What time are the 2020 Grammy Awards?
The nominees have been announced, the snubs have been made and the stage is set: Music’s biggest night is nearly upon us.
The 62nd Grammy Awards take place Sunday, capping a week of music-related festivities in and around Los Angeles.
The ceremony also arrives as the Recording Academy is embroiled in a bitter dispute with its recently ousted president and chief executive, Deborah Dugan, who was placed on leave just 10 days before the event. Dugan has made a slew of allegations against the organization, which in turn has made its own about Dugan’s brief tenure at the academy.
Drama aside, here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Grammys.
What time and what channel?
The main Grammy Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS from Staples Center in downtown L.A. at 5 p.m. Pacific time. Gilded gramophones for the Recording Academy’s marquee categories (new artist, song, record and album of the year) as well as a few others, are handed out during the televised bit, which is peppered with musical performances and mashups.
What’s this about two ceremonies?
The bulk of the 84 Grammy Awards are doled out during a pre-telecast ceremony that will take place across the street from Staples Center at the Microsoft Theater earlier in the day. Though that show isn’t televised it is usually streamed on grammy.com and winners are announced on the academy’s social feeds as the day progresses.
Who’s hosting?
After her critically lauded run as emcee last year, 15-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys is returning to host the main telecast. Keys brought her brand of universal love and spirituality to last year’s show. How she’ll top the surprise appearance by former First Lady Michelle Obama or her viral dual-piano performance at this year’s show is still unclear.
“Last year was such a powerful experience for me,” Keys said when she was given the gig in November. “Not only did I feel the love in the room but I felt it from around the world and it confirmed the healing and unifying power of music.”
After last year’s successful gig, musician Alicia Keys will return to host the 2020 Grammy Awards for a second time, and we are here for it.
Who’s nominated?
“Truth Hurts” singer Lizzo leads this year’s class of nominees with eight nods, while 18-year-old Billie Eilish made Grammy history as the youngest artist to earn nominations in all four of the academy’s top four categories. She and country-rap star Lil Nas X of “Old Town Road” acclaim tied with six nominations apiece. All three will compete for the best new artist trophy, along with the Black Pumas, Maggie Rogers, Rosalía, Tank and the Bangas and Yola.
2020 Grammy nominations complete list: See who’s up for what
Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X lead the 2020 Grammys nominations list.
The nominations recognize hundreds of musicians, songwriters, producers and engineers stretching across 84 categories spanning pop, rock, rap, R&B, country, folk, gospel, Latin music, jazz, classical and film music. The overall nominations slate this year is dominated by numerous young acts, women and hip-hop artists, indicating that the Recording Academy is embracing the shifting tides of music consumption today.
In a field rife with new talent, comparative veterans such as Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga may find themselves shut out from the big four awards.
The other nominees in the top categories include:
Album of the year
- “I, I” — Bon Iver
- “Norman F— Rockwell!” — Lana Del Rey
- “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go” — Billie Eilish
- “Thank U, Next” — Ariana Grande
- “I Used to Know Her” — H.E.R.
- “7” — Lil Nas X
- “Cuz I Love You” (Deluxe) — Lizzo
- “Father of the Bride” — Vampire Weekend
Record of the year
- “Hey, Ma” — Bon Iver
- “Bad Guy” — Billie Eilish
- “7 Rings” — Ariana Grande
- “Hard Place” — H.E.R.
- “Talk” — Khalid
- “Old Town Road” — Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
- “Truth Hurts” — Lizzo
- “Sunflower” — Post Malone & Swae Lee
Song of the year
- “Always Remember Us This Way”
- “Bad Guy”
- “Bring My Flowers Now”
- “Hard Place”
- “Lover”
- “Norman F— Rockwell!”
- “Someone You Loved”
- “Truth Hurts”
Who’s performing?
What’s the Grammy Awards without all those live performances and signature, eyebrow-raising group numbers? Here’s who’s participating in this year’s ceremony so far:
Among the performers are veteran rockers Aerosmith, who are being recognized for their philanthropic work as the MusiCares Person of the Year. The band will perform a medley of some of its hits alongside lifetime achievement award recipients Run-DMC.
Lizzo led the field with eight nominations; Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X each received six. Lizzo and Eilish were both nominated in all four major categories.
First-time nominees and breakout stars Billie Eilish and Lizzo will each make their Grammy stage debuts, while real-life “The Voice” couple Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani will take the Grammy stage together for the first time.
Making a big comeback, pop star Demi Lovato will also perform, as well as current Grammy nominees Camila Cabello, H.E.R., the Jonas Brothers, Rosalía and Tyler, the Creator.
Ten-time Grammy winner Bonnie Raitt will pay tribute to lifetime achievement award recipient John Prine. And John Legend, DJ Khaled, Meek Mill, Roddy Ricch, Kirk Franklin and YG have been tapped to salute fellow nominee Nipsey Hussle, who was shot and killed at age 33 last year in South Los Angeles.
Want more?
Follow The Times’ coverage of this year’s show at latimes.com/grammys.
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