Why the Grammy race for Best Music Video may be an improvement over the last 2 years

One of the best developments of this Grammy cycle is that the nomination review committee will be reinstated for the Best Music Video category. The past couple of years have been detrimental to the once-very-exciting category, with nominations just going to the biggest names of the year despite their videos being rather bland. The category used to be the place for amazing visual work to shine through. Nominations for Woodkid’s “Goliath,” FKA Twigs’s “Cellophane” and Jamie xx’s “Gosh” were unlikely to happen without a panel of experts in the music video craft to review and refine the lineup of contenders. But the past is in the past, and the panel’s back in action this year. So let’s take a look at this year’s batch of potential nominees.

With a panel, you can expect a blend of popular acts and lesser known artists. The biggest artist of the year is Taylor Swift, and there’s evidence to suggest she will be nominated for her “Anti-Hero” video. It swept at the VMAs, taking six awards including Video of the Year, Best Cinematography and the coveted Best Direction. That last one is especially significant: 11 out of the last 13 winners there went on to be nominated for the Grammy, with the exceptions being Beastie Boys’ “Make Some Noise” and Swift’s own “The Man.” Out of those 11 nominees, seven went on to win the Grammy.

There is, though, the chance of an intentional Swift snub. After all, she just won last year for “All Too Well” and has another BMV trophy for “Bad Blood” as well. Perhaps the panel will exclude her from the final list in order to give another artist the chance to win. That could be especially true as, in recent years, BMV has been a place to award general field contenders who end up losing those top races: consider Lil Nas X (“Old Town Road”), Kendrick Lamar (“Humble”), Beyoncé (“Formation” and “Brown Skin Girl”), and even Swift last year.

That’s why SZA’s “Kill Bill” might be a smart bet. If voters feel like the song might end up losing in the general field, this could be a place to reward it instead. And the video is deserving, an epic action-packed adventure. It also got a lot of VMA love, getting noms for Video of the Year and Best Direction. Of course, SZA could win in the general field and still take this award too, like when Jon Batiste won Album of the Year for “We Are” and BMV for “Freedom.” But perhaps the most likely “consolation” contender would be Doja Cat. But her win would be highly celebrated, no matter what video she contends with. She is one of the few mainstream artists this year to deliver high-end visuals, from her terrifying “Demons,” to the flashy “Attention,” to the artsy “Paint the Town Red.”

Some lauded music videos are also in the running. Troye Sivan’s “Rush” is a likely contender, featuring amazing cinematography, art direction and choreography — just a masterclass in visuals. The video is also a celebration of queerness, adding an extra layer of importance to it. Likewise, I have to mention Jungle’s “Back on 74,” the viral video from the electronic music group, which has been praised for its choreography and set design, as well as for being shot in just one take. Tyler Childers’s “In Your Love” was also a viral video this year due to how much it feels like a queer short film. The video touches on both homophobia and black lung disease and helped Childers earn his first major hit single.

Then there’s Melanie Martinez, an artist known for her visuals. Her likely submission is the VMA-nominated “Void,” which is a visual effects extravaganza like FKA Twigs’s “Cellophane” and Lil Nas X’s “Montero,” both Grammy-nominated. Last year’s Best New Artist nominee Omar Apollo could also be in the running, delivering one of the most visually stunning videos of the year with “Ice Slippin’,” which has great editing and is also incredibly moving.

Another indie artist in the mix is the alt-pop group Half Alive. The band is known for their highly creative visuals, and perhaps a panel could help “Did I Make It Up To You” or “Subliminal” become their first nomination; it would be reminiscent of bids for artists like the aforementioned Woodkid or OK Go, who are visual acts as much as recording artists. Last but not least, Lana Del Rey’s visually striking “Candy Necklace” featuring Jon Batiste would be a great nomination for both artists. Batiste has history in the category, as mentioned above. As for Del Rey, it would be her first nom in this race.

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify record executives and music stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where thousands of showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?