Grammy watch: Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco team up, Stray Kids ‘Dominate,’ and more of this week’s top new releases
New music drops every Friday. Here are some of the noteworthy awards contenders that debuted on or around March 21, 2025.
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, I Said I Love You First
Real-life lovebirds Gomez and Blanco have joined forces on their first collaborative album, though the initial reviews are somewhat mixed. Martina Rebecca Inchingolo (Associated Press) writes that the artists "avoid cliché" on an "amusing pop album." And Robin Murray (Clash) calls it "a moving document of a relationship." But Alexis Petridis (The Guardian) thinks the music is "strangely anonymous for such a personal project." Still, the romantic narrative behind the couple's literal labor of love is compelling, and though Gomez has a limited Grammy track record — just one nom as a lead artist, Best Latin Pop Album for Revelación — Blanco has been a perennial nominee. As a producer, he has earned Album of the Year bids for Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, Ed Sheeran's X, Justin Bieber's Purpose and Justice, and Lizzo's Special. Keep an eye out for them in pop categories, or more if the album over-performs commercially.
Jack Harlow feat. Doja Cat, "Just Us"
"Just Us," accompanied by a star-studded music video (watch above) is the second new single from Harlow this year, but he hasn't had a major hit since 2023's "Lovin on Me," which topped the Billboard Hot 100. Perhaps teaming up with Doja will help raise his profile back to previous levels. As for Grammys, Harlow is well liked in rap categories, though he hasn't won any awards from the Recording Academy yet. In 2021 he was nominated for Best Rap Performance for his breakthrough hit "Whats Poppin." Then he earned Best Melodic Rap Performance noms in 2022 and 2023 for "Industry Baby" (with Lil Nas X) and "First Class," respectively. And in 2023 he was up for Best Rap Album for Come Home the Kids Miss You despite mixed reviews. The Grammys like Doja even more: she won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Kiss Me More" (with SZA) in 2022, and she has been nominated 18 more times. They could easily be nominated in rap races, perhaps Record of the Year if "Just Us" really takes off.
J-Hope, "Mona Lisa"
K-pop has been trying to make inroads at the Grammys for years, with BTS being the most successful group so far with five total noms. Since pursuing solo projects, however, none of the individual members of the band have received recognition. This is J-Hope's third single released over the last month; the previous two, "Sweet Dreams" (with Miguel) and "LV Bag" (with Don Toliver and Pharrell Williams) both charted on the Hot 100, but it might take another hit on the scale of BTS' "Dynamite" and "Butter" to get him to the big show as a solo artist.
Japanese Breakfast, For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women)
This is the fourth studio album by the Michelle Zauner-led band, but they didn't achieve widespread recognition until their last album, 2021's Jubilee, for which they were nominated for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album in 2022. For Melancholy Brunettes has gotten rave reviews, called a "significant sonic step forward" (Slant), "a leap in musical maturity" (DIY Magazine), and "more complex and creatively assured than what has come before" (AllMusic). If they're able to take another commercial leap, they might secure themselves another spot in the alternative category, or perhaps even level up to become the latest alternative darlings to show up in Album of the Year, like Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver, Haim, and Boygenius have done just since 2020.
Jonas Brothers, "Love Me to Heaven"
The third single this year from the sibling trio is an uptempo love song not unlike their 2019 comeback hit "Sucker," which earned the group a Grammy nom for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. That came 11 years after their only other Grammy nom: Best New Artist in 2009. Will they secure their third career nom? They haven't charted on the Hot 100 since 2023, so they would greatly benefit from another breakout hit.
My Morning Jacket, Is
The veteran rock band is back with a critically acclaimed new album, about which Record Collector says, "The band’s range and power haven’t been compromised so much as integrated and harnessed." Their popularity peaked in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but they're still scoring hits on adult alternative radio, most recently the single from Is, "Time Waited" (watch the video above). When it comes to the Grammys, their best bets are rock and alternative categories. In fact, Best Alternative Music Album is the only category where they have been nominated: for Evil Urges in 2009, Circuital in 2012, and The Waterfall in 2016.
Stray Kids, Mixtape: Dominate
As with J-Hope above, Stray Kids face an uphill battle at the Grammys as a K-pop act. This latest EP may or may not change that, but it's likely to be another global hit for the octet, who have achieved five No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 just since 2022. That makes them one of the most successful boy bands to follow in the footsteps of BTS, so depending on the depth of the competition they could make a play for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance or perhaps Best Dance Pop Recording. But while they've notched multiple No. 1 songs in global song sales, they've never cracked the top 40 on the Hot 100. That may be holding them back.