The world’s biggest music awards — the Grammys 2023 — will be held on February 6. Presented by the Recording Academy of the United States, the annual awards have multiple categories to honour outstanding musical talent across genre, style, and substance. One of the two biggest awards of the evening is the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
Presented annually since the 1st Annual Grammy Awards in 1959, the award recognises the musical, lyrical and production talent behind the biggest albums of the year.
Here are this year’s nominees.
Voyage – ABBA
The first major studio album with new material from the Swedish pop group in nearly 40 years, Voyage is the ninth and final album from the group. The album was released in 2021 nearly five years after the group reunited for their final group performance.
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The album immediately topped the charts in over 15 countries and netted ABBA their first Grammy nominations. The 10-track album features hits like I still have faith in you, which has nearly 40 million streams on Spotify and Don’t shut me down, which has over 61 million streams on Spotify. Despite being a 2021 release, Voyage shies away from modern musical beats or tones and delivers an album that’s quintessentially ABBA.
30 – Adele
30 is Adele’s fourth studio album and the album immediately topped the charts in over 30 countries, including the UK. With 30, Adele has had four consecutive albums debut on top of the British music charts. Expanding her musical repository to include inspiration from dance-pop and soul music, critics hailed 30 as Adele’s most diverse work musically.
The lead single from the 12-track album, Easy on me is a simple yet deep ballad, while the second single Oh my god delves heavily into dance-pop themes, and the album’s third single, I drink wine, once more switches back to the ballad style belter with some soul music inspiration. The three singles together count for over 1.7 billion streams on Spotify.
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Un verano sin ti – Bad Bunny
Un verano sin ti (A Summer Without You) is the fifth album from Puerto Rican singer-rapper Bad Bunny. The album became the first Spanish album to receive a nod from the Grammys for the Album of the Year award. Un verano sin ti made its US debut at the top of the Billboard 200, making it the second Spanish album and Bad Bunny’s second album to achieve the feat. Featuring Bad Bunny’s consistent indie pop and modern reggae styles fused with plenty of pop and dance music, the album’s most streamed songs are Callaita, Me porto bonito, and Ojitos lindos, which count for over 3.1 billion streams on Spotify.
Renaissance – Beyonce
Beyonce’s much-awaited seventh studio album Renaissance was released in June 2022 and hit number one in over 60 countries within hours of release and was her seventh album to debut at the top of US Billboard 200. The album has been praised for its vibrant mood and Beyonce’s performance.
The album has also been praised for mixing several different musical styles and tones. The lead single Break my soul is a heady mix of dance house and R&B and has 272 million streams on Spotify. The album’s second song Cuff it is a groovy anthem full of disco tunes that began to trend on social media a few months after the release of Renaissance. Cuff it has 338 million streams on Spotify. The third most streamed song on the album on Spotify is Alien superstar, with 114 million and is another dance pop track.
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Good Morning Gorgeous – Mary J. Blige
Good Morning Gorgeous is the 14th studio album from Mary J. Blige and received six nominations at the 65th Grammy, including Album of the Year and Best R&B Album. The album puts Mary’s powerful vocals in front of mostly hopeful-sounding music. The album also features Anderson .Paak, Dave East, DJ Khaled, Fivio Foreign, and Usher. Good morning gorgeous and Amazing, featuring DJ Khaled, and Rent money, featuring Dave East, have over 23 million streams together.
In These Silent Days – Brandi Carlile
In These Silent Days is Brandi Carlile’s seventh studio album. The album received three nominations at the 64th Grammy and another seven at the 65th Grammy. Nominations include Album of the Year and Best Americana Album. With spectacular blues and Americana vibes shining through, the album’s lead track Right on time has received 13 million streams. The second track on the album, You and me on the rock has more of a country tune to it and has over 15 million streams on Spotify. This time tomorrow is the third track on the album and sees Brandi delve into folk production and has over nine million streams.
Music of the Spheres – Coldplay
The second space-themed album from British pop rock group Coldplay, Music of the Spheres, is the ninth studio album from the band. The group switches away from the alt rock themes of its previous album to borrow more heavily from pop elements. The album’s lead single Higher power is a banger pop rock track that is reminiscent of many of Coldplay’s older hits. The song has 250 million streams on Spotify.
The album’s second single My universe features the South Korean pop group BTS and also has familiar electronic rock tunes that Coldplay is known for.
The upbeat song has over 875 million streams on Spotify. The third official single from the album Let somebody go is a much more mellow song and features Selena Gomez. Almost a soft rock ballad, the song has over 165 million streams.
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Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers – Kendrick Lamar
The Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is the fifth studio album from Kendrick Lamar and is a three-disk conceptual album. Featuring narrations, voiceovers, eclectic musical production, exploratory lyrics and political themes, the album has been highly praised. The album’s first single N95 is a cynical political critique of modern American society. Silent hill is the second single from the album and is a more melodic rap straying from Kendrick’s crisper and lyrical raps. Silent hill features Kodak Black and has 99 million streams. Die hard is the third and final single from the album and uses a pop background and chorus while Kendrick raps about his issues in a relationship. The song has over 180 million streams.
Special – Lizzo
The fourth studio album from singer and rapper Lizzo, Special is a pop, rap and dance album all mixed into one. The album peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200. The album’s lead single About damn time reached the top of Billboard Hot 100 in the US.
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The vibrant and uplifting discoesque number has over 562 million streams. The second single from the album 2 be loved (am i ready), with 137 million streams, is a funky electronic pop song and the third official single Special, with 15 million streams, is a synth rap where Lizzo talks about self-love.
Harry's House – Harry Styles
Harry’s House is the third solo album from Harry Styles. The album made its debut at the top of the US Billboard 200. With pop rock, synth-pop and R&B styles, the album was met with critical acclaim.
The lead single of the album, As it was, was one of the most successful songs of 2022 with 1.8 billion streams alone. The album’s second track and second single, Late night talking, sees Harry shift into R&B-inspired dulcet tunes, which netted the song 529 million streams. The third single, Music for a sushi restaurant has over 248 million streams on Spotify.
