Europe 1 with AFP // Credits: MICHAEL TRAN / AFP 9:19 a.m., February 4, 2024

During the night from Sunday to Monday, the music industry will have its eyes glued to the 66th Grammy Awards ceremony. The prestigious gramophone presentation is about to set Los Angeles on fire. And if last year, Beyoncé became the most awarded artist in history, this year again, it is the singers who rule the world of music. 

The Grammy Awards on Sunday celebrate the omnipresence of women at the top of the American music landscape, offering a chance for Taylor Swift to cement her status as queen of pop, with a possible fourth album of the year award. If her latest opus “Midnights” wins the top prize, the 34-year-old singer will enter the Pantheon of this equivalent of the music Oscars. She would thus surpass Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder, who won this award three times.

The singer has just been elected personality of the year 2023 by Time magazine. And his “Eras Tour” was a phenomenal success. She generated more than a billion dollars in revenue in 60 dates last year, an amount never seen before in music history. But to win, the American will have to get rid of tough competition, dominated by other female artists. Singer SZA arrives in Los Angeles with maximum aura, with nine nominations. Eclectic, his second album "SOS" mixes r'n'b, pop, rock and jazz influences with electro tones.

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Olivia Rodrigo and Miley Cyrus are also in the running for album of the year, as are Lana Del Rey and Janelle Monae. As for the indie rock group boygenius, made up of the trio Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, it won six nominations. The head of the Recording Academy, which represents professionals in the American music industry and organizes the Grammys, Harvey Mason Jr, said he was "optimistic" about the fact that the strong presence of women is not limited to publishing 2024.

The Grammys jury has included 2,500 new women and now includes 40% people of color, he assured AFP, on the sidelines of a gala organized before the official ceremony on Sunday. "We want to make sure we are up to the task. So there is work to do. There always is. We need to have more women, more people of color, more diversity," he insisted. .

Jon Batiste in ambush

Especially since the Grammys offer significant visibility to artists, explained Tanya Trotter, of the blues/country group The War and Treaty, also present at the gala. “Just being nominated for a Grammy puts you on a different playing field,” Tanya Trotter assured AFP. “That holds more greetings upon you.” The major awards are therefore likely to be awarded this year to women. Unless jazzman Jon Batiste, who has established himself in recent years as the darling of the Grammy Awards, surprises his world.

The virtuoso pianist is the only man in the running in two of the most prestigious categories – album and song of the year – two years after his coronation against the elite of pop. His song of the year nominee "Butterfly" was written for his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, when she was hospitalized for leukemia. She was unable to witness her triumph in 2022. In the running for the Oscars, the film “Barbie” also made it to the Grammys with 11 nominations thanks to its original soundtrack punctuated by songs performed by stars Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Nicki Minaj.

U2 from Las Vegas 

Actor Ryan Gosling also scored an unexpected viral hit, with his delirious lament "I'm just Ken". Also on this album, the sparkling Bronx rapper Ice Spice could be crowned revelation of the year. The ceremony will be presented by comedian Trevor Noah. It generally leaves the spotlight to the show, as most of the 90 categories are decided before the evening itself. The headliners of the competition, SZA, Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, will therefore have time to deliver a performance on stage. The rock group U2 will make an appearance from Las Vegas.

In Los Angeles, the stage will also feature rapper Travis Scott, country singer Luke Combs and Nigerian venue sensation Burna Boy. At 80, Canadian singer Joni Mitchell also appears on the Grammy Awards stage for the first time. In the running this year for the Best Folk Album award, this glory of the Woodstock generation has already won nine Grammys during her career. The ceremony will begin at 5:00 p.m. local Sunday (01:00 GMT Monday).