The Grammy Awards ceremony is this Sunday, and there are five hopefuls in the Best New Artist category. Kasey Musgraves, Ed Sheeran, James Blake, Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are all nominated.
Los Angeles Times pop music writer Mikael Wood thinks Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will win handily.
“He’s virtually a lock, he upholds a lot of traditional Grammy values and I think he’s a safe choice as a rapper,” Wood tells Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson. But he wishes they wouldn’t. “The guy for me is so sanctimonious the way he comes on in [Thrift Shop].”
Wood would prefer to see Kendrick Lamar or Kasey Musgraves win. Despite their very different styles of music, he feels they both have a fresh take on a classic genre.
Guest
- Mikael Wood, covers pop music for the Los Angeles Times. He tweets @mikaelwood.
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