Whisper it quietly…but could the Grammy Awards pull it off this year?
The ceremony, which takes place on Sunday in Los Angeles, is known for scoring own goals, often rewarding artists of middle-of-the-road heritage rather than edgy contemporary pop.
But this year’s nominees are die-hard populist picks, with R&B star SZA leading the pack with nine.
There will also be performances from big names ranging from Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish to Joni Mitchell and U2.
Comedian Trevor Noah will host for the fourth year in a row, overseeing an impressive 94 categories, from Best Contemporary Christian Album to Best Audiobook, where Michelle Obama will take on Meryl Streep.
Elsewhere, Phoebe Bridgers’ indie-rock supergroup Boygenius and pop star Victoria Monét each have seven nominations.
Chart stars Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey and Ice Spice also have multiple nominations in a female-led field.
Here are nine things to know before the event.
1) How to watch the Grammys
First, brew a cup of strong coffee.
More than 80 awards will be presented at what is called the “premiere ceremony” on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. GMT (12:30 p.m. Los Angeles).
This is often worth listening to. The winners of the more obscure categories are less polished and more enthusiastic about winning, and the performances are looser and, dare I say it, more musical than the Hollywood-scale sets you’ll see later.
You can watch it all on the Recording Academy YouTube channel and live.grammy.com.
The main show, which begins at 01:00 Monday GMT, will be broadcast live in the United States on CBS and streamed on Paramount Plus. Speeches and some performances are usually uploaded to YouTube the next day.
2) Will Taylor Swift overtake Ol’ Blue Eyes?
If Swift wins album of the year for Midnights, she will become the first artist to win the prestigious trophy four times.
For the moment, she is tied with Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra, who each have three victories.
But the Grammys have generally been less interested in Swift’s pop records than in her forays into country and folk.
Its competition for album of the year is strong. Here is the full list of nominees:
- Boygenius – The disc
- Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure
- Jon Batiste – World Music Radio
- Lana Del Rey – Did you know there is a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
- Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
- Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
- SZA-SOS
- Taylor Swift – Midnights
3) Joni and Tracy could overshadow young stars
Modern-day superstars Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, SZA and Olivia Rodrigo will no doubt deliver lavish performances of their big hits.
But the spotlight risks being stolen by two other female artists who have been largely ignored by the public in recent years.
Joni Mitchell is guaranteed a reception worthy of a living legend when she makes her Grammys debut at the age of 80.
And it’s widely rumored that Tracy Chapman will make a very rare public appearance to join country star Luke Combs on his 1988 classic Fast Car, which he brought back to the charts last year.
Other performers on the night will include Billy Joel, Travis Scott and Burna Boy.
4) A win for SZA is a win for Scotland
In the United States, SZA’s second album, SOS, remained at the top of the charts for 10 weeks and marked the singer’s rise to the major leagues.
Born in Missouri and raised in New Jersey, the singer – real name Solána Imani Rowe – trained in marine biology before venturing into music.
If his latest album wins a Grammy, it will also mean a win for a 20-year-old Scottish music producer.
Blair Ferguson, who writes under the name BLK Beats, wrote the music for his single Snooze in his bedroom in Glasgow, and the track sold more than two million copies in the United States.
“SZA is just a genius and she is able to transform any record with the way she creates a melody,” he told BBC News. “I don’t think any other artist could have created this piece.”
5) Who is the biggest rock star: Mick or Olivia?
The Best Rock Songs category is a culture shock for the ages, as Olivia Rodrigo’s punky Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl takes on the Rolling Stones’ Angry, the tale of a lovers’ quarrel.
So who will be the face of rock’n’roll in 2024? The Grammys like to reward longevity, but perhaps they will be influenced by the rock revivalism of Rodrigo, who helped spark the first resurgence of guitar music in more than a decade.
It’s a strong field, with Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age also in contention. But the real contenders have to be Boygenius.
Formed by indie songwriters Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, last year they made an era-defining guitar album filled with spectral harmonies and poetic lyrics.
Nominated in all major categories as well as rock sub-genres, he could be this year’s big winner.
6) A first for Africa
A new category, that of best African musical performance, reflects the growing importance of genres like Afrobeats and Amapiano, but also “the profound influence of Africa on the history of music”, according to the Grammys .
Among the early nominees – who would have previously battled it out in the world music category – are Nigerian stars Burna Boy, Asake, Ayra Starr and Davido, alongside South African singer Tyla.
“Honestly, the Grammys are a huge reward,” said Tyla, who achieved worldwide success with Water in late 2023.
Two other new awards have also been introduced for 2024: Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Pop Dance Recording.
7) Justice for Miley!
Despite her storied career, Miley Cyrus has yet to win a Grammy and has only been nominated twice in the past.
However, this year, SFKAHM (singer formerly known as Hannah Montana) has six nominations for her adult pop album Endless Summer Vacation.
Debut single Flowers, which was the UK’s biggest-selling song last year and topped the US charts for eight weeks, is in the running for record and song of the year, as well as best pop vocal performance.
But in a year full of sad girls singing pop songs, she might walk away empty-handed.
8) Are the Grammys ghosting country music?
The country saw a huge resurgence in the United States last year. Streams for the genre increased by 20%, and last August, the top three positions on the Billboard Hot 100 were occupied for the first time by country songs.
But none of those artists — Morgan Wallen, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan — are nominated in the Grammys’ biggest all-genre categories.
In fact, no country album has been nominated for album of the year since Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour five years ago (which won).
So what’s going on? This appears to be a reaction to the political and racial overtones of the genre’s biggest stars.
Voters are wary of Wallen because of a headline-making incident in 2021 in which he was caught on video using a racial slur.
With Aldean, politics were embedded in his song Try That in a Small Town – a tale of vigilante justice that some listeners interpreted as having racial overtones.
Aldean denied the accusations, but apologized when it emerged that he had filmed the video outside a Tennessee courthouse that had been the scene of a brutal 1927 lynching.
While stars like Jason Isbell and Zach Bryan created thoughtful songs that challenged Nashville’s more regressive tendencies, they were also shut out of the big prizes.
It seems that the Academy, with usual caution, has decided to stay away.
9) How new does the best new artist have to be?
Just 21 years after releasing his first song, Tennessee singer Jelly Roll is up for Best New Artist.
The musician, real name Jason DeFord, is not a traditional contender in this category, but his recent move from the underground to the mainstream makes him eligible under the Grammy guidelines.
A convicted felon and former drug trafficker, he has served several stints in prison and recently testified before the U.S. Congress in support of anti-fentanyl legislation.
His moving stories of addiction and redemption finally propelled him onto the charts last year after a subsequent career change from rap to country music.
At 39, he would become the oldest to win the Best New Artist trophy, surpassing Sheryl Crow, who was 33 the night of her win in 1995.
But that’s nothing compared to the Latin Grammys, which awarded the best new artist trophy to 95-year-old Angela Alvarez in 2022.
Whisper it quietly…but could the Grammy Awards pull it off this year?
The ceremony, which takes place on Sunday in Los Angeles, is known for scoring own goals, often rewarding artists of middle-of-the-road heritage rather than edgy contemporary pop.
But this year’s nominees are die-hard populist picks, with R&B star SZA leading the pack with nine.
There will also be performances from big names ranging from Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish to Joni Mitchell and U2.
Comedian Trevor Noah will host for the fourth year in a row, overseeing an impressive 94 categories, from Best Contemporary Christian Album to Best Audiobook, where Michelle Obama will take on Meryl Streep.
Elsewhere, Phoebe Bridgers’ indie-rock supergroup Boygenius and pop star Victoria Monét each have seven nominations.
Chart stars Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey and Ice Spice also have multiple nominations in a female-led field.
Here are nine things to know before the event.
1) How to watch the Grammys
First, brew a cup of strong coffee.
More than 80 awards will be presented at what is called the “premiere ceremony” on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. GMT (12:30 p.m. Los Angeles).
This is often worth listening to. The winners of the more obscure categories are less polished and more enthusiastic about winning, and the performances are looser and, dare I say it, more musical than the Hollywood-scale sets you’ll see later.
You can watch it all on the Recording Academy YouTube channel and live.grammy.com.
The main show, which begins at 01:00 Monday GMT, will be broadcast live in the United States on CBS and streamed on Paramount Plus. Speeches and some performances are usually uploaded to YouTube the next day.
2) Will Taylor Swift overtake Ol’ Blue Eyes?
If Swift wins album of the year for Midnights, she will become the first artist to win the prestigious trophy four times.
For the moment, she is tied with Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra, who each have three victories.
But the Grammys have generally been less interested in Swift’s pop records than in her forays into country and folk.
Its competition for album of the year is strong. Here is the full list of nominees:
- Boygenius – The disc
- Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure
- Jon Batiste – World Music Radio
- Lana Del Rey – Did you know there is a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
- Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
- Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
- SZA-SOS
- Taylor Swift – Midnights
3) Joni and Tracy could overshadow young stars
Modern-day superstars Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, SZA and Olivia Rodrigo will no doubt deliver lavish performances of their big hits.
But the spotlight risks being stolen by two other female artists who have been largely ignored by the public in recent years.
Joni Mitchell is guaranteed a reception worthy of a living legend when she makes her Grammys debut at the age of 80.
And it’s widely rumored that Tracy Chapman will make a very rare public appearance to join country star Luke Combs on his 1988 classic Fast Car, which he brought back to the charts last year.
Other performers on the night will include Billy Joel, Travis Scott and Burna Boy.
4) A win for SZA is a win for Scotland
In the United States, SZA’s second album, SOS, remained at the top of the charts for 10 weeks and marked the singer’s rise to the major leagues.
Born in Missouri and raised in New Jersey, the singer – real name Solána Imani Rowe – trained in marine biology before venturing into music.
If his latest album wins a Grammy, it will also mean a win for a 20-year-old Scottish music producer.
Blair Ferguson, who writes under the name BLK Beats, wrote the music for his single Snooze in his bedroom in Glasgow, and the track sold more than two million copies in the United States.
“SZA is just a genius and she is able to transform any record with the way she creates a melody,” he told BBC News. “I don’t think any other artist could have created this piece.”
5) Who is the biggest rock star: Mick or Olivia?
The Best Rock Songs category is a culture shock for the ages, as Olivia Rodrigo’s punky Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl takes on the Rolling Stones’ Angry, the tale of a lovers’ quarrel.
So who will be the face of rock’n’roll in 2024? The Grammys like to reward longevity, but perhaps they will be influenced by the rock revivalism of Rodrigo, who helped spark the first resurgence of guitar music in more than a decade.
It’s a strong field, with Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age also in contention. But the real contenders have to be Boygenius.
Formed by indie songwriters Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, last year they made an era-defining guitar album filled with spectral harmonies and poetic lyrics.
Nominated in all major categories as well as rock sub-genres, he could be this year’s big winner.
6) A first for Africa
A new category, that of best African musical performance, reflects the growing importance of genres like Afrobeats and Amapiano, but also “the profound influence of Africa on the history of music”, according to the Grammys .
Among the early nominees – who would have previously battled it out in the world music category – are Nigerian stars Burna Boy, Asake, Ayra Starr and Davido, alongside South African singer Tyla.
“Honestly, the Grammys are a huge reward,” said Tyla, who achieved worldwide success with Water in late 2023.
Two other new awards have also been introduced for 2024: Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Pop Dance Recording.
7) Justice for Miley!
Despite her storied career, Miley Cyrus has yet to win a Grammy and has only been nominated twice in the past.
However, this year, SFKAHM (singer formerly known as Hannah Montana) has six nominations for her adult pop album Endless Summer Vacation.
Debut single Flowers, which was the UK’s biggest-selling song last year and topped the US charts for eight weeks, is in the running for record and song of the year, as well as best pop vocal performance.
But in a year full of sad girls singing pop songs, she might walk away empty-handed.
8) Are the Grammys ghosting country music?
The country saw a huge resurgence in the United States last year. Streams for the genre increased by 20%, and last August, the top three positions on the Billboard Hot 100 were occupied for the first time by country songs.
But none of those artists — Morgan Wallen, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan — are nominated in the Grammys’ biggest all-genre categories.
In fact, no country album has been nominated for album of the year since Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour five years ago (which won).
So what’s going on? This appears to be a reaction to the political and racial overtones of the genre’s biggest stars.
Voters are wary of Wallen because of a headline-making incident in 2021 in which he was caught on video using a racial slur.
With Aldean, politics were embedded in his song Try That in a Small Town – a tale of vigilante justice that some listeners interpreted as having racial overtones.
Aldean denied the accusations, but apologized when it emerged that he had filmed the video outside a Tennessee courthouse that had been the scene of a brutal 1927 lynching.
While stars like Jason Isbell and Zach Bryan created thoughtful songs that challenged Nashville’s more regressive tendencies, they were also shut out of the big prizes.
It seems that the Academy, with usual caution, has decided to stay away.
9) How new does the best new artist have to be?
Just 21 years after releasing his first song, Tennessee singer Jelly Roll is up for Best New Artist.
The musician, real name Jason DeFord, is not a traditional contender in this category, but his recent move from the underground to the mainstream makes him eligible under the Grammy guidelines.
A convicted felon and former drug trafficker, he has served several stints in prison and recently testified before the U.S. Congress in support of anti-fentanyl legislation.
His moving stories of addiction and redemption finally propelled him onto the charts last year after a subsequent career change from rap to country music.
At 39, he would become the oldest to win the Best New Artist trophy, surpassing Sheryl Crow, who was 33 the night of her win in 1995.
But that’s nothing compared to the Latin Grammys, which awarded the best new artist trophy to 95-year-old Angela Alvarez in 2022.