LOS ANGELES: Pop music’s brightest stars will compete for the industry’s top awards at the Grammys in Los Angeles on Sunday, with a Beyoncé-Adele reunion taking center stage.
Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift are also among the headliners at the most star-studded gala in recent memory.
The performance-packed event at the 65th annual show will include songs by big contenders Styles, Bad Bunny, Lizzo and Mary J. Blige, once again hosted by comedian Trevor Noah.
Beyoncé leads the way in Grammy gold with nine, followed by rapper Lamar with eight. Adele and fellow ballader Brandi Carlyle scored seven nods each.
Music’s biggest night comes after a year of blockbuster albums, including Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” — a pulsating collection of club tracks — and Adele’s introspective story “30” for Ugly Crying.
Those records will be contested in the most prestigious categories, six years after the British artist belted out Queen Bey’s culture-shaking “Lemonade.”
Adele’s sweep in 2017 left both women in tears, with the crooner calling Beyonce her “idol” and telling the audience that her fellow megastar’s paradigm-shifting record should have won.
The contest fueled perennial criticism that the Academy consistently fails to give black artists their due.
This year, Billboard predicts the Beyhive will cheer for their queen to win Best Album, while IndustryTracker thinks Adele has the best record — the award for overall performance of a song — this year. for the single “Easy On Me”. “
But as the Grammys prove with past trauma, it really is anyone’s game.
Either way, with this year’s new nominations, Beyonce continues to make history: She moves into a tie with husband Jay-Z as the most nominated artists with 88 each.
Already the woman with the most Grammys, Beyoncé surpassed classical conductor Jorge Solti for the most by any artist with four wins on Sunday. He is tied for second place with music power player Quincy Jones.
Swift Top Songwriter?
Bad Bunny, arguably the world’s biggest commercial artist, has three Grammy nods for his big drop, “Un Verano Sun T,” which is in the running for Album of the Year.
It’s the first time an all-Spanish-language album has had a shot at the coveted award, and the first time the Puerto Rican reggaeton megastar has earned a solo nomination in a major Grammy category.
Styles, Lizzo and Duja Kat are among the top nominees, while pop juggernaut Swift could finally win the song of the year prize that has eluded her for years.
The superstar — who is fulfilling a commitment to re-record her first six albums to gain control of the rights to them — had the songwriters for a 10-minute version of “All to Well.” got a chance at the prestigious award celebrating “
The original song appeared on Swift’s 2012 album “Red” but qualified for inclusion because the extended version contained more than 50 percent new material.
TikTok newcomers
After several Grammy years with the clear best new artists — Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stellen and Billie Eilish — Sunday’s race is wide open.
The category reflects the impact of the internet age on increasingly eclectic and popular music, and many nominees have found viral fame on TikTok, including Brazil’s Anita, Eurovision rockers Minskin and rapper Lito.
South Korean boy band sensation BTS — who announced last year that they were taking a hiatus — meanwhile are hoping for an exciting first Grammy.
The Academy — made up of music makers including artists, musicians and engineers — also shortlisted a coterie of enduring industry stars, with Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson and ABBA receiving a handful of nominations.
After wowing audiences with a show-stopping performance at the 2019 Grammys, the big-voiced Carlyle will once again take the stage as she competes for top categories as well as roots and Americana honors.
Asked about her slate of nominations on the recent red carpet, Carlyle said she was “excited.”
“These kinds of compliments are life-affirming,” he said.
“Especially because the Grammys are my age, it means other musicians think I did a good job this year.
“That’s why it feels so good.”