Rhythm of award night in full swing
THE 59th Grammy Awards are likely to become a political protest podium.
It will be tough for musicians who want to sound off about President Donald Trump to let their music do the talking but the organisers of the 2017 ceremony face a much more difficult task than keep-
ing them to the script. How do they honour the raft of seminal and much-loved musicians who died last year and still keep the spotlight on the artists who are nominated?
The Grammys announced this week that they will pay homage to Prince and George Michael with “unforgettable tribute segments” while the many other famous musicians who passed away in the cursed
2016 will be remembered during the annual In Memoriam performance.
“You’ve got a lot of people incredibly excited about being nominated,” executive producer Ken Ehrlich said. “I don’t want to deny them by devoting a third of the show to people who’ve passed away.”
And there is little doubt the lion’s share of Grammys excitement will be dedicated to
the performance of Beyonce – and her twins.
Pundits trying to predict who will take out the night’s major awards – Album, Song and Record of the Year – have pitted Queen Bey against Adele. The short odds are on Beyonce’s Lemonade to take out the album prize, with the British golden-voice chartslayer the favourite for the single gong with Hello.
But there are always upsets at the Grammys, as evidenced by the regular Kanye West stage invasions or post-show rants. He is relatively unknown in Australia but Americana star Sturgill Simpson could do a Beck and win Album of The Year from the big names of Beyonce, Adele, Justin Bieber and Drake. Let’s just hope Bieber, who is rumoured to be boycotting the
awards, isn’t the one staging the surprise.
And pundits in the US are also warning that Lukas Graham could prove the dark horse to take out Single of the Year with the hit 7 Years, while Twenty One Pilots might stage the upset win of Record of The Year.
What is certain is one of the night’s most jaw-dropping moments will be owned by heavy
metal lords Metallica who announced this week Lady Gaga will join them for “something unique and special”.
Gaga revealed the idea for the duet came when she was hanging out at the home of actor Bradley Cooper, who will direct her in their remake of A Star Is Born, with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich late last year.
Australian music fans have
nominees Sia, Flume and Keith Urban, who will also perform, to cheer on.
Other artists confirmed to make or break their careers with a performance on the big night include Katy Perry with her new single Chained to the Rhythm, breakthrough country artists Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini, The Weeknd, Daft Punk and the talented Bruno Mars.