Olivia Rodrigo, Olivia Dean, Taylor Swift, and Ella Langley could all have strong showings in this Big Four category
Leading up to the Grammy nominations on Nov. 16, Rolling Stone is breaking down 11 different categories. For each, we’re predicting the nominees, as well as who will (and who should) win on Grammy night.
If there’s one through line for the likely 2027 Song of the Year nominees, it’s that it’s a wide-open field. “There isn’t something like a ‘Not Like Us,’ the song that everyone is anointing as the great song,” says Tony Gervino, editor in chief of Tidal, citing 2025’s big winner by Kendrick Lamar.
That lack of a consensus pick makes for an anyone’s-possible nomination process. “This is one of the most exciting batches of artists we’ve had in a while for these categories,” says Tiana Lewis, head of pop programming at Apple.
Both Gervino and Lewis do expect Song of the Year nominees to trend much younger this year. But don’t forget that this is a Big Four category prone to the utterly unpredictable (see Bonnie Raitt’s 2022 win). “It’s the Grammys,” says Gervino. “Predicting can be hazardous.”
Song of the Year – Our Predictions
Brandi Carlile, “Returning to Myself”
Olivia Dean, “Man I Need”
Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
Bruno Mars, “I Just Might”
Raye, “Where Is My Husband!”
Olivia Rodrigo, “The Cure”
Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”
Don Toliver, “E85”
Who Will Win?
Olivia Dean, “Man I Need”
It’s hard not to bet on a song this big by an artist this traditionally Grammy-friendly. For one, Dean’s song has been ubiquitous for the better part of two years. “It feels inevitable,” says Gervino. He’s not alone in that assertion. “She’s a historically Grammy style artist, like H.E.R., Adele, and Alicia Keys,” Lewis says. “It’s always one of two ways with those types of artists: either you win everything or you go home empty-handed.” The former seems more likely.
Who Should Win?
Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
It’s been 15 years since the Grammys awarded a country song either Record or Song of the year (Lady A’s “Need You Now” won both!). A win for Langley — inarguably the most popular song of the year and, by some metrics, the biggest song of all time — would be a win not only for her but a nod to some of Nashville’s finest contemporary songwriters, Miranda Lambert and Luke Dick among them. That Langley’s song has resonated to this extent without hardly any remixes or chart-boosting gimmicks makes the classic-meets-contemporary song all the more impressive. “We shouldn’t be ignoring Ella Langley,” Lewis says. “It’s been so exciting to see her hold it down on her own. This is Ella’s year, or even decade.”
Editor’s picks
Forecasting the Field
The typical Grammy heavyweights (Taylor, Harry, and Bruno) all released work over the past year, so expect them to be nominated in at least the Record or Song of the Year categories. But this wasn’t the old guard’s year: “They’ve set the bar high for themselves and everything they released is measured against their best work,” Gervino says of Swift and Mars, in particular. “They’ve already had so much success.”
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Instead, look for the new guard of women to make a serious run at this category, whether that’s Langley, Raye, or either of the Olivias — Rodrigo has particular momentum with “The Cure.” “These songs really don’t have much in common aside from they’re majority by young women,” says Lewis.
Lewis’ dark horse pick is Don Toliver, whom she says could fill the type of slot that Clipse did last year when they shocked everyone with four nominations. Another perennial underdog is four-time Song of the Year nominee Brandi Carlile, even if “Returning to Myself” didn’t have the same type of commercial impact of most contenders in this category. Could Bruce Springsteen’s still-timely “Streets of Minneapolis” also secure a dark horse nomination? Don’t count out the unpredictable.