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A “very different” Grammy awards will take place in Los Angeles this weekend, impacted by the recent wildfires that have affected California.
The annual celebration of music, taking place at the Crypto.com arena on Sunday, will still feature a range of big-name performers but there will be a noticeable shift in purpose.
“It’s not going to be a typical Grammy party atmosphere,” said Harvey Mason Jr, the CEO of the Recording Academy. “It’s not only ‘the show must go on’ but the show must provide a greater service. Of course, we’re going to honor music, but our goal is to utilise music to make a difference.”
The week leading to the Grammys typically sees a string of major parties put on by record labels, but the majority have been cancelled in response to the fires, which have killed at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of structures. Money will instead be diverted to those in need.
“We have some great things in the show that will definitely help to raise funds,” Mason said. “It will honour some of the heroes that have been protecting our lives and our homes. It will hopefully shine a light on some people that need more help and more services.”
The annual tradition that will go ahead in Clive Davis’s legendary gala, which takes place the night before. This year’s event will also include a fundraising element. “We want to ensure that the evening will not only be a memorable night of music but will also provide impactful support for those very much in need,” Davis said.
This year’s nominees are led by Beyoncé, whose country album Cowboy Carter brought her 11 nods, making her the most nominated artist ever alongside husband Jay-Z. Beyoncé has yet to win the award for album of the year and if she wins this weekend, she would be only the fourth Black woman to take it home. The star has been nominated for the award four times before.
“I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone, and never won album of the year,” Jay-Z said last year on stage. “So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that. The most Grammys, never won album of the year. That doesn’t work.”
Beyoncé has already become the first solo Black female to top the country charts in the US and could make history if she wins in the country categories on Sunday.
The singer, whose mother Tina Knowles lost a home in the fires, has donated $2.5m to relief efforts.
In the category of album of the year, she faces competition from stars including André 3000, Billie Eilish, Charli xcx and Taylor Swift, who won last year. Swift, who has now won 14 Grammys, has also donated to a number of wildfire funds. In an Instagram statement, urging others to also contribute, she wrote that it was “heartbreaking to see the stories unfold”.
The singer has been confirmed to present an award on Sunday.
The evening will be hosted by Trevor Noah and feature performances from multiple nominees Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter with a special tribute to the late Quincy Jones, featuring Stevie Wonder and Janelle Monáe.
“It’s Grammy week,” Roan wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. “I am very emo. My heart feels warm and fuzzy with all the support I have been given this past year. I hope you can understand that this has been incredible and scary and spiritual and confusing.”
The evening lands in the middle of an awards season that has seen delays and shifts as a result of the ongoing wildfires. The Oscar nominations were delayed twice and a tweaked ceremony will remove original song performances and spend more time trying to “acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires”.
The Critics Choice awards were also delayed until 7 February.
This week also saw a benefit concert in Los Angeles with stars including Olivia Rodrigo and Joni Mitchell performing.
