Music’s biggest night is almost here and while we’ve heard a few interesting announcements, The Recording Academy seems to be saving a lot of surprises for the Grammys stage. Despite the lack of advanced notice, the performers and presenters that have been confirmed has us excited about the 66th Annual Grammys Awards—airing live Sunday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT on CBS and Paramount+.
With Trevor Noah returning to host for the fourth straight year and SZA leading all nominees, there’s a lot of fun moments we can’t wait for, so we decided to preview the five we’re anticipating the most.
SZA’s Big Moment
SZA’s “SOS” was the album everyone talked about in 2023, so it’s awesome to see its success validated with nine nominations. We have no doubt she’ll burn up the stage with her big performance, but we hope it translates into wins. Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” seems like the frontrunner for Album of the Year, but The Recording Academy doesn’t always go with the best-selling or most popular choice. Jon Batiste is a Grammy favorite, so if someone plays spoiler, it could be him.
Victoria Monét’s ‘On My Mama’ Takeover
Despite her nomination for Best New Artist, Victoria Monét isn’t a newcomer. However, the success of “On My Mama” introduced her to a new crop of fans who weren’t familiar with her music. Since the single is nominated for Record of the Year and the video has become so iconic, we’re expecting a major star-making performance.
Tracy Chapman Finally Gets Her Flowers
Country star Luke Combs had a monster hit with his cover of Tracy Chapman’s classic “Fast Car.” Now, it looks like the legend will finally get her due for being a trailblazer in the singer/songwriter space, as Variety reports she will join Combs for a duet of the song.
Whether it was her focus on producing good music instead of radio friendly hits, her willingness to be her unapologetic self or just the behind-the-scenes politics of the music business, Chapman has never really been given the respect she deserves for her talent and influence.
Trevor Noah Is the Best Party Host
For the fourth year in a row Trevor Noah is hosting the Grammys, and honestly, they could just give him the job permanently. He’s genuinely excited to be there and that shines through the television. At no point does he make the audience in the arena, or at-home viewers, uncomfortable. Ahead of the big show, Noah explained to The Root that he just wants to keep things fun and positive.
“My goal is to create an experience that brings the people together, as opposed to tears anybody down,” he said. “My goal is to have fun with it. But to have as broad of fun as possible, so that everyone walks away feeling like they were included.”
Grammy Surprises
The Recording Academy loves to promote the show by hyping up the surprise “Grammy moments” you only see on this stage. Well, they’re not wrong. There’s always a few special collaborations that we didn’t see coming and can’t stop talking about.
Jon Batiste and Janelle Monáe haven’t officially been announced as performers, but both have multiple nominations, including Album of the Year, so we really hope they make surprise appearances.
The 66th Annual Grammy Awards air live on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and stream live on Paramount+ With SHOWTIME. The event is available to stream the next day for those with a Paramount+ Essential subscription.