The most anticipated celebration of the music industry is approaching. The 2016 Grammy Awards has an immense amount of talent to showcase, and with the nominations out, everyone is making predictions about which artists and albums will be honored this year. For the first time, the Grammys will air live nationwide this February. To take advantage of the long Presidents’ Day weekend, the ceremony will take place on a Monday night instead of a Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Rapper and actor LL Cool J will host the Grammy ceremony for the fifth year in a row. He will present the talent, including the highest ranking nominees like Kendrick Lamar with 11 nominations, Taylor Swift with seven and The Weeknd with seven.
For “Record of the Year,” the nominees are “Really Love” (D’Angelo and The Vanguard), “Uptown Funk” (Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars), “Thinking Out Loud” (Ed Sheeran), “Blank Space” (Taylor Swift) and “Can’t Feel My Face” (The Weeknd). With a group of such solid nominees, it is hard to predict a clear winner. Earlier in 2015, nobody could go a day without hearing “Uptown Funk” on the radio, but Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd have been topping charts more recently. Swift is such a strong candidate for other categories that Sheeran, the well-loved British singer, may pull through here.
“Song of the Year” also has a tight competition. The nominees are “Alright” (Kendrick Lamar), “Blank Space” (Taylor Swift), “Girl Crush” (Little Big Town), “See You Again” (Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth) and “Thinking Out Loud” (Ed Sheeran). It is most likely a tossup between Lamar and Swift for the top spot here.
The “Best New Artist” nominees are Courtney Barnett, James Bay, Sam Hunt, Tori Kelly and Meghan Trainor. Trainor is probably the most recognizable singer to the general public, but James Bay, a soul/folk rocker, and Courtney Barnett, a great lyricist and guitarist, have both done some amazing work.
Another big category is “Album of the Year,” which will feature “Sound & Color” (Alabama Shakes), “To Pimp a Butterfly” (Kendrick Lamar), “Traveller” (Chris Stapleton), “1989” (Taylor Swift) and “Beauty Behind the Madness” (The Weeknd). With each of the highest ranking nominees pitted against each other, this category should be one to watch.
Besides the presentation of awards, the biggest night in music also has quite the lineup of performers. Those artists announced thus far include Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Little Big Town, Pitbull, Robin Thicke, Justin Bieber, Diplo, Skrillex, Carrie Underwood, Sam Hunt, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Tori Kelly, Ellie Goulding, Travis Barker, Andra Day and James Bay. The cast of the current Broadway hit musical “Hamilton” will make an appearance, as well. The Grammys have also organized tribute pieces in honor of Lionel Richie, David Bowie (performed by Lady Gaga), Lemmy (performed by The Hollywood Vampires), and B.B. King (performed by Chris Stapleton, Gary Clark Jr. and Bonnie Raitt).
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards premieres on Feb. 15 on CBS.
