Grammy woes to the side and submitting Her Loss, which will likely be sent to AOTY and Rap Album. I expect “Rich Flex” to be the main focus with submissions to ROTY, SOTY, Rap Song, and Rap Performance. Maybe “Spin Bout U” gets a look in Melodic Rap Performance and BMV. Of course, the Boy will also show up wherever his collaborators submit songs he’s featured on.
Travis Scott: Expect Utopia in AOTY, Rap Album, Best Recording Package, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. I’d also expect “Meltdown” (with Drake) in ROTY, SOTY, Rap Song and Rap Performance; “Delresto” (with Beyoncé) and “Telekinesis” (with Future & SZA) in Melodic Rap Performance; “Modern Jam” (with Teezo Touchdown) in BPDG and Circus Maximus in Music Film.
boygenius: Look out for The Record in AOTY and Alternative Music Album, and “Not Strong Enough” in ROTY, SOTY, Alternative Music Performance, and BMV.
KAROL G: I’d expect Mañana Será Bonito in AOTY and Best Música Urbana Album, with “TQG” (with Shakira) in BPDG, ROTY, SOTY, and BMV.
Capitol Artists: Expect to see Doechii in Best New Artist with “What It Is” in ROTY, SOTY, BMV, and BPSP; Sam Smith in AOTY and BPVA for Gloria, with “I’m Not Here To Make Friends” in BPSP and BMV, and “Gimme” in BPDG; Lewis Capaldi in AOTY and BPVA for Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent, with “Forget Me” in ROTY, SOTY, BPSP, and BMV; Offset & Cardi B’s “Jealousy” will likely be sent to ROTY, SOTY, Rap Song, Rap Performance and BMV; Niall Horan’s The Show in AOTY and BPVA, with “Heaven” in ROTY, SOTY, BPSP, and BMV; Quavo’s Rocket Power in AOTY and Rap Album, with “Turn Yo Clic Up” (with Future) in ROTY, SOTY, Rap Song, Rap Performance, and BMV; Toosii in AOTY and Progressive R&B Album with Najour, with “Favorite Song” in ROTY, SOTY, BMV, R&B Song and R&B Performance; Lil Baby’s It’s Only Me in AOTY and Rap Album, with either “Heyy” or “Caliornia Breeze” in ROTY, SOTY, Rap Song and Rap Performance, and “Forever” in Melodic Rap Performance; Troye Sivan in ROTY, SOTY, BPSP and BMV for “Rush.”
Jack Harlow: Expect to see Jackman in AOTY and Rap Album; “They Don’t Love It” in ROTY, SOTY, Rap Song, Rap Performance; “Gang Gang Gang” in BMV.
Paramore: Expect to see This Is Why in AOTY, Rock Album, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; “Running Out of Time” in ROTY, SOTY, Rock Song, Rock Performance, and BMV.
Lil Uzi Vert: Expect to see Pink Tape in AOTY and Rap Album, “Just Wanna Rock” in ROTY, SOTY, BMV, Rap Song, and Rap Performance, and “Endless Fashion” (with Nicki Minaj) in Melodic Rap Performance.
Ed Sheeran: Expect to see Subtract in AOTY, BPVA, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; “Eyes Closed” in ROTY, SOTY, BPSP, and BMV, and “Life Goes On” (with Luke Combs) in BPDG.
Janelle Monáe: Expect to see The Age of Pleasure in AOTY and Progressive R&B Album; “Lipstick Lover” in R&B Performance, BMV and R&B Song, “Float” in BPDG, and potentially “Only Have Eyes 42” in Traditional R&B Performance.
Melanie Martinez: Expect to see Portals in AOTY and Alternative Music Album; “Void” in ROTY, SOTY, BMV, and Alternative Music Performance.
Burna Boy: Expect to see “Sittin On Top of the World” in ROTY, SOTY, African Music Performance — or R&B Song/Performance or Melodic Rap — and I Told Them… in AOTY and Global Music Album.
STRAY KIDS: Expect to see 5-Star in AOTY, Recording Package, and BPVA; “S-Class” in ROTY, SOTY, BMV, and BPDG.
Metro Boomin: Expect to see Heroes & Villains in AOTY and Rap Album; “Creepin’” in ROTY, SOTY, BMV, and Melodic Rap; “Superhero” in Rap Performance & Rap Song
Columbia Artists: Expect to see… Chlöe’s In Pieces in AOTY and Progressive R&B Album, with “Pray It Away” in ROTY, SOTY, BMV, R&B Song and R&B Performance, and “Body Do” in BPSP; Labrinth’s Ends & Begins in AOTY and BPVA, with “Never Felt So Alone” in ROTY, SOTY, BMV, and BPDG; Megan Moroney in Best New Artist, with Lucky in AOTY and Country Album, “Tennesee Orange” in ROTY, SOTY, Country Solo Performance, Country Song, and BMV.
Some more FYC ads:
