Grammy Voter #4's Blind Ballot: Cultural Reach

This voter, who identifies most closely with pop, R&B, and rap, frames their ballot around moments where music transcended expectation and scale. As they put it, certain works reminded them that “you never know what’s going to become a hit,” especially when a song or album connects across generations and cultures rather than through formula alone.

Album of the Year

Voted: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS — Bad Bunny

In the Album of the Year race, the voter argues that Bad Bunny’s dominance extended well beyond streaming numbers. They say he “deserves his accolades,” pointing to the album’s commercial success and its tangible impact: “He brought millions of dollars of revenue to Puerto Rico this past summer.”

They also emphasize the campaign and execution behind the project, calling the rollout “excellent” and describing the music itself as “powerful and culturally exciting.” For this voter, Bad Bunny’s stature as “the most streamed artist in all of the world” reinforced—not replaced—the album’s case.

Record of the Year: APT. — Rosé & Bruno Mars Song of the Year: Golden — Huntrix: Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami

The voter’s enthusiasm is strongest when discussing Golden and the broader K-Pop Demon Hunters phenomenon, which they believe “deserve every nomination and award.” What stood out was not just popularity, but ubiquity: “Every adult and child knows the words to Golden,” they say, describing it as something that “became a hit sensation.”

They stress that the song’s appeal wasn’t simplistic, noting that it is “not only a very vocally challenging song,” but also “catchy,” spent “weeks on top of the charts,” and ultimately felt “multi-generational.” In their view, this kind of widespread resonance is rare—“you don’t see this too often.”

Best New Artist: Leon Thomas

Best Pop Vocal Album: Swag — Justin Bieber

Best Pop Solo Performance: Messy — Lola Young

In the pop field, the voter singles out Lola Young as a standout example of audience-driven success. They say she “took the world by storm,” praising Messy as “witty, truthful, and downright gritty.”

What resonated most was that the song resisted convention: “It’s not the bubblegum pop we are used to getting,” they explain, yet “it still went viral and the fans decided it was a hit.” Summing up her year succinctly, the voter adds, “Lola has had quite the year.”

Stay tuned for more in our Grammy's blind ballots series.