Best R&B Performance was a category started back in 1959 and original dominated by Ray Charles until it was discontinued in 1968. Then the Grammys brought back the award in 2012 when it was won by Corinne Bailey Rae in 2012 and then by Usher and Beyoncé two of the three following years. Could this be the year Tamar Braxton wins? Is it a slam dunk for The Weeknd, or will an upstart like Hiatus Kaiyote upset him? We try and predict.
Nominees:
Tamar Braxton, "If I Don't Have You"
Andra Day, "Rise Up"
Hiatus Kaiyote, "Breathing Underwater"
Jeremih featuring J. Cole, "Planes"
The Weeknd, "Earned It"
Who Should Win: The Weeknd - Earned It
This category is tough to choose a clear winner. While The Weeknd seems like the obvious choice, for performances, there is some stiff competition. If we were just dealing with songs, Jeremih & J. Cole's "Planes" or Hiatus Kaiyote's "Breathing Underwater" would have a great argument, but with the overall performance and execution by the singers, there has to be a little extra special done with these songs.
Andra Day will need to prove herself more to compete at the Grammys. Braxton is already on the voter's radar after 2014's "Love & War" nomination and her performance deserves recognition, but against the power and sex that Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. The Weeknd, exudes in "Earned It," she plays second fiddle.
Who Will Win: The Weeknd - Earned It
Day probably has no chance here. Braxton got her second nomination, and while her performance was excellent, it just doesn't have the star power attached to her competitors.
If the voters wanted to go the route that they did in 2014 with the Snarky Puppy selection than Hiatus Kaiyote's soulful, jazzy cut "Breathing Underwater" would make sense, but the voters are usually pretty predictable.
While the voters will be tempted by two stars in J. Cole and Jeremih, this is a competition about performance and The Weeknd delivered a stronger one. He received a whole host of nods in major categories and may get shut out of those, so this should be his opportunity to secure a win.
