It’s pandemic awards-show season, which, thus far, has meant a lot of technological glitches and acceptance speeches given from the couch. But the executive producer of the Grammys on Sunday promises that this one won’t give you “Zoom fatigue.”
Published : 14 Mar 2021, 09:40 AM
We’ll see about that.
The 63rd annual Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah from “The Daily Show,” comes during a challenging time for the music industry — after a year of cancelled tours, shuttered music venues and uncertainty around the short-term future of live music. The show was originally planned for January but was postponed for six weeks over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus in California.
The performances have been engineered to appear like a continuous broadcast, even though some are pretaped. They will occur on five stages, arranged facing each other in the round, near the awards’ usual home of the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
On top of pandemic-related concerns, the industry is rife with behind-the-scenes controversy: For years, there have been complaints of bias against women and Black artists, in addition to grievances over an opaque Grammys voting system that critics say is unfair and out of touch. The Weeknd, who received no nominations this year despite releasing a commercially and critically successful album, said that he would boycott the awards from now on because of the secret committees that oversee nominations in 61 of the show’s 84 categories.
But on Sunday, the Recording Academy is planning a program that shows a happier, more unified side of the music industry.
What time do the festivities start?
The ceremony begins at 8 pm Eastern time, 5 pm Pacific. You can tune in on CBS or stream the show on Paramount Plus, a new streaming platform that recently replaced CBS All Access.
There is an earlier Grammys ceremony starting at 3 pm Eastern time, noon Pacific. Hosted by singer-songwriter Jhené Aiko (a Grammy nominee herself), the show features performances by several nominees, including Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy, blues musician Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and German pianist Igor Levit. More than 70 Grammys will be awarded at this ceremony, which is streamed on Grammy.com and on the Grammys YouTube channel.
Is there a red carpet show?
Yes. The Grammys pre-show, which includes the red carpet stream, starts at 6:30 pm Eastern time. There will be the typical giddy pre-show interviews with stars, and glimpses at the backstage setup. You can watch that on Grammy.com; it will also be streaming on Facebook Live.
Who will be performing in the main ceremony?
Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, BTS, Harry Styles, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion — to name a few. Because of the pandemic, the Recording Academy describes its approach as “coming together, while still safely apart.”
Also on the lineup are Bad Bunny, Doja Cat, Maren Morris, Roddy Ricch, Post Malone, Lil Baby and Mickey Guyton, the first Black female artist to be nominated for best country solo performance. A notable absence is Adele, whose potential appearance was the subject of fervent fan speculation online.
What should you watch for?
Beyoncé, who has nine nominations, will be aiming for her first win in a major category since 2010; a group of our critics and reporters discussed whether she could win record of the year with “Black Parade.” She could also score a win from her feature on “Savage (Remix)” with Megan Thee Stallion. Other contenders for Record of the Year include Dua Lipa (“Don’t Start Now”), DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch (“Rockstar”), Doja Cat (“Say So”), Billie Eilish (“Everything I Wanted”), Post Malone (“Circles”) and Black Pumas (“Colors”).
Taylor Swift did not score a nomination in the top category, but she has five nominations connected to “Folklore,” an album made entirely in quarantine.
A novel feature of the Grammys this year focuses on those hardest hit by the pandemic. The show will highlight the struggles of independent music venues by having staff members from four live music spots — the Troubadour and the Hotel Café in Los Angeles, the Apollo Theater in New York and the Station Inn in Nashville, Tennessee — present various award categories and encourage fans to support their local clubs.
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