After three months of delay, the Grammy Awards are upon us again because of the increase in Covid incidents within the U.S.

The media usually advertise the glittering ceremony as “music’s biggest night” – that covers both the size of the event and its stupefying length.

Awards will first be presented to winners in Las Vegas at 12:30 on Sunday, eight hours before an album that wins the award is handed out around 20.30 local time (04:30 within the U.K.).

It’s 70 categories total that includes everybody, from Lady Gaga to Barack Obama, on the nominee’s list.

Unlike last Year’s more modest ceremony, which was both recorded and live performances, 2024’s ceremony will be a more traditional event – featuring Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Carrie Underwood, Silk Sonic, and Olivia Rodrigo performing on stage on M.G.M. Grand Arena. M.G.M. Grand Arena.

• The comedian Trevor Noah will host for the second time.
• Here is 19 information about the ceremony that will help get you ready…

1.) Voters were required to listen to A LOT of music

Nearly 22,000 songs and albums were considered this year, leading to shortlists for the significant categories increasing from 8 up to 10 nominations for the very first time.

“We’re living in a time of extraordinary growth in music,” said Recording Academy C.E.O. Harvey Mason, Jr. “Over 60, 000 songs are daily released. With all the music to choose from. There’s more quality to recognize and celebrate.”

2.) Olivia Rodrigo is the one to beat.

Disney actor turned pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo is nominated in every of the top four categories. She is a good chance of an unbeatable sweep.

The 19-year old is almost an automatic lock-in to be the best new artist of the Year. Her classy breakup ballad Drivers License is a strong contender for the song best of Year (which recognizes the lyrics and the music) and the best record for the Year (which acknowledges the performance, production, and engineering).

The only category she may have difficulties with is the AlbumAlbum of the Year. This is because her bright and uplifting debut album Sour stands against more complex, intricate musical albums from Jon Batiste, Kanye West, and H.E.R.

If Rodrigo gets the four awards, she’ll become only the third artist to accomplish this feat and only the second after Christopher Cross and Billie Eilish.

3) A track from 1934 can be recorded as the Year.

You read it right. Cole Porter’s I Get A Kick Out Of You is among the ten tracks in the race to be the recorded song of the Year due to a brand new cover version performed by Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett.

It would be part and parcel of the long-standing Grammy tradition of honoring the past guard, no matter if their most recent release were instrumental in defining the Year in music.

In Bennett’s case, it’s a fitting tribute to his career, which spans more than eight decades in the music industry and concert venues. Bennett announced his retirement in the Year 2000 at 95 years old, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

4.) There will include tributes for Stephen Sondheim and Taylor Hawkins

What Would We Do Without You? Broadway famous Stephen Sondheim will be remembered with a song at Sunday’s celebration, including performances by Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Ben Platt, and West Side Story star Rachel Zegler.

The plans are also to pay tribute to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins during the concert – a week following his death at 50 years old.

“We will honour his memory in some way,” C.B.S. executive vice president of music Jack Sussman told Variety magazine. “We want to figure out what is the right thing to do that is respectful to everyone involved. We’re patient. We’ll be planning right up until the very end.”

5.) Jon, who?

Jazz musician Jon Batiste is nominated more than any other artist in the world, with 11 nominations altogether that recognize both his boundary-breaking Solo AlbumAlbum called We Are and the soundtrack for the Pixar movie, Soul.

A part of a New Orleans musical dynasty, He’s probably best known as the band’s director for Stephen Colbert’s U.S. chat show.

However, he’s been widely applauded for his first AlbumAlbum that celebrates the past 40 years of African-American music. American music while acknowledges the particular struggles the black community faces.

It is worth noting that only two artists have overtaken that number of nominations in a row – Michael Jackson in 1984 and Babyface in 1997.

6.) Dua Lipa took herself out of the race

Dua’s huge smash Levitating was the top-selling single for 2024 across the U.S. and had sat for the record-breaking period of 70 % of its time on the Billboard chart. But it’s completely absent from The Grammy nominations.

Variety magazine has confirmed that the track was not considered for consideration, presumably not to acknowledge the rapper who was featured DaBaby following his series of homophobic remarks earlier this year.

7.) Drake is still boycotting the show.

Drake has won a total of four Grammy Awards

Drake’s newest AlbumAlbum, Certified Lover Boy, was nominated as his rap album. The track Way 2 Sexy, featuring Future and Young Thug, was eligible for a performance by a rapper. Drake, however, requested that his nominations be removed before the end of the voting period, which was when the Academy accepted his request.

He’s been a frequent critic of the awards ceremony, even when awarded. “We play an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport,” the man said when receiving the God’s Plan award for 2019. “You already won if you have people singing your songs word for word if they’re singing in your hometown. You’re already winning. You don’t need this right here.”

The other artist who is not present Also not present is The Weeknd, who is refusing to take part in the Grammys following his omission the previous Year.

Ariana Grande and Doja Cat were also unable to submit their duets to the singer in an apparent sign of solidarity. However, Kanye West didn’t seem to get the message: his single Hurricane, which features The Weeknd and Lil Baby, made it on the top songs of rap that are melodic.

Speaking of Kanye…

8.) Kanye West has been ordered not to perform

In the Year that Grammy nominees were revealed in 2000, Kanye West picked up five nominations and AlbumAlbum of the Year for his diverse and scattershot 10th AlbumAlbum Donda.

It seemed like the beginning of a new age. West was a long-time critique of the ceremony’s lack of representation of black artists. He also in 2020, he filmed himself urinating while accepting the stage during one of his Grammy awards.

Two weeks before the event, the organizers told the actor that the show would not be able to go ahead because of the star’s “concerning online behavior,” Variety magazine reported.

This appears to have involved the release of a cartoon music video, which depicted the kidnapping and funeral of a man who looked like Pete Davidson – the U.S. comedian who is dating Kim Kardashian’s ex-wife West and also an Instagram post that employed the word “racial” to describe Grammys hosts Trevor Noah.

As of this writing but West is not yet invited to the event. Censors are scowling over the mute switch if West does get to deliver an address.

9.) The Academy isn’t yet entirely on the same page as B.T.S.

Despite selling the top-selling single worldwide last Year, the Michael Jackson-inspired summer anthem Butter South Korean pop band B.T.S. is nominated only for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance award.

In the past, they could not win the section by a narrow margin to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande and their duet Rain On Me. Gaga may prove to be their demise again in 2024, and Gaga’s Tony Bennett collaboration was also shortlisted for the award.

It seems that the B.T.S. Army had hoped to be able to console themselves with a performance from the boyband, but even the looks are in danger following the news that B.T.S. members Jungkook and J-Hope were found to be positively for the Covid-19.

10.) Adele was too late to be invited

After winning the board at the Brits just two months ago, Adele has been omitted from the Grammy shortlists for a straightforward reason. The pop star’s return track, Easy On Me, and her massive fourth album, 30, were released before the cut-off date of September 30th, 2024.

Other albums that didn’t make the deadline include Ed Sheeran’s (Equals), Bruno Mars, and Anderson . Paak’s An Evening with Silk Sonic and Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s version). You can expect them to be in the mix in the coming year.

11.) Country music had a terrible year

There are 40 nominees for the Grammys in the four categories. However, only one nomination was given to a country singer: Jimmie Allen.

Voters turned their backs on established stars, including Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton, Mickey Guyton, Maren Morris, and Sturgill Simpson, who all released well-received, commercially-successful albums in 2024.

While Morgan Wallen – who had the top-selling Country album this Year, was detained after being caught on camera drinking and using racist language at the beginning of 2024.

12.) Kanye West might have to be a part of the Grammy together with other 160 individuals

If Kanye West is awarded the AlbumAlbum of the year award for Donda, the stage will become very crowded.

On the nominations list, his AlbumAlbum is listed as having been credited to over 160 people – which is a reflection of the fact that many albums are being put together by using songwriting workshops, guest verses, beat-swapping multi-producers, remixes, and reworking iterations of the same track.

In the past, there was a limit to who contributed 33 percent of an album’s playing time and was eligible for a nomination. However, the rule was eliminated in 2024.

Contrast The just five people listed on the credits of Billie Eilish’s Happier than Ever.

13.) Abba proves it’s never too late to earn a Grammy nomination

A quick 50 years after the release of their first single, Abba received their very first Grammy nomination – the record of the Year for their hit single I Still Believe in You.

It’s not likely to be successful – if voters were interested in casting a vote for Abba and her band, they could be nominated in the pop genre categories, however, this nomination corrects an oversight made in the past.

The band themselves celebrated the award with typical Swedish humor. “A Grammy should be mandatory for those who dare leave 40 years between album releases,” they said to Variety in an announcement. “We suggest a new category.”

14.) Pakistani musician Arooj Aftab is a surprise choice for the best new artist award.

The top category of new artists always throws some twists…

The fans of British group Glass Animals were stunned to be nominated for the award this year after more than ten years since they first came together (they have only just begun to feel the first rays of U.S. popularity, as evidenced by the most popular track Heat Waves).

Also shocked was Pakistani-American artist Arooj Aftab who was awarded an award based on her AlbumAlbum Vulture Prince.

“I didn’t think that something like that could happen,” said the 37-year old before making his way to Las Vegas for the ceremony and added: “I felt like it’s something that should happen.”

Aftab She studied at the Berklee School of Music and is located in Brooklyn. She has been receiving high praise for her music, which blends the jazz genre, Hindustani classical music, and Sufi dedicational poems. The collection, Vulture Prince, is dedicated to her younger brother, who passed away during the recording of the AlbumAlbum.

15.) There’s a dispute about classical

Then the violinist Curtis Stewart heard that his AlbumAlbum Of Power was nominated for the most outstanding solo classical instrument Grammy. The musician was thrilled.

“I just didn’t think I would have much of a chance,” he said to Yes magazine, but “I got that nomination was extremely heartening for me.”

According to a lengthy article published in The Observer, several musicians have filed complaints about his nomination to the Recording Academy. They claim that Stewart’s AlbumAlbum and another track composed by Jon Batiste were “miscategorized” as classical works.

Professor Apostolos Paraskevas from Berklee College of Music, Boston, stated that jazz-related compositions were not part of these categories.

“Both of those musicians deserve the recognition for their work. But we cannot compare apples and oranges,” the journalist said.

“If you look at the nominees for the best contemporary classical composition, you see amazing musicians who write operas and symphonies. Batiste’s piece is two minutes long, someone playing sequences in the jazz style. If this person gets an award, this is a big slap on our face.”

16.) Billie Eilish could make Grammy history

In the short time she’s been as a pop star Billie Eilish has proved to be a favorite among Grammy people. She’s already become one of the first women to be the winner of all four major categories on the same night. And this year, she’s able to achieve a few other records.

If she is awarded AlbumAlbum of the Year with Happy Than, Ever she will become the first artist in history to be awarded the title both for their debut album as well as the Album’sAlbum’s follow-up.

The Album’sAlbum’s title track is being considered for the recording of the Year, in which case Eilish could be the only person to be awarded that award for three consecutive years.

17.) There are a few controversial candidates

Five years after being accused of sexual assault, Louis CK is up for the top comedy album.

The rock singer Marilyn Manson could win an award for AlbumAlbum of the Year as a performer and songwriter on Donda even though she is on possibility of trial for sexual assault (he has denied the allegations). Producer Dr. Luke, who has been accused of sexual assault by his former associate Kesha (again, the latter is in denial of the allegations), could be in line for the AlbumAlbum best of the year award, the song of the Year, and the top rap song because of his association with Doja Cat.

The comedian Dave Chappelle got a nod for his best spoken-word album, even though he was the subject of furious controversy over jokes he wrote about trans people.

Grammys director Harvey Mason Jr defended these nominations in a statement made to The Wrap, saying: “We don’t limit the individuals who can submit their submissions to be considered. We don’t review the history of a person’s life or look into their criminal records.

“What we will control,” he added, “is our stages, our events, our shows and the red carpets. We’ll scrutinize those who want to be participant, or to be present and make our choices at that time. We’re not going be involved in restricting individuals from submitting their work to our voters to choose.”

18.) Tony Bennett is (almost) the oldest Grammy nominee in the Grammy Awards history.

In the Year that Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga released Love for Sale, their AlbumAlbum of Cole Porter standards, last October, Bennett broke the Guinness World Record for the most extended individual to launch an album with new music. He was 95 and a day old.

The collaboration is set to release the best album; Bennett is now the oldest person nominated in any category of Grammys’ “big four” categories… However, Bennett is a spring chicken compared to Pinetop Perkins, the blues musician from Mississippi who was awarded the most famous traditional blues album in 2011 at the age of 97.

19.) There aren’t many ways to enjoy a show in the U.K.

In the U.S., the Grammys will air the U.S. on C.B.S. and Paramount+ at 8:30 pm E.T. Sunday. U.K. viewers won’t be able to view life and, unfortunately, the broadcasters don’t have plans to air highlights the next day.

However, The Recording Academy usually posts clips of the winners on their YouTube channel in real-time. Then we’ll provide full news and commentary on B.B.C. News throughout the night.