Is Adele going to keep winning? When will Abba finally win a Grammy? Could Beyoncé get passed over once more?
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday will provide the answers to all of these queries.
In terms of nominations, Beyoncé has the most with nine, followed by Kendrick Lamar with eight, Adele with seven, and Brandi Carlile with six.
For the third year in a row, the event will be hosted by comedian Trevor Noah and will begin at 20:00 local time in Los Angeles (01:00 GMT).
This year, there are a mind-boggling 91 categories, ranging from “best new age, ambient, or chant record” (which goes to Cheryl B. Engelhardt, by the way) to “album of the year,” which is the evening’s most prestigious award.
There will also be performances by some of the most well-known names in music, as well as tributes to celebrities who have passed away in recent years.
1) Instructions on how to see the Grammy Awards
To begin, gather as many goodies as you can.
At 20:30 (GMT), on Sunday, the so-called “premiere ceremony” will begin, during which the first prizes will be presented (12:30 in Los Angeles). After then, the proceedings will go on for a further eight mind-numbing hours, at which point the trophy for album of the year will eventually be given at 04:30 GMT.
The main program will begin at 01:00 GMT and will be shown live in the United States on CBS. Live streaming of the show will also be available on Paramount Plus and the website live.grammy.com.
Although this location offers access to Paramount Plus, the company has not yet disclosed whether or not the Grammy Awards will be streamed as part of the subscription package.
On the other hand, fans in the UK should be able to access live.grammy.com, and video of the red carpet will be aired on EW’s YouTube channel beginning at 23:30 GMT.
2) Beyoncé might become the winningest winner of all time
With 28 triumphs, Beyoncé already holds the record for most Grammy Awards for a female artist. She garnered nine more nominations this year, bringing her total to 88, matching her husband Jay-Z for the most nominations of any artist.
She just needs four victories on the night to surpass conductor Georg Solti’s existing record of the most victories ever. Solti passed away in 1997.
Although Renaissance, her painstakingly curated ode to black and gay dance music, is a front-runner for album of the year, fans are aware not to get their hopes up.
Despite her amazing collection of accolades, all but one of Beyoncé’s prior honors came in genre categories like R&B and soul, which has contributed to the idea that the Grammys don’t give Black musicians enough credit for their work.
That could change this year as over 2,000 new members joined the voting organization, 44% of whom, according to the Recording Academy, are “from historically underrepresented groups.”
3) DJ Khaled is up for best rap album despite not rapping.
DJ Khaled is widely regarded as one of the most intriguing individuals in the hip-hop industry.
He used to be a radio DJ, but now he’s become a kind of musical Nick Fury by putting together an all-star ensemble of super-powered beatmakers and rappers to work together on songs that are eventually published under his name.
It is not quite apparent how much of a contribution he made, although he can be heard on the majority of his singles yelling into a megaphone things like “we the greatest” or “another one” while other artists like Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Megan Thee Stallion perform the most of the work.
In an interview with The Fader in 2013, he discussed his approach to the creative process as follows: “If you can’t find anything, you have to go create it for yourself. If you are unable to create it, you are required to search for it.”
This tenacity has resulted in him having four albums debut at number one in the US; the most recent of them, God Did, is competing for the award for best rap album.
4) There will be performances by Lizzo and Harry Styles
Sadly, not at the same time.
These are the musicians that are presently slated to perform on Sunday at the Grammy Awards. However, the Grammys do usually have a few surprises up their sleeves.
Bad Bunny
Brandi Carlile
Lizzo with Harry Styles.
Luke Combs
Mary J. Blige is the artist.
Sam Smith & Kim Petras
Steve Lacy
5) Taylor Swift’s Midnights was not selected for consideration for an award.
Taylor Swift is one of only three musicians to have won album of the year three times, but this year’s ceremony will not accept her most recent album, Midnights, since it was released too late.
The enlarged, re-recorded version of All Too Well received a song of the year nomination, giving Swift four total nominations.
Despite six nominations, she has never previously taken home the award. Perhaps this is her year.
6)There will be some emotional content in the “in memoriam” section, for example.
From Coolio to Olivia Newton-John, the music world has lost a lot of talent in the last year, and the Grammys will pay tribute with a somber in memoriam segment.
Country music icon Loretta Lynn passed away in October at the age of 90, and Kacey Musgraves will be paying homage to her by performing Coal Miner’s Daughter.
For the tribute to British singer Christine McVie, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, and Christine’s bandmate Mick Fleetwood will perform a cover of her timeless love song, Songbird.
Quavo, a member of the rap group Migos, plans to perform with the Maverick City Music choir to “honor the life and legacy” of his nephew, Takeoff, who was shot and died in October.
7) Tonight might be a huge one for Latin music.
Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, which topped the US Billboard charts for an unprecedented 13 consecutive weeks during the summer of 2018, is the first album in a language other than English to get a Grammy nomination for album of the year.
This crowning success culminates his nearly mythical climb from grocery bagger in the sleepy Puerto Rican village of Vega Baja to international stardom and a leading light of Latin music and msica urbana.
Un Verano Sin Ti is a double album with a total of 23 tracks. Half of the songs are upbeat party anthems, while the other half are more political experiments that touch on topics such as gender violence and the gentrification of Puerto Rico.
In addition to him, another Latin artist, Brazilian singer Anitta, is in the running for best newcomer at the Grammys.
Though she has been performing for than a decade, her nomination is a nod to the global success of her most recent album, Versions of Me, which broke the one billion stream barrier on Spotify for a Brazilian pop album.
Rapper Latto, British indie group Wet Leg, and Italian Eurovision winners Mneskin are among her rivals. It’s a very peculiar category this year.
8) Grammy voters have found TikTok
The Grammy Awards have acknowledged TikTok’s enormous impact on the music business, despite the fact that certain legislators in the United States are advocating for the app to be made illegal.
In recognition of a one-off performance that was broadcast on TikTok, Spanish superstar Rosala has been given a nomination for best music film. Additionally, four of the artists nominated for song of the year scored successes from videos that went viral on TikTok.
Even if you disregard everything else about it, Gayle’s ABCDEFU is still one of the more unexpected ones.
The singer was given the task of writing a breakup song using just the letters of the alphabet on TikTok, and in response, she posted an early version of ABCDEFU. After it began to gain traction on the app, a completed version of the song was recorded, and it went on to become a massive hit all over the world.
However, it was subsequently determined that the “fan” was in reality an employee of her record company, which led to charges of marketing and sensationalism surrounding the situation.
Except when has the music business ever been about anything but marketing and creating hype? Even after all these years, ABCDEFU is still a catchy pop hit to listen to. The controversy remains as to whether or not it should be nominated for a Grammy.
9) There will be celebrations in honor of the 50th anniversary of hip hop.
When the Grammys honor the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the stage is going to be so crowded with rap luminaries that it will groan beneath the weight of three dozen of them (and their gold chains).
The performance will be hosted by LL Cool J, and music will be provided by The Roots. Guest performers scheduled to take the stage include Busta Rhymes, De La Soul, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Ice-T, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa, and Outkast’s Big
The actual anniversary takes place in August and commemorates the day in August 1973 when DJ Kool Herc, then 18 years old and known by his stage name DJ Kool Herc, had a back-to-school party at his apartment in New York City.
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There, he was a pioneer in the approach that would become the cornerstone of hip-hop, which was to play two versions of the same song at simultaneously, switching between turntables to stretch the instrumental passages of funk and soul songs.
10)Ozzy Osbourne may take home the Grammy for the first time since 1994.
In 1994, Ozzy Osbourne received his one and only Grammy Award for a song that was included on Live & Loud, the album that was meant to be his last recording.
After just 28 brief years, he now has four nominations, all of which are in appreciation of his most recent album, Patient No. 9, which includes contributions from Eric Clapton, Metallica, and the late Jeff Beck.
The celebrity claims that if he wins, he would be “floored” and that he has not prepared a speech for the occasion.
In an interview with Billboard, he said, “I usually end up saying it twice or blowing it or something.” “It won’t be long until my wife has it all figured out. My wife is standing behind me here. My wife is the one who controls my actions.”
11) Who will walk away with all four of the major prizes?
The Grammys’ “big four” are the prizes with the highest level of prestige and the most fierce competition. Take a peek at the lineup, which is down below.
Album of the year award winner
Abba – Voyage
Adele – 30 Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti Beyoncé – Renaissance
Good Morning Gorgeous is a song by Mary J. Blige.
The song “In These Silent Days” by Brandi Carlile
Lizzo – Special
The song “Music of the Spheres” by Coldplay
Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
Harry’s House is sung by Harry Styles.
The title of this story is the rematch of the competition for the greatest album of 2017, when Beyoncé’s Lemonade was narrowly defeated by Adele’s 25. Beyoncé is the favorite to win this award, but Adele has an unmatched track record, having won all 13 Grammys for which she has been nominated for since 2012.
Brandi Carlile, a performer revered by her peers who was instrumental in Joni Mitchell’s return to the stage in the previous year, is the unheralded front-runner. In These Silent Days is her sixth studio album, and it has a rootsy Americana sound that is sure to appeal to the Academy’s voting base, which is known for its musical conservatism.
Hit record of the year
Lizzo – About Damn Time Gayle – ABCDEFU
Swift, Taylor – All Too Well (10-minute version)
As It Was by Harry Styles Steve Lacy – Bad Habit
Break My Soul (Beyoncé)
Simple On Me by Adele
DJ Khaled – God Did
Part 5 of Kendrick Lamar’s The Heart
Bonnie Raitt – Just Like That
The song “As It Was” by Harry Styles ought to be the front-runner in this competition. It lasted 15 weeks at number one in the United States and established the British vocalist as one of the outstanding talents of his time, yet the fact that it is so ubiquitous may work against it.
Easy On Me by Adele is a reasonably safe option since it shares around 80% of its DNA with Hello, the song that Adele previously won song of the year for. After five prior efforts, it would be amazing if Taylor Swift, who is widely considered to be the most influential writer of her time, was eventually successful in winning this songwriting award.
Year’s highest record
Do not silence me, by ABBA
Adele’s “Easy On Me” and “Break My Soul” by Beyoncé
Good Morning by Mary J. Blige featuring Brandi Carlile Lucus’ song “You and Me on the Rock”
Woman in Doja Cat
“Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy
Part 5 of “The Heart” by Kendrick Lamar
Regarding Damn Time by Lizzo
In the Beginning by Harry Styles
While the recipient of the award for song of the year is acknowledged for their songwriting abilities, the recipient of the award for record of the year is judged on the final product, which is the actual sound recording.
Bruno Mars is the only artist to have received the award more than once, which may signal that voters are more receptive to familiar sounds from the past rather than fresh musical exploration. Because of this, the songs About Damn Time by Lizzo and As It Was by Harry Styles have a very minor advantage over Break My Soul by Beyoncé. But it’s hard to tell who will win this one.
Newest artist
Anitta Omar Apollo Domi and JD Beck Muni Long Samara Wet Leg, Joy Latto, Maneskin, Tobe Nwigwe, and Molly Tuttle are all on the guest list.
This category is wide open for competition since there hasn’t been a major breakthrough performer to take the lead. The majority of voters choose well-known artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish, which eliminates some of the more obscure choices, such as the jazz combo Domi and JD Beck or the folk singer Molly Tuttle.
Italian Eurovision champions Maneskin have been virtually unavoidable on US radio over the course of the last year, giving them a solid advantage; but, Latto, whose charismatic rap song Big Energy was a Top 3 smash, is the one to beat in this competition.
