The 54th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony is set to take place this Sunday at the Staples Center and promises to be full of top-notch performances to go along with shocking wins and losses.
The show will be hosted by two-time Grammy winner LL Cool J. This is the first time in seven years that the event will have an official host. Past hosts include artists such as Queen Latifah and comedian/television host Jon Stewart.
The awards are divided into 78 genre-specific categories except for the general field, or the “Big Four.” Many of last year’s prominent artists will compete in this field, which consists of record of the year (one particular song), song of the year (for the writers/composers), album of the year, and best new artist.
British singer Adele is nominated for six awards, three of which include the prestigious record, album, and song of the year.
Her second studio album, “21,” has been predicted to win album of the year by Chief Pop Critic Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times and Maura Johnston, music editor from The Village Voice.
Adele’s album, ranked best selling album of 2011 by Nielsen SoundScan’s year-end data, includes the hit song “Rolling In The Deep,” which both Roberts and Johnston also predict will win record and song of the year.
Other nominees for record of the year are “Holocene” by Bon Iver, Bruno Mars’ “Grenade,” “The Cave” by Mumford and Sons, and Katy Perry’s “Firework.”
“Rolling In The Deep,” “The Cave,” “Grenade,” “Holocene” and Kanye West’s “All of the Lights” song from his critically acclaimed album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” will compete in the song of the year category.
But who can forget about Rihanna who has come out with several hits such as “Only Girl (In the World)” and “What’s My Name?” Her album “Loud” earned her a nomination for album of the year. The eccentric Lady Gaga has also been nominated for her “Born This Way” album.
The Foo Fighters’ “Wasting Light,” Bruno Mars’ “Doo Wops and Hooligans,” and Adele’s “21” are also contenders for the album of the year award.
Best new artists nominees are The Band Perry, Bon Iver, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj and Skrillex.
Best rap album is another top category. Kanye West holds two nominations for his “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” album and “Watch the Throne,” his collaborative album with Jay-Z. Lil Wayne’s “The Carter IV,” Lupe Fiasco’s “Lazers,” and Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday” are also nominated.
There will be performances from country pop singer Taylor Swift, The Foo Fighters, Nicki Minaj, and Bruno Mars. Coldplay and Rihanna will also perform live together for the first time.
Adele is also scheduled to perform for the first time after having undergone surgery for vocal cord trauma last November, according to a Los Angeles Times blog. Reports state the singer was unsure if she was going to be cleared to sing but was excited for her first performance in months.
The broadcast will be aired on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.
