66th Grammy Awards set for Sunday in downtown LA

The 66th Grammy Awards ceremony happens Sunday at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

At the helm as host for the fourth consecutive year is comedian Trevor Noah, who himself is in the running for best comedy album that complements his Emmy win for “The Daily Show.”

SZA leads this year’s Grammy nominations with nine nods, buoyed by her hit “Kill Bill” vying for record of the year, song of the year and best R&B performance. Her album “SOS” competes for album of the year and best progressive R&B album.

Also noteworthy, Victoria Monét, in addition to Phoebe Bridgers and boygenius, boasts seven nominations, while powerhouses such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus and producer Jack Antonoff are just a fraction behind with six.

The best new artist category shines a spotlight on Monét, as she competes with talents such as Gracie Abrams, Fred again…, Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan and The War and Treaty.

With the limelight on SZA — who’s set to perform — folk-rock icon Joni Mitchell is slated for a historic live performance as she returns after overcoming serious health setbacks. Fellow music industry legend Billy Joel also returns to the Grammy stage, bringing with him a legacy of five awards and 23 nominations.

U2 is set to deliver the inaugural broadcast performance from the architectural marvel that is the Sphere in Las Vegas. Also scheduled to perform Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, Travis Scott, Burma Boy and Luke Combs.

The awards ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+ starting at 5 p.m. As the red carpet rolls out fashion takes center stage with E!’s coverage, and The Associated Press live stream will offer three hours of fashion and celebrity interviews prior to the awards ceremony.

This year, the Grammys introduced new accolades including best pop dance recording, best alternative jazz album and best African music performance, which spotlights diverse musical styles such as Afrobeat and South African hip-hop.

Harvey Mason Jr., CEO and president of the Recording Academy, emphasized the Academy’s stance on human creativity in artificial intelligence, clarifying that music with AI components is eligible for Grammy consideration, but not AI itself.

“Here’s the super easy, headline statement: AI, or music that contains AI-created elements is absolutely eligible for entry and for consideration for Grammy nomination. Period,” Mason told the AP in July. “What’s not going to happen is we are not going to give a Grammy or Grammy nomination to the AI portion.”

Ahead of the main ceremony, the Recording Academy will present a premiere ceremony from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles that will stream on the academy’s YouTube channel and live.GRAMMY.com.

Performers include an opening number featuring J. Ivy, Larkin Poe, Pentatonix, Sheila E. and Jordin Sparks, plus Adam Blackstone, Brandy Clark, Kirk Franklin, Robert Glasper, Bob James, Laufey, Terrace Martin, Gaby Moreno and Grammy-nominated recording artist/drummer Harvey Mason Sr. 

As reported by The Associated Press, kboeradio.com and knoxnews.com

More from The Industry