The 2027 Grammys Contenders for Song of the Year Should Be Predominantly Women
The 2027 Grammy Song of the Year race looks unusually open, with no clear consensus favourite. Industry figures expect a younger field led by women, though the category’s unpredictable history makes any forecast uncertain.
Predicted contenders include Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need”, Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas”, Raye’s “Where Is My Husband!”, Olivia Rodrigo’s “The Cure” and Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia”, alongside songs by Brandi Carlile, Bruno Mars and Don Toliver. Langley’s hit could end a 15-year wait for a country song to win either Song or Record of the Year; dark horse possibilities include Don Toliver and Bruce Springsteen.
- The Song of the Year field is wide open.
- Young women are expected to dominate nominations.
- Ella Langley could end country music’s 15-year drought.
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The Grammys are the US music industry’s annual awards, and Song of the Year is one of their top honours. It recognises the songwriters for a single song, rather than the performers or the whole album.
The award can go to songs from any musical style, so pop, country and other genres compete in the same category. Voters choose from a shortlist, and the result can be hard to predict because there is no fixed formula for what makes a winning song.
A win can bring wider attention to a song and its writers. Country music has had a long wait for a winner in this category or Record of the Year, which honours a recording’s performers and production as well as the song.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A field led by women could better reflect the range and prominence of women’s songwriting in this year’s biggest songs, while giving overdue recognition to artists such as Olivia Dean, Raye and Ella Langley. With no clear favourite and a history of unpredictable outcomes, voters need not default to familiar names; a predominantly female shortlist would be a reasonable recognition of the contenders’ merits.
The case against
Song of the Year should recognise the strongest songwriting across the field, rather than aim for a particular gender balance. Artists such as Bruno Mars, Don Toliver and Bruce Springsteen may have compelling songs too, and excluding or overlooking them to make the shortlist predominantly female could seem to put representation ahead of the award’s musical judgement.