The biggest names in music descend on Las Vegas on Sunday for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards , where pop’s finest and jazz talent Jon Batiste compete for the industry’s most coveted awards.

The betting capital of the United States receives the gala for the first time, which should have been held in January in Los Angeles but was postponed due to the increase in covid-19 cases.

Featuring a constellation of stars from all generations nominated, the ceremony comes a week after Will Smith stunned millions of viewers by slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars in Hollywood.

Hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, the Grammys, which will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, may also be a night of nurturing rising stars like pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo , who is competing in seven categories.

But all eyes are on Jon Batiste: the charismatic 35-year-old jazz musician who garnered eleven nominations – the most this year – with his spirited We Are .

Awarded an Oscar for his participation in the soundtrack of Soul  (Pixar), musical director of Stephen Colbert’s famous talk show, son of a prominent family in the music industry in New Orleans and inclined to social activism, Batiste competes against established stars in two of the main categories of the night, in addition to others in the genres of R&B, jazz and contemporary classic.

Old acquaintances

Winners of the Grammy awards come for more in this edition. Billie Eilish , who won an Oscar for best song last week with No time to die , is competing in seven categories, while pop star Justin Bieber is up for eight trophies, as is R&B star HER.

The hit duo of Lady Gaga, 36, and the legendary Tony Bennett, 95, are looking to add to their gramophone collection with their Love for Sale album , which battles it out across six categories.

Also in the Latin categories, the reggaeton singer Bad Bunny is seen by specialists as the strongest contender for the best urban music album, while the Colombian Camilo leads the bets, with “Mis Manos”, for the best Latin pop album. , a category that also disputes the singer and actress Selena Gomez, with Revelation .

The voices in Spanish will also be felt on stage with presentations by the Argentine María Becerra and the Colombian J Balvin, nominated for the best urban music album and who last year asked to boycott the Latin Grammys for considering that they relegated reggaeton to categories of the genre. .

Performance night

The organizers will also include a special segment on Ukraine to urge viewers to contribute to fundraising to finance humanitarian aid and raise awareness of the horrors of war.

Eilish, Rodrigo, Batiste and HER were announced by the Recording Academy as part of the entertainment of the gala that rewards the best in music.

One question hanging over the air was whether rapper Kanye West, who changed his name to Ye, will attend the ceremony. Disputing five categories, some media claimed that the Recording Academy had banned him from acting on stage because of the way he publicly handled the divorce and the new relationship with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian .

Some publications even recalled that Trevor Noah recently questioned West’s behavior, hinting that there may be some tension in the night. The organizers, who expanded the nominees for the main categories to ten, hope that the gala will be remembered as a recognition of diversity.

The Grammys celebration kicked off Friday with a moving tribute to Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell .

The premiere of the ceremony, where several of the awards are announced and which precedes the televised gala, begins this Sunday at 7:30 local time.

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