Music World To Honour Its Best At Toned Down Grammys | Image: Grammy
With a Black Lives Matter protest song and one of the year’s hottest hits, Beyonce will strive Sunday to end her streak of snubs at the Grammys, as the music world attempts to turn the page on a devastating 2020.
The normally glitzy gala will be toned down, like all major awards show, to a primarily virtual affair, with a mix of live and pre-taped performances in compliance with restrictions of the coronavirus era, which left the industry flailing and forced the ceremony to be pushed back.
The 63rd annual Grammys falls nearly a year to the day after venues big and small were forced to close, as Covid-19 infections flared across the United States.
Ahead of Sunday’s show, Beyonce, whose repeated losses in the top categories have stirred heated controversy, leads the pack with nine nods, followed by Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, and Roddy Ricch with six each.
Beyonce is the most nominated female artist ever with 79, tied with Paul McCartney and just one behind the duo with the most nods: her husband, Jay-Z, and Quincy Jones, who each have 80.
Her sweeping “Black Parade”, released in June amid explosive nationwide anti-racism protests after another spate of deadly police violence targeting African Americans, is up for Record and Song of the Year honours.
Many critics nevertheless favor the chances of Lipa, who took an ultimately successful risk in dropping a sparkly disco ball of a dance album just as the pandemic took hold.