The highly anticipated 62nd Annual Grammy Awards is coming up soon. On January 26 of this year, it will be decided whose songs and albums stood out among the rest.

Among the 84 categories, there are several nominees that gained massive followings,  including Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish and Lizzo. All of these artists have been nominated in more than one category and had many hits that defined 2019.

There is one group that stands out among these other artists: Bon Iver. Compared to the other artists, statistics suggest they are less popular on music streaming services. Bon Iver has 5.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify, while Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish both have over 50 million and Lizzo has 25 million. However, all of these artists were nominated for the category Record Of the Year as well as Album Of the Year.

Bon Iver’s record “Hey, Ma” is very different compared to the other nominated records. With its nostalgic and folky sound, it  may cause a few tears. Pitchfork, an online music reviewer, said that it was “rousing and explicitly sentimental” as well as “one of the best songs in the Bon Iver catalog.” Other nominated songs, “7 Rings,” “Bad Guy,” and “Truth Hurts” all possess a pop style that “Hey, Ma” seems to lack. I recommend that everyone give that song a listen as well as the other nominated songs before you see who wins the title.

Album Of The Year nominations went to “i,i,” “Norman F***ing Rockwell!,” ”When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?,” ”thank u, next,” ”I Used to Know Her,”7,” “Cuz I Love You,” and “Father of the Bride.” Once again we see some of the same artists from the previous category, but one of the stand-outs is definitely “Norman F***ing Rockwell!”

In this album, Lana Del Rey deconstructs the American dream that captures all of her past albums as America itself changes. With songs like “Happiness Is a Butterfly” and “California,” it is hard not to feel her pain and empathize with her words.

As the world continues to change, so does the music it produces and it is interesting to see the differences between them. All of the artists and groups who were nominated are very well deserving, but there are some like Lana Del Rey and Bon Iver that are unique in more ways than one.

Both sound nostalgic, and they have created their own distinctive voices that anyone recognizes immediately in their music. Only a great artist is able to accomplish this endeavor. We all enjoy different types of music, but it is important that we open our ears to everything and give other music a chance. I don’t believe that anyone just likes one genre or one singer, and the artists that are out there right now are writing the anthems of our generation.