Duke Ellington students offer thoughts on Grammys

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA9) - The Grammys are just days away, airing Sunday night on WUSA9, and the show is already generating some buzz about what song will win "song of the year." At the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, we spoke with eight musician-students to gather their thoughts.

Despacito:

The first song we played was "Despacito," by Justin Bieber, in collaboration Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. 

"It's definitely very catchy," said Kianna Kelly-Futch, a sophomore vocalist. "It makes you move."

"You can groove to it," said Richard Wilson, a junior percussionist. "I was vibing with that joint." 

"I really like that guitar part in the beginning," said Darius Armstrong, a senior saxophonist. "

"My Spanish teacher said he had great pronunciation," laughed Maya McGuire a sophomore vocalist. 

1-800-273-8255:

The next song on the list was "1-800-273-8255," by Logic, in collaboration with Alessia Cara and Khalid. The title of this song is the number for the suicide hotline, and the lyrics dive into the complicated societal issue of suicide.

The seven minute music video also tells the story of a young male high school student, struggling with his sexuality, and his struggle with suicide, as a result.   

"Some (songs) have a story behind it," said Joshua Teague, a junior saxophonist. "But the beats just alright. And some (songs) have a beat that's good, but there isn't really a story behind it. But when you get both, it brings everything together. That's what I think good song writing is." 

"It opens the door to conversation," said McGuire. "And it's a big topic of today, that's getting a bigger platform, which I think is good." 

"I appreciate a song that has a meaning to it," said Lonell Johnson III,  a senior pianist. "Because it gives me a reason to listen to the song even more." 

That's What I Like: 

But not all music needs to be deep and meaningful. Sometimes a song can jut be fun. That was illustrated by the third song on our list, "That's What I like," by Bruno Mars. 

"He's a performer more than anything," said Wilson.

"You will definitely hear this at every party," said Kelly-Futch. "At least twice." 

"You heard from the first beat," said McGuire. "From the first chord, we were into it." 

4:44: 

Fourth on the list was "4:44," recorded by Jay-Z. 

"He is a complete genius," said Kyree Allen, a senior vocalist. "His lyrics have us intrigued because we want to know of course (about) Jay-Z and Beyonce." 

"I really appreciate great lyricism," said Jayna Brown, a junior vocalist. "Honestly Jay-Z is one of the godfathers of lyricism." 

Issues: 

The final nomination was the song "Issues," by Jenny Michaels, in collaboration with Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, and Justin Drew Tranter. 

"She has a really nice voice," said McGuire. "And the instrumentals in the beginning are so pure." 

"She has this amazing voice," said Brown. "But she also has a story to tell." 

"I think she's brave," said Johnson. "Because usually in music, they aim to do a lot to keep the listeners into it. But she did it so simple, but still intrigued us." 

The Big Vote:

After all that analysis, it was time for a vote. In the end, there were four votes for "4:44," three for "1-800-273-8255," and one vote for "That's What I Like." Congrats Jay-Z for winning the unofficial vote for song of the year!

To see who wins the actual award, tune into the Grammys Sunday night on WUSA9. 

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