Grammy voting is underway, so we’ve been intensively studying the submissions over the last few days. While Grammy experts do our best to predict what artists and labels will submit, we experience some surprises every year, and the 2025 Grammys are no different.

“Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter in song of the year

Carpenter’s team had the difficult task of figuring out how and where to submit her many major hits. It seemed likely that the starlet would go all out and totally deliver on “Espresso,” arguably the most well-known of her hits. However, Carpenter’s “Please Please Please”, her first number one hit, was voted song of the year. It’s likely that she’ll be locked in for a nomination there regardless of her submission, so it’s nice to see that the more storytelling-focused “Please” will be the one that potentially secures Sabrina her first nomination for Song of the Year. Being nominated for Song of the Year four times also helps Jack Antonoff Included as co-author.

No Zach Bryan

Country superstar Zach Bryan has decided not to apply for this year’s Grammys. The reason? Variety reported that the star “doesn’t feel comfortable with awards shows making music competitive.” Bryan’s bad luck with awards in general probably didn’t help. He was regularly rejected in top categories at shows like the CMAs and ACMs and received no nominations in the big four Grammys races, despite Bryan’s critical and commercial success. He was also expected to win more Grammys than at the last event, as he surprisingly lost to singer-songwriter for best country album Lainey Wilson (although he won Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “I Remember Everything.” Kacey Musgraves). Bryan was also pretty distant overall and didn’t promote his songs to country or pop radio, so this move shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.

Beyoncé is diverse

It seemed like a strong possibility Beyonce2011’s “Cowboy Carter” would be considered in a few different genres, but we knew she was probably going primarily for country. So it was a pleasant surprise to see how diverse “Cowboy Carter” is. While “Texas Hold ‘Em” is the entry in the Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Country Song categories, fan favorite “16 Carriages” was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance, and the single “II Most Wanted” won an award Miley Cyrus is nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Beyoncé is also featured in the Americana categories, with “YA YA” a contender for Best Americana Performance. Elsewhere, she’s nominated for best R&B song (“Tyrant”) and best melodic rap performance (“Spaghettii”). Oddly enough, she’s not also nominated for Best R&B Performance for “Tyrant,” so maybe “Levii’s Jeans” is in the mix Post Malone was originally submitted there, but was moved to the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category by the Genre Screening Committee. Last but not least, the viral “Bodyguard” is nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance.

Dua Lipa is missing out on the Best Dance-Pop Recording award.

When you think of dance and electro-pop artists today, you’re a British star Dua Lipa is one of the first artists that comes to mind. That’s why it’s a shock that it’s not nominated for best dance-pop recording. If she were, she could have been nominated and possibly won for “Illusion” or perhaps “Houdini,” the biggest hit from her new album. Instead, “Houdini” was included in the “Best Pop Solo Performance” category. Lipa may have tried to submit “Houdini” for best dance-pop recording, but the song was passed on to Pop Solo by the genre committee.

Raye in the “Best Jazz Performance” category.

British singer-songwriter Raye has performed at prestigious festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival and received rave reviews. But I would have thought her epic “Genesis” would compete in the Best Pop Solo Performance or Best R&B Performance category, where her previous work has been submitted. Instead, Raye was included in the Best Jazz Performance category. Not only is this a great strategic placement for the song, but it also shows the Recording Academy’s commitment to honoring genre-bending or genre-expanding songs like “Genesis” that push the boundaries of what jazz can be. Nomination or not, the submission is a great look for the genre.

“Von Dutch” is Charli XCX’s dance-pop offering

Charli XCX“Brat” was one of the most important eras in music this year, especially in the dance world. So it seemed likely that “360,” the album’s biggest hit, would be her golden ticket to Record and Song of the Year nominations, as well as a dance-pop recording win. Although “360” was submitted in the general section, it is not entered into any genre category. Instead, lead single “Von Dutch” is their contribution to dance pop. The track is definitely a fan favorite, but its relatively limited commercial success compared to “360,” “Apple,” and “Guess” makes it a surprising entry. “360” probably would have been a chance to win the category, but “Von Dutch” might have a harder time fending off Charli’s tourmates Troye Sivanis “Got Me Started” Billie Eilish‘s remix of “L’Amour de Ma Vie” and Ariana GrandeNumber one hit “Yes, And?”