Record of the Year—“The Middle” by Zedd, Marin Morris

This song was massive this year, hitting number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and selling over 700,000 copies. Out of all the nominees, this song deserves it the most. The producers of this song—Zedd and Grey—went through a lot trying to find the right singer for this song, and Morris’ voice fits the production of the song perfectly. The production of this song is innovative, channeling Jack Ü’s infamous high-pitched, distorted vocals, but Zedd put his own spin on it. This song has the best production out of all the nominees by far.

Album of the Year—“Dirty Computer” Janelle Monae

This was by far my favorite album of 2018. Monae is incredibly innovative on the record. The production is funky and Prince-esque—which makes sense as Monae is probably paying homage to her late mentor. Monae uses her platform to discuss feminism, racism and her experience being a bisexual woman of color. Songs like “Screwed,” “Django Jane” and “PYNK” are the highlights of the album, all being songs you can dance to that also make you think.

Song of the Year—“This is America” by Childish Gambino

There is no denying this song had a huge cultural impact this year. The lyrics and video were everywhere this year, and though there were a lot of memes about it, it started a conversation about what everything means. I remember we even discussed the video and lyrics in a few of my classes. The lyrics and incredibly thought provoking and started such an important conversation, and the Recording Academy will acknowledge that.

Best Dance Recording—“Ultimatum” by Disclosure

Disclosure is the best thing to happen to modern house music. After not releasing anything since their album “Caracal,” they came back with “Ultimatum” in the summer. This song was a beautiful bridge between world and electronic music. The production of this song has the innovative house beats Disclosure is known for, and they just keep on changing the landscape of the genre.