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Grammy Awards Come Back To LA On Sunday, Along With Street Closures And Traffic Jams
A general view of the exterior at Microsoft Theater after new signage is installed on June 9, 2015, in Los Angeles.
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Juan Ocampo
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AEG/Microsoft Theater via Getty Images
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The Grammy Awards are back in Los Angeles for this Sunday’s ceremony, after taking place in Las Vegas last year and bouncing back and forth between coasts.
The televised ceremony from Crypto.com Arena kicks off at 5 p.m. Pacific on CBS or through streaming service Paramount+. if you want to watch the red carpet arrivals, those are streaming online at Grammy.com starting at 3:30 p.m.
Before that, the Grammy Premiere Ceremony — where the majority of the 91 Grammys across a wide-range of genres are handed out — will be held next door at the Microsoft Theater starting at 12:30 p.m.
That pre-show will be co-hosted by comedian/musician Randy Rainbow, with his co-host yet to be announced as of press time.
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And yes, L.A., that means street closures are on their way.
Where You Might Run Into Traffic Issues
The nearby street closures start Saturday night at 1 a.m. — here's the full list:
- Figueroa Street between Washington and Olympic Boulevards
- Pico Blvd between Albany Street and Flower Street
- L.A. Live between Pico and Olympic Boulevards
- 11th Street between Blaine and Flower Streets
- 12th Street between Blaine and Flower
- Georgia Street between Olympic Boulevard and Chick Hearn Court
- Venice Boulevard westbound between Figueroa and Flower Streets
You can expect slower-than-usual traffic around the venues as celebrities, media, and gawking fans head to L.A. Live.
The closures won't be lifted until overnight Sunday, so don't expect traffic to clear up once the show’s out. There are 5,000 guests expected at the official after-party — it takes place at the L.A. Live complex’s L.A. Convention Center and is set to go late into the night. That party’s entertainment will be headlined by Flo Rida.
Superstar Performances
Trevor Noah, comedian and outgoing Daily Show host, returns again as master of ceremonies for the televised show. Numerous superstar performances are scheduled from artists including Bad Bunny, Lizzo, and Harry Styles.
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Questlove from the Roots is also curating a special performance honoring the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, with artists representing its past, present, and future that include De La Soul, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Grandmaster Flash, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rakim, Run-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa, and more.
Award Favorites
Beyoncé Knowles performs onstage during the 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival Weekend 1 at the Empire Polo Field on April 14, 2018 in Indio, California.
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Kevin Winter
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Getty Images for Coachella
)
The most prestigious awards each year are the four that cut across genres:
- Record of the Year
- Album of the Year
- Song of the Year
- Best New Artist.
The Grammys don’t have the same run-up of precursor awards that you see in film for the Oscars, and can be far more subjective. That means the Grammys almost always surprise — but here are the favorites going into this year’s show.
Record of the Year is for the best recording of a song, going to the performers, producers, and engineers rather than the songwriters. Adele is expected to win for both Record and Song for “Easy on Me,” according to the users of popular prediction website Gold Derby. Listen to the song here:
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The Beyhive is buzzing over whether Beyoncé will finally take home Album of the Year for Renaissance — this is her fourth nomination in the category, but she’s never won. Nonetheless, she’s the favorite going into this year’s ceremony. Her nine Grammy nods this year also tie her for the most-nominated artist of all time with her husband, rapper Jay-Z, each of them having received 88 nominations over their careers.
Despite that success, she’s only won one of the major categories before: Song of the Year in 2010 for “Single Ladies.” Sunday’s show also comes ahead of tickets for her Renaissance tour going on sale, so fans are primed to root for her finally taking this one home. Her competition includes ABBA, Adele, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo, and Harry Styles.
And for Best New Artist, Anitta looks like the most likely to win. Other Best New Artists from recent years include Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish, and Dua Lipa.
Listen To The Nominees
The Grammys put together an official playlist of nominees from this year on Amazon Music. You can listen to it below:
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