From Sabrina Carpenter to KATSEYE: A Culture editor’s Grammy picks

Around this same time last year, The Miami Student’s Culture Editor Stella Powers and former Culture Editor Chloe Southard shared who they would like to see win in select categories at the Grammys. So, with the 2026 Grammy Awards show being hosted on Feb. 1, I thought it would be only fitting that I, the latest assistant Culture editor, also share my opinions on the best music of 2025.

Now, I will not be going over every category because, quite frankly, I do not know enough about every genre of music, so I wouldn’t be able to give a fair shot to the nominees. With that said, I decided to award the musicians from the genres I know best.

Record of the Year

“DtMF” — Bad Bunny

“Manchild” — Sabrina Carpenter

“Anxiety” — Doechii

“WILDFLOWER” — Billie Eilish

“Abracadabra” — Lady Gaga

“luther” — Kendrick Lamar with SZA

“The Subway” — Chappell Roan

“APT.” — ROSÉ, Bruno Mars

My Pick: “Manchild” — Sabrina Carpenter

I am seriously obsessed with Sabrina Carpenter and all that she does. While Carpenter is known for her classic pop tunes, “Manchild” drew inspiration from country music, particularly the songs of living legend Dolly Parton. I loved how catchy and witty the song’s lyrics were, as well as the instrumentation in the background, making it the perfect contender for Record of the Year.

Album of the Year

“DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” — Bad Bunny

“SWAG” — Justin Bieber

“Man's Best Friend” — Sabrina Carpenter

“Let God Sort Em Out” — Clipse, Pusha T & Malice

“MAYHEM” — Lady Gaga

“GNX” — Kendrick Lamar

“MUTT” — Leon Thomas

“CHROMAKOPIA” — Tyler, The Creator

My Pick: “MAYHEM” — Lady Gaga

Now, I have been going back and forth on who should win Album of the Year. While I loved Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend,” it was not without its flaws. Personally, I think “MAYHEM” is the best choice to win. The album brings fans back to Gaga’s early work, like “Born This Way” and “The Fame,” while also showing clear growth as an artist.

Gaga has continuously been snubbed from winning Album of the Year, and “MAYHEM” would be a great way to end that streak.

Song of the Year

“Abracadabra” — Lady Gaga, Henry Walter and Andrew Watt (Lady Gaga)

“Anxiety” — Jaylah Hickmon (Doechii)

“APT.” — Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Chae Young Park, Theron Thomas and Henry Walter (ROSÉ, Bruno Mars)

“DtMF” — Marco Daniel Borrero, Scott Dittrich, Benjamin Falik, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Hugo René Sención Sanabria, Tyler Spry and Roberto José Rosado Torres (Bad Bunny)

“Golden — From ‘KPop Demon Hunters’” — EJAE, Park Hong Jun, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Mark Sonnenblick (HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI)

“luther” — Jack Antonoff, Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Matthew Bernard, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Ink, Kendrick Lamar, Solána Rowe, Mark Anthony Spears and Kamasi Washington (Kendrick Lamar with SZA)

“Manchild” — Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff and Sabrina Carpenter (Sabrina Carpenter)

“WILDFLOWER” — Billie Eilish O'Connell and Finneas O'Connell (Billie Eilish)

My Pick: “WILDFLOWER” — Billie Eilish O'Connell and Finneas O'Connell

While I’m not the biggest fan of Billie Eilish (please put down the pitchforks), “WILDFLOWER” has such beautiful lyrics, and Eilish paints a picture of internal struggle and guilt that is rarely seen in pop music. I liked that Eilish could be open and honest and break down this wall that portrays celebrities as perfect human beings, when in reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Best New Artist

Olivia Dean

KATSEYE

The Marias

Addison Rae

sombr

Leon Thomas

Alex Warren

Lola Young

My Pick: KATSEYE

Over the summer, I started seeing KATSEYE pop up on Instagram and TikTok, and I absolutely fell in love. In a world with so many solo artists, it was time for a girl group to make a comeback. While the lyrics to some of their songs might not make sense most of the time, it is so catchy and fun that you end up just not caring by the end of it.

Best Pop Solo Performance

“DAISIES” — Justin Bieber

“Manchild” — Sabrina Carpenter

“Disease” — Lady Gaga

“The Subway” — Chappell Roan

“Messy” — Lola Young

My Pick: “The Subway” — Chappell Roan

Can we just take a moment to appreciate Roan’s vocals on this song?

After winning best new artist at the 2025 Grammy Awards, Roan released “The Subway” and blew me away with her voice and her lyrics. You can feel Roan’s anguish and grief throughout the whole song, and she absolutely deserves this win.

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

“Defying Gravity” — Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

“Golden — From ‘KPop Demon Hunters’” — HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI

“Gabriela” — KATSEYE

“APT.” — ROSÉ, Bruno Mars

“30 For 30” — SZA featuring Kendrick Lamar

My Pick: “Golden — From ‘KPop Demon Hunters’” — HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI

If you haven’t watched “KPop Demon Hunters” yet, you absolutely have to. I initially didn’t watch the movie, but when my eight-year-old sister sat me down to watch it with her, I was hooked. This song has single-handedly connected people across generations, and I think it would only be fitting for this song to win.

Best Pop Vocal Album

“SWAG” — Justin Bieber

“Man's Best Friend” — Sabrina Carpenter

“Something Beautiful” — Miley Cyrus

“MAYHEM” — Lady Gaga

“I've Tried Everything But Therapy — Part 2” — Teddy Swims

My Pick: “Man's Best Friend” — Sabrina Carpenter

While I didn’t pick “Man’s Best Friend” for album of the year, I had to give it something. As I said, I love this album. It’s catchy, it’s fun and it doesn’t take itself too seriously — what more could you ask for?

Best Dance Pop Recording

“Bluest Flame” — Selena Gomez and benny blanco

“Abracadabra” — Lady Gaga

“Midnight Sun” — Zara Larsson

“Just Keep Watching (From ‘F1® The Movie’)” — Tate McRae

“Illegal” — PinkPantheress

My Pick: “Midnight Sun” — Zara Larsson

Zara Larsson is the queen of summer dance pop hits, and that is proven yet again with “Midnight Sun.”

Much like her song “Lush Life” from 2017, “Midnight Sun” invokes images of dancing on the beach in the middle of July with your best friends. Larsson is essentially the definition of dance pop, making it only fitting that she wins this category.

The 2026 Grammys will be held on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. EST. Audiences can tune in live through CBS and Paramount+. 

pedenae@miamioh.edu