If I Was the Only One Who Voted for the Grammys, Vol. 6

Image from Rolling Stones

“I’m the perfect mix of Saturday night and the rest of your life.”

It is once again time to celebrate the best from the year in music. The Grammys have always been sort of a nebulous ceremony, for me. I completely reject the idea that the Oscars are the definitive arbiter of quality in film over the years. But the Grammys are even further from that than the Oscars are. And in years like this, when the defining pop and musical anthems of the year are much more ambiguous than they were in 2024, it becomes even more sectioned off into the tastes of the individuals in the mix. At least, for our purposes, these are my preferences. Lots of great work from, admittedly, seldom artists. But when they hit, they hit. And when they break through, they certainly broke through. For the sixth year in a row, here are my recognitions for the past twelve months in music!

Album of the Year

Image from The Hollywood Reporter

The Art of Loving — Olivia Dean Dreamsicle — Maren Morris The Life of a Showgirl — Taylor Swift Man’s Best Friend — Sabrina Carpenter A Matter of Time — Laufey Mayhem — Lady Gaga Virgin — Lorde Wishbone — Conan Gray

To start off, as always, I briefly recap what it looked like when I ranked my top ten albums of the year. After all, the top seven of those would make sense as the ones nominated, no? This year, as it was last year, the category is comprised of mostly women. Women just kinda own music now, you know? But the winner remains Sabrina Carpenter, who (in my opinion) improved on Short ‘n Sweet with her latest record, Man’s Best Friend.

Previous Winners: Folklore by Taylor Swift, Sour by Olivia Rodrigo, Midnights by Taylor Swift, Stick Season by Noah Kahan, Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé

Soundtrack of the Year

Image from Gold Derby

Étoile Sinners The Summer I Turned Pretty A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Wicked: For Good

This was a pretty thin category this year. Not a lot of musical films out there in 2025, and even the most major among them (Wicked: For Good) is not a “great” movie by any stretch. Ultimately, though, you can’t be upset with the winner here. Sinners won Best Picture at my own version for the Oscars, and here it is now crawling halfway to an EGOT. Ludwig Göransson was absolutely cooking on the score, but the original songs embedded into the Ryan Coogler-directed, Michael B. Jordan-led horror epic also helped bring out a ton of the most remarkable musicality at the multiplexes last year.

Previous Winners: *Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Elvis, [Barbie the Album](https://medium.com/saoirse-ronan-deserves-an-oscar/every-movie-performance-that-brought-us-closer-to-the-glory-of-ken-in-barbie-394851ce1bfa), Wicked*

Music Video of the Year

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“Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga “The Fate of Ophelia” by Taylor Swift “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter “Tears” by Sabrina Carpenter

The Life of a Showgirl was not necessarily my favorite album from Taylor Swift’s oeuvre (it probably ranks near the bottom, if we’re being honest), but her music video game remains as unimpeachable as ever. Every time she dabbles for another visual story through music, she makes me more excited for what her directorial feature at Searchlight will be like. In this music video, not only did she set off a viral dance trend, but she also maintained her streak of engaging and enriching visual imagery paired with a clear stylistic identity. It’s not the best song of this bunch, but it is certainly the source of the best video.

Previous Winners: “Savior Complex” by Phoebe Bridgers, “I Still Have Faith in You” by ABBA, “As It Was” by Harry Styles, “I Can See You” by Taylor Swift, “All My Love” by Coldplay

The Paul McCartney Award for Lifetime Achievement in Music

Image from Far Out

Stevie Nicks

In 2025, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham reunited to deliver some remastered tracks from their collaborative heyday. Granted, Fleetwood Mac will never be whole again, but moments and monuments like this are able to help them feel more invigorated and relevant than they would be otherwise. And while I do appreciate all that Lindsey Buckingham does musically, it would feel uncouth to induct him alongside Nicks without also collecting the other members of Fleetwood Mac. But as you can see below, I did induct Paul McCartney without the rest of the Beatles and Brian Wilson without the other Beach Boys. So, I think it makes sense to commemorate the amazing frontman work that Stevie Nicks has provided to Fleetwood Mac while also serving as a woman who heralded a sensational solo career, as well. Obviously, she was directly involved in the creation of one of the greatest albums ever made, Rumours. But she has also been instrumental on such records as Tusk, Mirage, and Bella Donna. Not to mention, she is one of the most successful touring artists in history and is still performing sold out shows to this day! It’s a no brainer. Stevie Nicks is a music legend, and this year makes for an exceptionally unique occasion to commemorate her.

In my All-Time Grammys, Stevie Nicks was nominated in 1975 for Fleetwood Mac, in 1977 for Rumours, in 1982 for Mirage, in 1987 for Tango in the Night, and in 1990 for Behind the Mask. She won in 1977 for Rumours.

Previous Winners: Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Elton John, Jimmy Buffett, Billy Joel

Best New Artist

Image from Billboard

Maddox Batson Lucy Daucus Olivia Dean Audrey Hobert Tate McRae

Look, Maddox Batson seems like a nice kid. And I know he is majorly popular with the youth. He even showed up in that pretty bad Nate Bargatze movie that just came out. But sometimes, you just gotta stretch it to five, you know? Regardless, the runaway winner here is Olivia Dean who has earned her spot among the presitgious group of previous winners in this category — all of whom have become regular and integral in my rotation. Olivia Dean’s output in 2025 has been comprised of some of the most delightful bops I’ve heard in my life. Consider her an undeniable one to watch going forward.

Previous Winners: Phoebe Bridgers, Olivia Rodrigo, Mitski, Noah Kahan, Chappell Roan

Producer of the Year

Image from Billboard

Amy Allen Jack Antonoff Max Martin Zach Nahome Dan Nigro

After circling this category for several years now, it can wait no longer. Dan Nigro is your winner, and he has likely never been more deserving than he is this year (though, we know his output has been pretty stellar thus far). This year, Dan Nigro cemented himself as an A-list producer, as he had a hand in Chappell Roan’s 2026 single release, “The Subway,” Conan Gray’s Wishbone, Lorde’s Virgin, and Reneé Rapp’s That’s So Funny. That’s an incredible slate to boast for anyone, let alone a major producer in every single one of them. And in 2026, he already has Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams lined up. Dan Nigro is perhaps authorial for these 2020s!

Previous Winners: Aaron Dessner, Jack Antonoff, Jack Antonoff, Mark Ronson, Ian Fitchuk

Group of the Year

Image from JonasBrothers.com

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Fleetwood Mac Japanese Breakfast Jonas Brothers The Wiggles

Yeah, another category that was a little thin this year. But we do love The Wiggles, don’t we? They’re pretty great and charming. And I think Greg Page (the yellow one) is on the stage now. So, shoutout to The Wiggles. The winner, nearly by default here, is the Jonas Brothers. Not only did they have a new album, but they also released new music for their original Christmas movie on Disney Plooos. That’s as good a time as any to honor them and all of their contributions to my generation over the years. In a period when most new music was released by solo artists, it was nice to see Nick, Kevin, and Joe still kicking it together.

Previous Winners: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, ABBA, Red Hot Chili Peppers, AJR, Coldplay

Artist of the Year

Image from Vogue

Sabrina Carpenter Olivia Dean Conan Gray Laufey Lorde

This was a tough one! It was hard to determine just who should nab the top spot for the most prestigious individual category. Olivia Dean had a Noah Kahan-esque year in which she seemed capable of winning New Artist and Artist in the same year (Fred Lynn, anyone?). Conan Gray and Laufey both made the leap up to the next tier of favorite musicians, for me. Lorde had a triumphant return to the music landscape. But how can anyone deny Sabrina Carpenter as the captain of music in 2025? I mean, the woman opened the 50th anniversary special of *Saturday Night Live* with Paul Simon! It’s at her fingertips here!

Previous Winners: Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Harry Styles, Noah Kahan, Beyoncé

Record of the Year

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“Castle in Hollywood” by Laufey, Aaron Dessner, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, & Spencer Stewart “Elizabeth Taylor” by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, & Shellback “How Bad Do U Want Me” by Lady Gaga, Andrew Watt, & Cirkut “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean & Zach Nahome “Opalite” by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, & Shellback “Snow White” by Laufey, Aaron Dessner, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, & Spencer Stewart “So Easy” by Olivia Dean, Zach Nahome, Amy Allen, Julian Bunetta, & Max Wolfgang “The Subway” by Chappell Roan & Dan Nigro “Vodka Cranberry” by Conan Gray & Dan Nigro “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” by Sabrina Carpenter & Jack Antonoff

One of the great things about a “down” year in the landscape of music is that a lot of the truly great music that comes out really gets a chance to shine. Look at this list, for example. Such an eclectic group of songs that all achieve various goals gloriously. Many artists are also represented multiple times! And yet, even though he has not won any category leading up to this, I simply have to give it up to the work that Conan Gray did on “Vodka Cranberry.” He’s always been a solid singer, but Wishbone undoubtedly elevated him into another echelon, in my opinion. “Vodka Cranberry” instantly became my favorite song in his catalog and one of the best songs I heard in the entire year.

Previous Winners: “‘Tis the Damn Season” by Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner, “Don’t Shut Me Down” by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, “Maroon” by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff, “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan and Gabe Simon, “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell

Song of the Year

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“House Tour” by Sabrina Carpenter, Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff, & John Ryan “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean, Tobias Jesso Jr., & Zach Nahome “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter, Amy Allen, & Jack Antonoff “Ruin the Friendship” by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, & Shellback “So Easy” by Olivia Dean, Amy Allen, & Max Wolfgang “Snow White” by Laufey “The Subway” by Chappell Roan & Dan Nigro “Tennis” by Lily Allen & Chloe Angelides “Vodka Cranberry” by Conan Gray & Dan Nigro “What Was That” by Lorde, Jim-E Stack, & Dan Nigro

“Man I Need” is going to be in serious contention for one of my Songs of the Decade. I can’t stop listening to it! It is such an infectious earworm of joy and love. It’s a song you can find yourself cherishing someone while you’re listening to it, just as much as you’ll be likely to bop around to its old school rhythms and light touch. I am so eager to see where Olivia Dean goes next because anyone who bursts onto the scene with a song like this is going to have a very special career. Seriously, if you’re ever in a bad mood, just turn to the tunes from Olivia Dean’s very special and promising year in music this past 2025. It’ll turn you right around.

Previous Winners: “August” by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff, “Mr. Perfectly Fine” by Taylor Swift, “As It Was” by Harry Styles, Kid Harpoon, and Tyler Johnson, “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan, “I Hate It Here” by Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner

This certainly represents my taste in modern music, but I am always curious to learn about yours, too!

Most Individual Nominations

Olivia Dean (8)

Sabrina Carpenter (7)

Dan Nigro (6)

Amy Allen, Laufey, Taylor Swift (5)

Jack Antonoff, Conan Gray, Max Martin, Zach Nahome (4)

Lady Gaga, Lorde, Shellback (3)

Aaron Dessner, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Chappell Roan, Spencer Stewart, Max Wolfgang (2)

Lily Allen, Chloe Angelides, Maddox Batson, Julian Bunetta, Cirkut, Lucy Daucus, Audrey Hobert, Japanese Breakfast, Tobias Jesso Jr., Jonas Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, Tate McRae, Maren Morris, John Ryan, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Jim-E Stack, Andrew Watt, The Wiggles (1)

Most Album Nominations

The Art of Loving, Man’s Best Friend (6)

The Life of a Showgirl (5)

A Matter of Time (4)

Mayhem, Wishbone (3)

Virgin (2)

Dreamsicle, Étoile, Sinners, The Summer I Turned Pretty, A Very Jonas Christmas Movie, West End Girl, Wicked: For Good (1)

Most Individual Wins

Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Dean, Dan Nigro (2)

Conan Gray, Tobias Jesso Jr., Jonas Brothers, Zach Nahome, Taylor Swift (1)

Most Album Wins

The Art of Loving, The Life of a Showgirl, Man’s Best Friend, Sinners, Wishbone (1)

See also:

If I Was the Only One Who Voted for the Grammys If I Was the Only One Who Voted for the Grammys, Vol. 2 If I Was the Only One Who Voted for the Grammys, Vol. 3 If I Was the Only One Who Voted for the Grammys, Vol. 4 If I Was the Only One Who Voted for the Grammys, Vol. 5