Superstars Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga are set to make history on Sunday in Los Angeles at the 68th Grammy Awards, celebrating the best in music.
All three are aiming to add to their trophy cabinets by taking home the gala’s most coveted accolade, Album of the Year, for the first time.
Lamar, the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper who claimed five Grammys last year, has nine nominations this time around the most of any artist, including nods for Record and Song of the Year.
Pop chameleon Lady Gaga and Puerto Rico’s Bad Bunny are also competing in all three categories.
Other nominees for the top album prize include pop princess Sabrina Carpenter; R&B singer-songwriter Leon Thomas; Tyler, the Creator; hip-hop duo Clipse (Pusha T and Malice); and pop superstar Justin Bieber, who is up for his first studio effort in four years.
Lamar is nominated this year for his album GNX, which includes the single Luther featuring R&B artist SZA. The 38-year-old has won 22 Grammys during his career.
Lady Gaga, Bieber and Carpenter are scheduled to perform, with more acts expected to be confirmed before Sunday.
Bad Bunny’s Hot Streak
Standing in Lamar’s way for Album of the Year is Bad Bunny, who is currently on a world tour in support of his album Debi Tirar Mas Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos).
“It was a very exciting album,” musicologist Lauron Kehrer told AFP.
“It touched on so much in terms of thematic material and musical material,” Kehrer said, highlighting the references to decolonisation and the use of traditional Puerto Rican rhythms.
The 31-year-old Latin megastar, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, will headline the Super Bowl halftime show a week after the Grammys, where he is up for six awards.
Last year, he completed a three-month residency in his native Puerto Rico and hosted the season opener of Saturday Night Live.
His Un verano sin ti (2022) was the first Spanish-language album nominated for Album of the Year honours. A win on Sunday would give Bad Bunny another entry in the history books.
Lady Gaga’s Comeback
Lady Gaga, 39, made a splashy return to touring with Mayhem, her collection of pop bangers with a dark edge that embraces her dramatic side. She has seven nominations this year.
She has 14 Grammys to her name, but a win for Album of the Year would complete her hat-trick of top awards.
She previously took Record and Song of the Year seven years ago for the soundtrack hit Shallow from A Star is Born – which also earned her an Oscar.
This year, Song of the Year, which honours songwriting, is a crowded category that includes Carpenter’s Manchild and Golden from the Netflix animated smash KPop Demon Hunters.
Many pundits believe the energetic K-pop hit is likely to triumph.
Best New Artist
Up for Best New Artist are Alex Warren, girl group Katseye, Britain’s Olivia Dean, TikTok dancer-turned-singer Addison Rae, The Marias, Sombr, Lola Young and Thomas – who was already a Grammy winner two years ago for producing a song by SZA.
Reactionary
For musicologist Kehrer, the inclusion of rap, reggaeton and K-pop in the top Grammy categories reflects changes in the composition of the Recording Academy’s voting group.
More than 3,800 new members have been admitted. Half of these are aged 39 or younger, and 58 per cent are people of colour, the academy says. Invitations were also extended to all members of the Latin Recording Academy.
“The Grammys are more reactionary than anything else,” said Kehrer.
“These artists winning major awards is more an indication of climate, rather than an attempt to move or change the climate.”
The Grammy Awards will once again be hosted by comedian Trevor Noah.
The main broadcast begins at 5:00 pm (0100 GMT Monday), though many of the 95 awards will be handed out at a pre-gala event.
