Grammys RB nominations predictions: SZA, Victoria Monet, Usher…

With previous winners including Beyonce, princeAnd Michael Jacksonthe R&B section at the Grammys gave us a great taste of some of the best music of all time. This year the field is quite competitive, so there will likely be a few surprise dropouts due to the high density.

Muni Long“Made for Me (Live)” is the likely winner in the Best R&B Performance category. The track is arguably the biggest R&B hit of the year in terms of urban radio and streaming, similar to Muni's previous Grammy winner “Hrs and Hrs.” The original version of “Made for Me” was actually submitted last year before it really became a hit, which made her ineligible this year, so she submitted a live version. Still, all the goodwill for Long could help her get nominations in other categories, too. “Make Me Forget” was an urban AC hit, so expect it to be in the Best Traditional R&B Performance category, and Long’s album “Revenge” could easily be in the Best R&B Album category.

Another big hit this year was Tinasheis “Nasty,” which could give the singer her first or second nomination. However, it's worth noting that songs that don't do particularly well on the urban charts tend to underperform at the Grammys, and “Nasty” was only a hit on rhythmic radio. However, the song's virality could help, and the acclaim for her album Quantum Baby could also help her secure a spot in the Best Progressive R&B Album category.

Last year's winners are hoping for further nominations this year too. Pop/R&B superstar SZA is a contender for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for “Saturn,” which spent several weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at No. 5 on urban radio. Last year, SZA took home both R&B Song and Progressive R&B Album, so voters in this area may still be excited about her. The song is expected to be followed by another radio hit: Coco Jonesis “Here We Go (Uh Oh),” which peaked at number nine on R&B radio. Jones was consistently nominated last year and won best R&B performance, so voters are unlikely to ditch her anytime soon.

There are also Victoria Monetwho won best new artist and best R&B album at the recent Grammys for her acclaimed “Jaguar II.” This year she could sneak in with her rising hit “SOS (Sex On Sight).” The track may suffer from being too current, as it has only just entered the airplay charts. However, Monét could be a new field favorite after her big wins last year, which could mean voters are paying attention to her even with limited visibility. Likewise, last year's Best Traditional R&B Performance winner was the Grammy Darling PJ Mortonwho will likely be nominated again for his Urban AC hit “I Found You” and for Best R&B Song.

Several other R&B winners from previous years are also in the running. Expect Mary J. Blige to snag a nomination somewhere, perhaps for Best R&B Performance for her urban AC hit “Breathing.” Lucky Daye“That's You” is one of the biggest R&B hits of the year, so it's probably a front-runner for Best Traditional R&B Performance and could even make it into Best R&B Song. The star is also nominated for Best R&B Album for his well-received “Algorithm.”

Daye has to compete against a superstar usheralthough. He's currently generating a lot of hype thanks to his performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February. His “Coming Home” was also well-received and may be the highest-profile album on the ballot for Best R&B Album, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200. Likewise, the Grammys seem to love being nominated Chris Brownso his album “11:11” will likely be nominated, along with perhaps a nomination for his hit “Residuals” in either the Best R&B Performance or Best R&B Song category.

There are also some strong candidates for the progressive R&B album. Kehlani“Crash” has been a success for the star, including the hit “After Hours,” which went viral on TikTok and is in contention for best R&B song. There are also those Anderson Paak And Knxwledge cooperation project, NxWorrywhich will likely be a top contender to win for her well-received album “Why Lawd?” The duo could even be nominated elsewhere, perhaps for best R&B performance for “Keep Her” or best traditional R&B performance for “From Here.” Another consistent candidate is the soul band Pause Kaiyotewho are being considered for their album “Love Heart Cheat Code”.

The category also includes Childish GambinoOn whose last album under this name, “Bando Stone and the New World”, you can hear collaborators like… Ludwig Goransson, Flo MilliAnd Jorja Smith. You may also want to predict Terrace Martin And Alex Isley“I Left My Heart in Ladera,” as Martin hasn’t missed that category since nominating review committees were abolished and Isley was just nominated last year for R&B performance and song.

Another album from a former Grammy nominee is Chloeis “Trouble in Paradise.” While their debut album was rejected last year, this album might do better due to its excellent critical reception. And Black cougarswho normally compete in the rock sector, have their album “Chronicles of a Diamond” in competition here. It's unknown if R&B voters like the duo, but if they love it as much as Americana and rock voters, they should get involved.

My Final R&B Grammy Nomination Predictions:

Best R&B Performance
Mary J Blige feat. Fabulous, “Breathe”
Chris Brown, “Residuals”
Coco Jones, “Here We Go (Uh Oh)”
Muni Long, “Made for Me (Live)”
Victoria Monét and Usher, “SOS (Sex On Sight)”

Best Traditional R&B Performance
Gary Clark Jr. feat. Stevie Wonder, “What About the Children?”
Jacob Collier feat. Tori Kelly and John Legend, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
Muni Long, “Make Me Forget”
Lucky Daye, “That’s You”
PJ Morton, “I Found You”

Best R&B Song
“After Hours” (Kehlani)
“Here We Go (Uh Oh)” (Coco Jones)
“I Found You” (PJ Morton)
“Saturn” (SZA)
“That’s You” (Lucky Daye)

Best R&B Album
Chris Brown, “11:11”
Kenyon Dixon, “The R&B You Love”
Muni Long, “Revenge”
Lucky Daye, “Algorithm”
Usher, “Coming Home”

Best Progressive R&B Album
Childish Gambino, “Bando Stone and the New World”
Hiatus Kaiyote, “Love Heart Cheat Code”
Terrace Martin and Alex Isley, “I Left My Heart in Ladera”
NxSorgen: “Why Lawd?”
Tinashe, “Quantum Baby”