LOS ANGELES.- It is the year of Taylor Swiftbut anything can happen in the always unpredictable Grammy on Sunday, in which the superstar is ready to make history and women dominate the main categories.
The 66th edition of the music world’s most prestigious awards ceremony marks a historic year for women and queer and genderfluid artists competing for the night’s top trophies.
But no one knows if they will actually win, and there is always room for surprises and oddities in the night’s more than 90 categories.
Here is a guide to what Sunday’s ceremony will be like in Los Angeles:
Taylor looks to make history
Swift, an overwhelmingly famous American artist, is up for six gramps this year, including album of the year for her latest work, “Midnights.”
If he wins the prestigious award, it would be his fourth time, more than any other artist. Breaking that record would mean surpassing Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder on the list of most awarded albums in history.
Her relationship with Travis Kelce is one of the many reasons why Swift’s name is on everyone’s lips, but the NFL player will not attend Sunday’s gala as her date.
Kelce will be busy traveling to play in the American Football League (NFL) Super Bowl championship next weekend in Las Vegas.
“I wish I could go and support Taylor at the Grammys and see her win every award she’s nominated for,” Kelce said in a recent interview.
Is Tracy Chapman returning?
The Recording Academy hands out most of its dozens of awards before the broadcast, which lasts more than three hours and is packed with performances.
In the cast is Luke Combs, the country music singer whose absence from the night’s main awards was a surprise.
Combs covered Tracy Chapman’s 1988 classic “Fast Car” to resounding success, earning him a single nod in the country category.
Combs’ appearance is rumored to include Chapman herself, who rarely appears in public.
The audience will also be able to enjoy a performance by Billy Joel, who just released a new single, his first original music in almost two decades.
Joni on stage
The famous singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell will also serenade the ceremony, her first performance at the gala despite her half-century relationship with the Academy.
The 80-year-old icon received a nomination for her live album “Joni Mitchell at Newport,” performed years after an aneurysm that led to fears she would never be able to sing again.
Mitchell isn’t the only veteran star up for an award: two Bob Dylan and Lou Reed compilations are competing for best all-time album.
The winner of that award will go to the album’s producers and engineers rather than the artists, although name recognition could boost their chances of winning.
The same thing happens with a music video for “I’m Only Sleeping” by The Beatles, which is not competing for the award, but rather the director and producers of the video.
Barbie Girls
Women are more represented than ever in this edition of the Grammys: SZA earned nine nominations, closely followed by Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and boygenuis.
But it is “Barbie” who won the best chances for gramophone awards, with 11 nominations.
The eclectic, stellar soundtrack to the multimillion-dollar blockbuster earned nominations for artists including Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Ice Spice and Oscar hopeful Ryan Gosling.
Eilish won a Golden Globe last month for her moving ballad “What Was I Made For?”, which earned her Grammy nominations for best song and best recording, and she could win an Oscar statuette next month. .
It’s rare to win both song of the year at the Grammys and best original song at the Oscars. Among those who have achieved this include Barbra Streisand with “The Way We Were” and Celine Dion with “My Heart Will Go On.”
And the Grammy goes to… Bernie?
Bernie Sanders -yes, the American politician- has a second chance to win a Grammy in the audiobook and narration category.
The leftist senator’s reading of “It’s Ok to Be Angry About Capitalism” goes up against the works of Michelle Obama, Meryl Streep, William Shatner and Rick Rubin in one of the most extravagant categories of the night.
If former first lady Obama wins, it will be her second victory in the audiobook category; Her husband Barack has three.
Trevor Noah, the comedian who presents the gala for the fourth consecutive year, also competes.
Noah lost the award for best comedy album in 2020 to Dave Chappelle, a year before beginning his time as Grammy emcee.
Speaking recently to People, Noah joked that his hosting role is nothing more than a campaign to win: “It’s all been a long con.”
FUENTE: AFP
