Grammy Awards: Taylor Swift could break a new record

All the spotlight is on Taylor Swift ahead of the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 4), where the pop superstar could make history by winning the album of the year award for the fourth time.

But to win the top prize, the American will have to beat tough competition, dominated by female artists. R'n'b singer SZA will arrive in Los Angeles with maximum aura, with nine nominations. Eclectic, his second album SOS mixes pop, rock and jazz influences with electro tones. Janelle Monae, Lana Del Rey, Olivia Rodrigo and Miley Cyrus are also in the running for album of the year, as is indie rock group Boygenius. Made up of the female trio Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, it arrives with six nominations.

The queen award therefore has every chance of being awarded to a woman. Unless jazzman Jon Batiste, who has established himself in recent years as the darling of the Grammy Awards, surprises his world. The virtuoso pianist is the only man in the running in two of the most prestigious categories – album and song of the year – two years after his coronation against the elite of pop.

His song of the year nominee, Butterfly, was written for his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, when she was hospitalized for leukemia. She was unable to attend her triumph in 2022. “Being at the Grammys again, with her this time? That's what I like best about all of this, Jon Batiste told AFP a few weeks ago. The circle is complete."

If Taylor Swift's Midnights wins the album of the year award, the 34-year-old singer will enter the Grammy Hall of Fame by being crowned in this category for the fourth time. A consecration which would confirm its status as an essential star in the world of music.

Elected personality of the year by Time magazine, his Eras Tour has exceeded the symbolic threshold of a billion dollars in revenue over 60 dates in 2023. An amount never seen before in the history of music. Her producer Jack Antonoff earned her six nominations, both for his work with her and his collaboration with diva Lana Del Rey on the album Did you know there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.

Another heavyweight, the film Barbie, is invited to this equivalent of the Oscars of American music with 11 nominations, notably thanks to the performances of singers Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Nicki Minaj, but also to the actor Ryan Gosling, an unexpected musical phenomenon with his delirious lament I'm just Ken. Also on this album, the sparkling Bronx rapper Ice Spice could be crowned revelation of the year.

The ceremony will be presented by comedian Trevor Noah. It generally leaves the spotlight to the spectacle, because most of the 90 categories are rewarded before the evening itself. Some of the headliners, like SZA, Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, will therefore have time to deliver a performance on stage. The rock group U2 will make an appearance from Las Vegas, where they will perform in the new sphere built by the gaming city.

In Los Angeles, the stage will also feature rapper Travis Scott, country singer Luke Combs and Nigerian sensation Burna Boy. At 80, Canadian singer Joni Mitchell will also perform for the first time on the Grammy Awards stage. In the running this year for the Best Folk Album award, this glory of the Woodstock generation has already won nine Grammys during her career.

The ceremony will begin at 5:00 p.m. local time on Sunday (01:00 GMT Monday).