LOS ANGELES: Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Dua Lipa lead the charge at the reinvented Grammy Awards on Sunday, where the music industry hopes to put a year-long pandemic behind it.
But an unusually diverse line-up of contenders for the top prize - album of the year - mean it could be anyone's night.
"The nominations were so surprising - The Weeknd not getting nominated - it's a very strange year to try to predict," said Melinda Newman, Billboard's executive editor for the West Coast and Nashville.
"I think it's going to be a year where no-one makes a clean sweep," she added.
The winners are chosen by some 11,000 voting members of the Recording Academy.
Interim Recording Academy president Harvey Mason Jr said he hoped the show would be "a chance to have a little bit of normalcy, of people coming together and playing music."
Beyonce, now the most nominated female artist in Grammy history with 79 career nods, leads all comers with nine nominations. The nods come mostly from music like single "Black Parade" that celebrated Black culture in a year of racial turmoil in the United States.
But Beyonce is not on the list of musicians booked for Sunday's three hour show, which will take place as a mix of live and pre-recorded performances from the likes of Swift, K-Pop band BTS, newcomer Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Latin star Bad Bunny, and Black country singer Mickey Guyton.
Swift and British pop singer Lipa got six nominations apiece, along with rapper Roddy Ricch. Lipa, and her album "Future Nostalgia," may have the edge as the only one of the trio to get nods in all three of the big races - album, record, and song of the year.
"Dua Lipa has been everywhere this last year. It's a really great happy dance disco revival," said Alex Suskind, a senior editor at Entertainment Weekly.
Suskind said he felt that Swift, who got the best reviews of her career for her surprise lockdown album "Folklore," has a better shot at winning song of the year - which is awarded for writing - with the track "Cardigan."
Eilish, 19, who swept the 2020 Grammys with her debut album, is back again with three nods for her ballad "Everything I Wanted," and one for her theme song for the upcoming James Bond film "No Time To Die."
"I think the Billie Eilish train at the Grammys is going to keep rolling," Suskind said.
South Korean boy band BTS marked a breakthrough year in the United States by securing their first major Grammy nomination for their English-language hit "Dynamite."
They will be performing from Korea on Sunday and hoping for a win in the closely-contested best pop duo or group field.
"We just keep seeing these amazing acts coming out of Korea and it doesn't seem like it's ending at all. It's really great fun, pop music," said Newman.
Reuters
Sun Mar 14 2021
![Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Beyonce battle for Grammys top prizes Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Beyonce battle for Grammys top prizes](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-03/81615717981_TaylorSwiftBeyonc.jpg)
Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Dua Lipa lead the charge at the reinvented Grammy Awards on Sunday. - Filepic/REUTERS
![Wanita kritikal terperangkap kebakaran bilik sewa meninggal dunia hari ini Wanita kritikal terperangkap kebakaran bilik sewa meninggal dunia hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81720694407_kebakaran.jpg)
Wanita kritikal terperangkap kebakaran bilik sewa meninggal dunia hari ini
Seorang wanita yang kritikal selepas terperangkap dalam kebakaran di sebuah bilik sewa bangunan empat tingkat di Jalan Plaza Mahkota di sini Khamis lepas, meninggal dunia ketika dirawat di Hospital Me
![Kes buli siber: Kertas siasatan mendiang Esha dirujuk AG Kes buli siber: Kertas siasatan mendiang Esha dirujuk AG](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/71712065120_MKulasegaran.jpg)
Kes buli siber: Kertas siasatan mendiang Esha dirujuk AG
M. Kulasegaran berkata pihak berkuasa perlu menyiasat kes tersebut secara terperinci bagi membawa individu yang bertanggungjawab ke muka pengadilan.
Tarif elektrik antara terendah di Asia Tenggara tarik pelabur asing ke Malaysia
Timbalan Menteri Peralihan Tenaga dan Transformasi Air, Akmal Nasir berkata, kerajaan telah membuktikan tawaran diberikan kepada pelabur berjaya menarik minat syarikat gergasi seperti Google dan Microsoft.
Kertas siasatan buli siber mendiang Esha dirujuk AG
Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Undang-Undang dan Reformasi Institusi), M. Kulasegaran berkata pihak berkuasa perlu menyiasat kes tersebut secara terperinci bagi membawa individu yang bertanggungjawab ke muka pengadilan.
DBKL perlu pasang 20,000 CCTV
Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur kini dipertanggungjawabkan untuk mencari peruntukan bagi memasang 20,000 kamera litar tertutup (CCTV) di seluruh negara, serta merangka aktiviti pengawasan yang lebih berkesan, kata Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri AHmad Zahid Hamidi.
![Menang RM4.7 juta, saya nak simpan dalam ASB Menang RM4.7 juta, saya nak simpan dalam ASB](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721033245_Sekyss.jpg)
"Menang RM4.7 juta, saya nak simpan dalam ASB"
Pemain MLBB yang mewakili Yoodo Selangor Red Giants, Sekyss berkongsi perancangannya selepas beliau dan pasukan menjadi juara dunia bagi kejohanan MLBB MSC 2024, malam tadi.
AWANI Ringkas: Pindaan akta Mahkamah Syariah perlu sepakat
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
![Raja Charles, Permaisuri Camilla akan lawat Australia - PM Raja Charles, Permaisuri Camilla akan lawat Australia - PM](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81721030848_tbKingCharlesandQ.jpg)
Raja Charles, Permaisuri Camilla akan lawat Australia - PM
Raja Britain Charles III dan Permaisuri Ratu Camilla akan melawat Australia pada Oktober, disahkan oleh Perdana Menteri Australia Anthony Albanese, lapor Xinhua.
![Kate Middleton hadir ke Wimbledon bersama anak perempuan, adik Kate Middleton hadir ke Wimbledon bersama anak perempuan, adik](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721030897_tbKateBritainsPr.jpg)
Kate Middleton hadir ke Wimbledon bersama anak perempuan, adik
Kate Middleton, isteri kepada Putera William dari Britain, menghadiri perlawanan tenis di Wimbledon pada Ahad bersama anak perempuannya Charlotte dan adiknya Pippa.
![UAE hantar 3 tan bekalan perubatan ke Gaza UAE hantar 3 tan bekalan perubatan ke Gaza](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81721032513_TBUAEGAZA.jpg)
UAE hantar 3 tan bekalan perubatan ke Gaza
Ia sebagai reaksi terhadap rayuan daripada sektor kesihatan, termasuk Hospital Nasser di Khan Younis yang menekankan keadaan kekurangan ubat-ubatan.
![Taylor Swift pecah rekod, menang lagi Album Of The Year menerusi Grammy Awards! Taylor Swift pecah rekod, menang lagi Album Of The Year menerusi Grammy Awards!](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-02/41707108312_TBTaylorSwift.jpg)
Taylor Swift pecah rekod, menang lagi Album Of The Year menerusi Grammy Awards!
Taylor Swift meraih satu lagi kemenangan menerusi kategori Album Of The Year bagi album Midnights pada Grammy Awards.
![BTS cipta sejarah tercalon dalam Grammy 2021 BTS cipta sejarah tercalon dalam Grammy 2021](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2020-11/71606280068_Kpop.jpg)
BTS cipta sejarah tercalon dalam Grammy 2021
Kumpulan sensasi Korea Selatan itu tercalon dalam kategori Duo Pop Terbaik/Persembahan Berkumpulan menerusi lagu 'Dynamite'.
![Grammy 2016 : Mengapa album 25 Adele tidak dicalonkan? Grammy 2016 : Mengapa album 25 Adele tidak dicalonkan?](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2015-12/71449572232_Adele.jpg)
Grammy 2016 : Mengapa album 25 Adele tidak dicalonkan?
Album "25" yang dilancarkan Adele November lalu laris dijual dan mendapat kritikan positif, namun tidak tercalon untuk Grammy 2016. Mengapa?