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Your Predictions for the 2014 Grammy Awards

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Macklemore, Daft Punk and Lorde could all win big at the 56th annual Grammy Awards.Image: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images Entertainment; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment; ROBYN BECK/Getty Images On Sunday night, millions of viewers will watch the 56th Grammy Awards to see which superstars receive the biggest honors in music. While much of the night’s entertainment will come from commenting on red-carpet outfits, and wondering if any performance will make more buzz than Miley Cyrus’s VMA performance last year, the Grammys are ultimately about who wins. While there are 78 total Grammy awards, viewers generally agree that the big four are Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Record of the Year. Throughout the week, we asked Mashable readers to vote in polls, and predict who they think will win Grammys for the four major categories. Based on the results, here are the artists you expect to win big on Sunday. Best New Artist Rap artists Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis boast seven total nominations each tonight, which suggests they’ll be strong contenders in the Best New Artist category. However, Ed Sheeran already has one Grammy nomination under his belt for his 2011 hit “A Team,” and James Blake and Kacey Musgraves have strong followings in the indie and country-music communities, respectively. While there’s a case to be made for each artist, your top pick to win Best New Artist was: Community Prediction: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (42%)Runner-up: Kendrick Lamar (26%) Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are your Grammy pick for Best New Artist. Image: Ari Perilstein/Getty Images Entertainment Song of the Year While pop stars Pink and Katy Perry have received double-digit nominations over the years, this is the first time either of them is up for Song of the Year. Bruno Mars has previously received Song of the Year nominations for “F*ck You” (as a songwriter) and “Grenade,” but he has yet to take home an award. While these pop veterans have experience on their side, Lorde’s “Royals” is up for three Grammys tonight, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Same Love” will no doubt be a contender for its positive lyrical message and catchy hook. It’s a tough one to call, but your clear prediction for who will get the nod is: Community Prediction: “Royals” by Lorde (47%)Runner-up: “Same Love” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (19%) “Royals,” by Lorde, is your top Grammy choice for Song of the Year. Image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment Album of the Year Both Taylor Swift‘s Red and Daft Punk‘s Random Access Memories enjoyed multiple weeks as the number-one album on the Billboard Top 200, which makes them strong contenders for Album of the Year. However, Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ The Heist feature at least three hit songs nominated in other Grammy categories, and Sara Bareilles’ The Blessed Unrest stands a decent chance, largely due to the popularity of “Brave.” While all of these albums performed well throughout the year, your opinion […]

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Macklemore Moves Past Costume Controversy at First Show Since Uproar

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Macklemore, right, and his producer Ryan Lewis pose for a portrait at Irving Plaza in New York in January 2014. Image: Carlo Allegri/Associated Press Rapper Macklemore preached the virtues of tolerance and acceptance during a rowdy concert Wednesday night in New York City, where he decided not to dwell on the controversy surrounding his outfit choice during a performance in Seattle on Friday. This week, headlines centered on uproar from people who thought Macklemore’s wig, fake beard and fake nose were culturally insensitive toward Jewish people. But on Wednesday, the 30-year-old rapper kept the focus on the music and the empowering messages behind each song. “We believe in love and equality for all people in the world, so now put your hand up like this,” Macklemore screamed, forming a peace sign with two fingers during the same-sex anthem “Same Love” with Ryan Lewis. Macklemore, born Ben Haggerty, publicly apologized online on Monday. “I’ve always loved dressing up and have been doing so my entire career,” he wrote on his blog. “The character I dressed up as on Friday had no intended cultural identity or background. I wasn’t attempting to mimic any culture, nor resemble one. A ‘Jewish stereotype’ never crossed my mind.” A costumed Macklemore performs on May 16 in Seattle. Macklemore reiterated his love of costumes at Wednesday’s show, telling fans a story about himself at 17, when he would buy “weird outfits” from thrift stores and walk the streets of New York City as “Professor Macklemore.” The anecdote fittingly introduced the duo’s smash hit “Thrift Shop.” The show, which was the first for the American Express Membership Experiences Concert Series, wouldn’t be a Macklemore concert without a transformation into his British alter ego Raven Bowie for “And We Danced.” Raven Bowie debuted in 2011 in this sex-fueled video. So at the end of the day, fans anticipating a Macklemore costume did indeed see one — just not the controversial one consuming the celebrity scandal mill. BONUS: Surprise! 12 Musicians Who Ignore Traditional Publicity Surprising Musician Promotions 1. Beyoncé Years from now, people will remember where they were when Beyoncé dropped her surprise, self-titled album in December 2013. For two years, the pop artist was quiet on the album front, though she was still a major player in the industry (performing the Super Bowl halftime show, singing the National Anthem at the presidential inauguration, you get the drift). But on Dec. 12, she surprised fans and uploaded a brand new album on iTunes, complete with 17 music videos. And it really, really worked. Video: YouTube, Beyonce 2. Kid Cudi The rapper (real name Scott Mescudi) has been on an experimental spree. After releasing two well-received albums, he spaced out, dropping material that ran far away from traditional hip-hop. On Feb. 24, he surprised fans with Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon on iTunes, notifying audiences only two hours beforehand via Twitter. Image: Flickr, Laurence Barnes 3. Death Grips Before Beyoncé and Kid Cudi, there were Death Grips. The […]

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