At the Grammys, Beyoncé awaits the big night, Adele in ambush

The long-awaited Grammy Awards will be held Sunday night in Los Angeles. With on the program a duel between two historical figures of the international scene

The cream of the music industry is expected in Los Angeles on Sunday for the 65th Grammy Awards and a question is on everyone’s lips: will Beyoncé finally win the supreme award for “Album of the Year” face in Adele?

The 41-year-old American star has never been so close to the goal with nine nominations this year, after the release of his album “Renaissance”, an opus with dance, house and disco accents. But Briton Adele, with her introspective album “30”, has seven nominations, and could once again win the Grammys, the equivalent of the Oscars for music in the United States.

Beyoncé vs Adele: The Revenge

In 2017, the interpreter of “Hello” had thus crushed his competitors in the main categories, winning five awards with his album “25”, at the expense of the singer born in Houston, whose album “Lemonade”, today now a classic, had to settle for the Grammy Award for “best album of contemporary urban music”.

On stage, Adele gave a rousing tribute to “Queen B,” and the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which hands out the awards, was once again accused of upstageting artists of color. Whatever the outcome on Sunday, history is on for Beyoncé: With the nominations for this edition, she equals her husband, Jay-Z’s record as the most nominated artist in the history of these awards.

And if she is already the female artist with the most small golden gramophones, the 2023 edition could well allow her to take the lead for good and overtake conductor Georg Solti with the most victories. According to the specialized magazine Billboard, the Grammy Award for “best album” should go to him, while Adele would win that of “best song of the year” with “Easy On Me”. “I really hope so, doesn’t she deserve it?” Nile Rodgers, guitarist of the group Chic who contributed to the album “Renaissance”, told AFP.

Beyoncé “is arguably the most culturally significant artist in the world,” noted Merck Mercuriadis, music industry mogul and former manager of the star, during a gala preceding the awards ceremony. Nevertheless, the surprises of previous editions invite us to be wary of predictions.

Bad Bunny, the Spanish-speaking success

Beyond the Beyoncé-Adele duel, other stars shine in this edition, such as rapper Kendrick Lamar who garners eight nominations and American folk-rock star Brandi Carlile, seven nominations. Harry Styles, Lizzo or Mary J. Blige are expected on stage during a ceremony presented again by comedian Trevor Noah.

Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, one of the most commercially successful artists in the world in 2022, is nominated in three categories, including “best album” for “Un verano sin ti”. It is the first album entirely in Spanish to compete in one of the queen categories.

His victory “would be very important for all Spanish-speaking people and for our culture,” Colombian singer Sebastian Yatra told AFP. Taylor Swift, coming from country and become a huge popstar, could finally win a Grammy in the category “title of the year” with the long version of her “All too well”. A track released in 2012 but re-recorded with enough differences that it could compete again.

TikTok, new revelation nursery

For the “revelation of the year” category, after several editions in which the favorites were quite clear – Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion and Billie Eilish – the race is wide open this time. Among the artists named, we find the Brazilian Anitta, the Italian rockers Maneskin, the rapper Latto… So many artists made famous by TikTok, which has become a breeding ground for revelations.

“We try to ignore everything and concentrate until it’s over,” American drummer JD Beck, named in two categories, including “revelation of the year,” told AFP. with French keyboardist DOMi. The group BTS, stars of K-Pop on break, is also in the running.

The Academy, composed in particular of authors, composers, sound engineers, has also named a whole series of artists already well established in the music industry, including Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson and ABBA.