by EMILY BEZERRA Staff Writer
Every year, the Grammy Awards are star-dazzled and very anticipated by people across the globe. This year, the 55th Annual Grammy Awards will be hosted by LL Cool J and Taylor Swift on Sunday, February 10 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and aired live on CBS from 8-11:30 pm.
There are multiple Grammy categories in which five to six nominees are chosen for the award. This year, there are 81 different awards being given.
Typically, the biggest music awards given out are Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist. This year, select artists were nominated multiple times. These artists are referred to as the honorees.
This year, six artists are tied for the most nominations- Frank Ocean, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys), Mumford and Sons, and fun.
Ocean made a break-through this year with his new album “Channel Orange,” which was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Urban Contemporary Album. The album features his hit single “Thinkin’ ‘Bout You,” which was also nominated Record of the Year. On top of all this, Ocean was also nominated for Best New Artist.
Kanye West’s “Mercy,” which features Jay-Z, was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song, along with “N***as in Paris,” another collaboration with Jay-Z. “No Church in the Wild” was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, yet another song by- you guessed it- Kanye West and Jay-Z.
Auerbach received five nominations as a member of The Black Keys, and is also up for producer of the year.
Mumford and Sons certainly made a statement with their new album “Babel,” which was nominated for Album of the Year. Their hit single “I Will Wait” was nominated for Best Rock Performance as well.
One of the most memorable groups of 2013 is fun. The release of their new album “Some Nights,” which is nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, attracted a lot of positive media attention. It is no surprise that fun. was nominated as Best New Artist as well. Their hit single “We Are Young” was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Although the point of the Grammys is to give out awards, the performances are the cherry on top of a spectacular night.
“Usually I’ll watch the Grammys just to see the performances, they’re always awesome,” says sophomore Melanie Conlon.
Black Keys, Mumford and Sons, fun., Rihanna, and Taylor Swift, all of which are nominees, will be performing.
“I’m honestly so excited to see Rihanna perform, she always is so energetic and full of life. She’s great,” says sophomore Brina Haugland.
Do not forget to tune into the Grammy Awards on February 10 at 8 pm to watch the awards ceremony live in high definition and surround sound.