To paraphrase the great Lana Del Rey: Did you know that there’s an awards ceremony on Figueroa Street?
Breathlessly described by the Recording Academy as “music’s biggest night,” the 66th Grammy Awards take place Sunday evening at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, preceded by the Premiere Ceremony at the nearby Peacock Theater. Trevor Noah is back to host for the fourth time in a row, and performances are expected by a mix of young stars and old-timers including SZA, Joni Mitchell, Olivia Rodrigo, Billy Joel, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Travis Scott and U2.
Top nominees in a very strong year for women include Eilish, SZA, Victoria Monét, Boygenius — and, of course, Taylor Swift, without whom no awards show is complete. (Among the LPs nominated against Swift’s “Midnights” for the coveted album of the year prize: SZA’s “SOS,” Miley Cyrus’ “Endless Summer Vacation” and Del Rey’s “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.”) Alas, Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, has said that prep for next weekend’s Super Bowl will keep him from making the show. A million meme makers mourn.
The Times’ Mikael Wood and August Brown will be covering the prime-time ceremony as it happens, with Vanessa Franko updating us on happenings during the Premiere Ceremony. Stick with us here throughout the day for news, analysis and the occasional mystified reaction to some upset or other.
Final predictions | Recording Academy scrutiny | How to watch the show | Winners list
2:20 p.m. “It is a sweep!” a very sweaty Killer Mike declares, and so it is: The 48-year-old Atlanta rapper just took the awards for rap performance, rap song and rap album. Can’t say Mike’s music moves me as much as some of his competitors’, but I love his framing of his victory as proof that you can never be too old to rap. — M.W.
2:06 p.m. Victoria Monét’s taking R&B album with “Jaguar II” — a win that required her to beat Babyface, a longtime Grammy fave — bodes well for her chances in the bigger categories, including best new artist. — M.W.
2:00 p.m. Theron Thomas wins songwriter of the year on the strength of his work with Lil Durk, Tyla, Jung Kook and others — and the man couldn’t seem more pumped about it. (Two Red Bulls, you think? Three?) This is just the second time the songwriter award has been handed out, after Tobias Jesso Jr., a frequent Adele and Harry Styles collaborator, took it last year. — M.W.
1:40 p.m. Nice to see the oft-nominated Brandy Clark finally win a Grammy with the Americana performance prize for “Dear Insecurity,” her moving duet with Brandi Carlile, whose role as producer of the singer’s self-titled 2023 album may finally have tipped the academy Clark’s way. — Mikael Wood
1:10 p.m. “Barbenheimer” has invaded the Grammys.
“Barbie” notched its first wins of the day for best compilation soundtrack for visual media for “Barbie: The Album” and best song written for visual media for “What Was I Made For,” written by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell.
“This is shocking to me. I was expecting to turn right around and leave,” Eilish said as she accepted the award with her brother.
O’Connell noted that their dad worked as a construction worker at Mattel during their childhood.
Meanwhile, “Oppenheimer” composer Ludwig Göransson won best score soundtrack for visual media for “Oppenheimer.” — V.F.
12:35 p.m. Greetings, music fans! We’re gearing up to cover the 66th Grammy Awards. Will Taylor Swift finally win song of the year? Will she break the record for album of the year wins with “Midnights”? Will we find out a release date for “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)”?
The main show starts at 5 p.m. Pacific, but first, we’ll keep you posted on the big highlights from the Premiere Ceremony, which will award dozens of genre and technical Grammys. We’ll be updating the winners throughout both ceremonies.
The Premiere Ceremony is getting things started with Sheila E., Larkin Poe, Pentatonix and Jordin Sparks,performing Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.” As someone who used the same song to start off my wedding reception, I can tell you it’s a smart choice to inject energy into the early ceremony. — Vanessa Franko
Credit: Source link
