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All eyes are on who else? — Taylor Swift ahead of Sunday’s Grammys, when the megastar could break the record for most Album of the Year wins at a gala where women are finally taking center stage.
SZA will arrive at the star-studded event in Los Angeles as the night’s top nominee with nine, while Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Miley Cyrus are also competing for the show’s top awards.
With her sophomore album “SOS,” SZA explored an eclectic mix of styles and genres including pop, rock and jazz, with dreamy electronic inflections that earned her the most nominations of any artist.
And supergroup boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, are nominated for six Grammy Awards.
The trio became known as up-and-comers on the indie music scene and, tired of the constant comparisons to each other as “women in rock,” decided to collaborate while continuing to produce solo work.
Bridgers has a seventh nomination for her collaboration with SZA.
Janelle Monae and King’s wool are on the Album of the Year list, while Victoria Monet is a candidate for Record of the Year.
Therefore, a female performance is very likely to win the top awards, unless Grammy favorite Jon Batiste does.
The piano virtuoso is the only candidate for the top two awards, two years after he overtook pop royalty to dominate the ceremony.
It will be a particularly moving evening for Batiste, whose triumph in 2022 was accompanied by an immense personal struggle behind the scenes while his wife, the writer Suleika Jaouad, received treatment for a recurrence of leukemia.
This time, you’ll be able to join the party as your partner competes for some of music’s most prestigious honors.
Among his accolades, Batiste is nominated for the top songwriting prize for “Butterfly,” written for Jaouad while he was in the hospital.
“Can we celebrate the album and that song, and also be at the Grammys again, this time with it? That’s my favorite part of this,” Batiste told AFP in an interview late last year.
“It’s a full circle.”
– Another day, another Swift album –
If Swift’s “Midnights” wins Album of the Year, it would be a record fourth win for the 34-year-old artist, who is already the star of the music world, making headlines with every breath.
She is currently tied in elite company with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder for three top album awards.
Swift’s in-demand producer Jack Antonoff earned six nominations for his work, notably with her and Del Rey, the baroque pop singer whose album “Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd?” It earned him five nominations.
And the soundtrack to the hit movie “Barbie” could also clean up: The music of the effervescent summer hit earned 11 nominations thanks to performances by Eilish and Dua Lipa, rapper Nicki Minaj and the film’s sleeping star… Nominated to the Oscar Actor Ryan Gosling.
Bubbly Bronx rapper Ice Spice is also up for an award for her work on “Barbie,” as well as the award for Best New Artist, which industry observers predict she could take home after a banner year in the one that went totally viral.
– Joni, Billy and U2 ready to perform –
The vast majority of the more than 90 competitive trophies are handed out ahead of the Grammys telecast, which is packed with spectacle: Many of the top nominees, including SZA, Eilish and Rodrigo, are set to perform.
Nigerian sensation Burna Boy, country singer Luke Combs and rapper Travis Scott will also perform.
And the legendary Joni Mitchell will take the stage in her first Grammy Awards performance.
The 80-year-old, who has nine competitive Grammy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award, is in the running for best folk album for her live album titled “Joni Mitchell at Newport.”
He won his first Grammy for “Clouds” more than half a century ago.
“Piano Man” Billy Joel will also perform immediately following the release of his new single “Turn The Lights Back On,” his first original music in 17 years, on Thursday.
And U2 will make a special remote appearance from Las Vegas, where the rockers have a residency at the new Sphere stadium.
The main Grammy gala is broadcast on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. (01:00 GMT on Monday) on the American network CBS.
Comedian Trevor Noah, nominated for best comedy album, will host for the fourth consecutive year.
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