Billie Eilish has formed a habit in blazing a trail over the course of her early years in the music industry, and yet another unprecedented first might await at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
That’s if the ‘Bad Guy’ songstress can live up to expectations and win Record of the Year for the third year running come April 3, something no other lead artist has managed thus far in the event’s history.
To date, Robert Flack (1973-74) and U2 (2001-02) are the only acts who have managed to be handed Record of the Year in back-to-back awards ceremonies.
Eilish has received seven nominations this year and is out to build on an already growing Grammys legacy, not to mention moving clear of many peers at such an early stage in her career.
But the votes are yet to be totted up as a selection of challengers threaten to rain on Eilish’s parade, with one in particular considered by may to be the outright favourite.
Drivers License - Olivia Rodrigo
Something of a successor to Eilish in the understanding that she’s the ‘newer’ kid on the block, it’s hard to believe Olivia Rodrigo is in fact only one year younger than the former.
Former Disney actress Rodrigo has made a mountainous success out of her transition to music, and debut single ‘Drivers License has bulldozed its way to the top of the billing since its release in January 2021.
The ballad made Rodrigo the youngest-ever singer to debut atop the Billboard 100, while the song has racked up a long list of streaming records as if they were collectibles.
Happier than Ever - Billie Eilish
History awaits Eilish at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas if she can get her hands on Record of the Year once more.
It wouldn’t be a shock if the script turned out that way, either, considering just how popular the 20-year-old has become after only a few years in the industry.
‘Happier Than Ever’ possesses all the same melodic-yet-powerful tones that saw the led her to win Record of the Year with Bad Guy (2020) and Everything I wanted (2021) in recent years.
That being said, there’s enough that’s stark about this latest entry to make it still stand out from her previous works, with no other woman having won this award three times.
Leave the Door Open - Silk Sonic
What’s better than the velvet tones of Bruno Mars? The velvet tones of Bruno Mars combined with the equally talented Anderson .Paak. In other words—Silk Sonic.
And the fruit of that partnership is all too clear in Leave the Door Open, another debut single that’s wasted no time in firing its act to the front of the pile this awards season.
Separate to the aforementioned contenders, Leave the Door Open is the leading song performed by a male act that’s in the running for Record of the Year, which Mars has won twice before (2016 and 2018).
