The 68th annual Grammy Awards, set for Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, will be the first in more than a decade without a showdown involving Taylor Swift, Beyoncé or Adele. But it could be a big night for Kendrick Lamar (who leads all nominees, with nine), Lady Gaga (who has seven) or Bad Bunny, who will be competing for six trophies a week before he makes history with his Super Bowl halftime show.
Lamar swept the event’s two top song categories last year with his Drake diss “Not Like Us”; this time, his album “GNX” is up for major trophies alongside “Luther,” his duet with SZA (who has five nods).
The awards will honor recordings released from Aug. 31, 2024, through Aug. 30, 2025, across 95 categories. Here’s how to watch and what to expect.
What time does it all start?
The ceremony will air live on Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern time (5 p.m. Pacific) on CBS and stream on Paramount+. Subscribers to Paramount+ Premium can access the real-time stream both on-demand and on the live feed of their local CBS affiliate station, while Paramount+ Essential subscribers have access to on-demand the day after the ceremony.
The premiere ceremony, where nearly all of the 95 awards are given out, will air before the prime-time event starting at 3:30 p.m. Eastern (12:30 p.m. Pacific) on live.grammy.com and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel. The actor Darren Criss will host (he’s a nominee in best musical theater album) and performers will include Grace Potter, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Zara Larsson.
Who is hosting the main event?
Trevor Noah will return for his sixth straight time hosting the ceremony telecast. This one, however, will be his last. (Ben Winston, one of the show’s producers, said that he implored the comic to return one final time by begging on his knees.)
Who are the top contenders?
In addition to Lamar, Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny, leading nominees include Leon Thomas and Sabrina Carpenter (six each), and Clipse, Doechii, SZA, Turnstile and Tyler, the Creator (with five apiece).
The three biggest all-genre races also include Billie Eilish (whose “Wildflower” is up for record and song of the year), as well as Rosé and Bruno Mars (ditto for “Apt.”). Chappell Roan’s one-off “The Subway” is up in the record category, and “Golden,” the breakout smash from “KPop Demon Hunters,” is a contender for song of the year. In a rarity, album of the year features three rap albums (from Clipse, Lamar and Tyler, the Creator).
Best new artist is a mix of acts who have gotten lifts from TikTok (Addison Rae, Alex Warren and Sombr), British singers and songwriters (Olivia Dean and Lola Young), a K-pop-adjacent group assembled on a reality show (Katseye), an R&B singer and songwriter who got his start as a child star (Leon Thomas) and an alt-pop band that performs in both English and Spanish (the Marías).
Who was snubbed?
“KPop Demon Hunters” has been having a strong year on the movie awards circuit, but only got three nominations at the Grammys. Warren’s “Ordinary” held down No. 1 for 10 weeks, but he didn’t get any nods outside of best new artist. And Lorde was shut out for a second time, picking up zero nominations for “Virgin.”
How does voting work?
The Grammys are voted on by around 15,000 music professionals — performers, songwriters, producers and others with credits on recordings — who are members of the Recording Academy. Members first scan through huge lists of submissions to vote for nominees. After the final ballot is set, they do it again, to select winners.
The 95 categories are divided into 12 fields, including six awards in the general field and the rest divided by genre. Voting members are allowed to cast ballots in up to 10 categories across three genre fields, plus the categories in the general field. While members can choose where to vote, they are “directed to vote only in those Fields in which they are peers of the nominees,” according to Recording Academy rules.
Who will perform?
Lady Gaga, Rosé, Sabrina Carpenter, Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, Tyler, the Creator and Clipse with Pharrell Williams, along with all eight best new artist hopefuls. Lauryn Hill will lead a tribute to Roberta Flack and D’Angelo, and Post Malone will helm one for Ozzy Osbourne.
Who might make history?
If Kendrick Lamar wins more than three awards, he will become the rapper with the most Grammys. (If he wins two, he ties Kanye West, and if he wins three, he ties Jay-Z.) Bad Bunny could become the first Latin artist to take album of the year, and his “DtMF” could be the first Spanish-language song to triumph in record or song of the year. Rosé, the first K-pop artist nominated in two of the biggest all-genre categories, could become the first to win record or song of the year. (“Golden,” up for song of the year, could notch that milestone, too.) Her “Apt.” partner Mars could become the first with four record of the year victories.
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