Lizzo is among those leading the pack with Grammy nominations this year. Photo / File
Lizzo is among those leading the pack with Grammy nominations this year. Photo / File
First launched in 1959 with Ella Fitzgerald and Ross Bagdasarian sweeping the board with three wins each, the Grammy Awards are the music equivalent of the Oscars, honouring the music industry's greatest talents while predicting the coming year's rising stars. This year's 62nd awards are just around the corner, so here's everything you need to know about the ceremony in advance.
Alicia Keys, who has won 15 Grammy Awards herself, will return as the host in 2020, after hosting the Grammy Awards in 2019. The last woman to host the awards before Keys was Queen Latifah in 2005.
Who are the nominees for the Grammy Awards 2020?
Lizzo and Billie Eilish are going head to head with eight and six nominations, respectively. The singers will compete for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist. At 17 years old, Billie Eilish was the youngest singer in Grammys history to receive nominations in all four of the main categories. Now 18, if the singer wins Album of the Year for her sleep-paralysis-themed, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, she will break records as the youngest-ever recipient of the award.
Breakout star Lil Nas X, who made his name with 2019's viral hit Old Town Road, also has six nominations, while frontunners for Album of the Year include Lana Del Ray and Ariana Grande. Meanwhile Spanish pop act Rosalía is a sure bet in the Best New Artist category.
Who will be performing at the Grammy Awards?
Rosalía, Camila Cabello, Tyler, the Creator, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Lizzo will all be performing on the night, while 2019 performances included Camila Cabello, Kacey Musgraves, Shawn Mendes, and Cardi B . According to TMZ, Lovato will be performing new material: a song that she wrote just before her drug overdose in the summer of 2018, and the first song she has released since 2018.
Who will attend the Grammy Awards?
A tentative awards seating plan was leaked, which showed Taylor Swift, Beyoncé , JAY Z, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande would be in attendance. The promimity of BTS to The Carters immediately sparked excitement within the BTS fan community. However, a second leaked seating plan with Taylor Swift now absent sparked rumours that, ahead of the release of her Netflix documentary Miss Americana, she had too much on her plate to attend the awards. Variety, too, has reported that Swift has allegedly pulled out of a "secret" performance on the night, too. Might she also be irritated at her surprising snub of Lover from Best Album?
Is there controversy at this year's Grammy Awards?
Does any awards show ever go quietly? Last year, the Grammys were in hot water for, yet again, snubbing major artists in the rap and hip-hop categories, causing Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Childish Gambino to decline invitations to perform.
This year's ceremony has seen Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dougan step down amid harassment scandal. Photo / File
This year, the nominations might not be "GrammysSoWhite'' (although there were still raised eyebrows at Tyler, the Creator's absence from Best Album), but, over the last few months, a nasty feud has swelled within the Recording Academy, coming to a head days before the ceremony.
Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan was placed on administrative leave because of "a formal allegation of misconduct." Dugan, however, has filed a discrimination and sexual harassment claim and alleged that the Recording Academy concealed sexual crimes committed by former CEO Neil Portnow, who has denied the accusations.
Rumours are also circulating that this sexism scandal is the real reason why Taylor Swift has pulled out of her performance.
