If we could label 2023, a fitting title might be “The Year of the Dueling Tours.” Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour not only took the world by storm but may have single-handedly saved the American economy from a recession.
Beyonce received her respective flowers at last year’s Grammy Awards, where she tied the record for most career Grammy nominations (88) and broke the record for most wins (32). And she did it amongst a crowded field with big names like Harry Styles, Adele and Lizzo.
This year, Taylor Swift aims to make a bit of history for herself as well. With her nomination for song of the year, “Anti-Hero,” she is now the first person to be nominated seven times in the category. The nomination of her album “Midnights” also ties her with Barbara Streisand for most nominations by a female artist in the category. With six total nominations, the odds are very much in Swift’s favor to bring home some major hardware, especially among a much weaker field of competition.
With the 2024 Grammy Awards now within sight, let’s break down the betting odds and my picks for each category.
(odds courtesy of BetUS)
2024 Grammy Awards Betting Odds & Picks
Album of the Year
Odds
- Taylor Swift – “Midnights” (-1500)
- Lana Del Ray – “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel” (+500)
- SZA – “SOS” (+700)
- Boygenius – “The Record” (+700)
- Olivia Rodrigo – “Guts” (+800)
- Miley Cyrus – “Endless Summer Vacation” (+900)
- Jon Batiste – “World Music Radio” (+900)
That’s about as much of a lock as you can get. “Midnights” was the best-selling album of 2022, with songs like “Anti-Hero,” “Karma” and “Lavender Haze” dominating the Billboard charts. The next closest betting favorite is Lana Del Ray, who just so happens to feature on a song with Swift on the same album.
Dan’s Pick: Taylor Swift –”Midnights” (-1500)
Record of the Year
Odds
- Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” (-300)
- Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” (+250)
- SZA – “Kill Bill” (+350)
- Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For” (+650)
- Boygenius – “Not Strong Enough” (+700)
- Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire” (+900)
- Victoria Monét – “On My Mama” (+2000)
- Jon Batiste – “Worship” (+2300)
Of the main categories Taylor Swift is nominated, these are the closest odds she’s facing. As opposed to Song of the Year, which focuses more on the songwriters, Record of the Year encompasses the song’s production, so it’s a bit more of an even playing field. It’s hard to bet against “Anti-Hero,” but Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” was co-produced by Kid Harpoon, who helped Harry Styles bring home two Grammys last year for his work on “Harry’s House.”
Dan’s Pick: Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” (+250)
Song of the Year
Odds
- Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” (-600)
- Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For” (+250)
- Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” (+300)
- Jon Batiste – “Butterfly” (+500)
- SZA – “Kill Bill” (+650)
- Lana Del Rey – “A&W” (+800)
- Dua Lipa – “Dance the Night Away” (+1000)
- Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire” (+2500)
Come on, are we really going to bet against possibly the best current songwriter? Swift has written or co-written nearly every song she’s ever released. The only real challenger here is Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For,” who famously co-writes her songs with her brother. Eilish has always felt like the alternative Taylor Swift; could she pull enough votes to snake a win?
Dan’s Pick: Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” (-600)
Best New Artist
Odds
- Ice Spice (-600)
- Victoria Monét (+170)
- Fred Again (+400)
- Coco Jones (+800)
- Noah Kahan (+800)
- Gracie Abrams (+1500)
- Jelly Roll (+2000)
- The War and Treaty (+2000)
A major category without Taylor Swift? Not so fast, my friend.
Ice Spice, the odds-on favorite, collaborated on two big hits with Nicki Minaj (“Princess Diana” and “Barbie World”) as well as – you guessed it – Taylor Swift on “Karma.” She’s on a rocket ship through popularity, and it would be a shock not to see her taking home this major award on her first of most likely many Grammy Award nominations.
Dan’s Pick: Ice Spice (-600)
Best Pop Solo Performance
Odds
- Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” (+105)
- Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” (+130)
- Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire” (+300)
- Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For” (+400)
- Doja Cat – “Paint the Town Red” (+1000)
Will Miley Cyrus finally get her flowers for “Flowers”? Pause for laughter.
It’s basically a pick ’em between Cyrus and Swift, with Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo both squarely in the mix. With as much of a lock she seems to be for the major categories, voters could very easily suffer from Swift fatigue and give the nod to someone else.
Dan’s Pick: Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” (+105)
Other 2024 Grammy Awards Notes
Kelce Watch
You don’t get one without the other nowadays. The 66th Grammys are Feb. 4, the weekend of the NFL Pro Bowl. We don’t know yet if Travis Kelce and the Chiefs will be preparing for a potential Super Bowl LVIII matchup. However, Los Angeles is only a hop, skip and a jump from Las Vegas, the home of this year’s game.
Host With the Most
Trevor Noah will be hosting his fourth consecutive Grammy Award ceremony, but even if he wasn’t, he’d still be invited. Noah is nominated for best comedy album, “I Wish You Would.” He’s only the fifth host to also be nominated that same year. If he wins, he’ll join Kenny Rogers as the only other host to win a Grammy during the show they hosted. Rogers won in 1980 for Best Country Vocal Performance (“The Gambler”).
Start ‘Em Young
What were you doing when you were two? My two-year-old is really big into “Twinkle Twinkly Little Star” currently.
Victoria Monét, nominated for seven Grammys, including Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Hollywood,” has a different situation. Her daughter Hazel is credited as a featured artist on the song and, in doing so, becomes the youngest-ever Grammy nominee by nearly five years.
Thanks for reading my 2024 Grammy Awards Betting Odds & Picks! If you’re interested in more entertainment and sports takes, follow me on Twitter @DKalltheway.
*Photo Credit: Sam Greene/The Enquirer – USA TODAY Sports*