In one way or another, all entertainment awards can spark controversies, be it because of the winners and losers – or sometimes, because someone walks on stage and slaps the presenter to (presumably) preserve his wife's honour.

Whichever the reasons, we, the audience, are accustomed to a particular type of award ceremony that requires debate, outrage and ultimately something that'll make us talk about it long after the red carpet has been removed.

In this context, the Grammy Awards is not different. However, unlike the Academy, Emmy, and Tony Awards, the perception participants have of this event is polarised, to say the least.

On the one hand, the Grammys is a vehicle to boost sales, skyrocket an artiste’s notoriety, and celebrate their artistry; on the other, it’s a self-celebratory tool to enrich those people who already have it all.

Finding common ground between these two diametrically-opposite visions is a daunting and possibly pointless task; what we can do instead is celebrate the work of musicians who are defining their genre of expertise.

So, let’s take a look at what we can expect from the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, happening on Feb 5 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GRAMMYS

The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held in 1959 and awarded works produced the year prior.

The idea of a music-related award arose when the entertainment industry realised many people working in the music industry might not make it to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, so a committee came up with the idea of the Grammys.

Originally called Gramophone Awards, the name will later be shortened to Grammys.

The number of categories grew considerably over the years and now fluctuates between 70 and 80.

The most sought-after ones are the so-called general field categories: “Album of the Year”, “Record of the Year”, “Song of the Year” and “Best New Artiste”. These award categories, together with another few selected among the most interesting for the public, are the only ones that get presented live on television.

Today, the awards are alternated by magnificent performances by some of the most popular artistes of the year and comedy sketches.

By the way, Trevor Noah will be presenting the awards for the third time this year.

As for the submission process, only members of the NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) can submit albums published the year before for consideration.

These works are reviewed by a committee of 150 music-industry experts, who can then vote to nominate the album for one of the general field awards or other fields. The five recordings that get the most votes are the five nominees.

Once all nominees have been defined, NARAS voting members are asked to choose among them which one should win, and the final result is broadcasted live on the night of the event.

CRITICISM OF THE GRAMMYS

The selection process sounds pretty straightforward, right?

If you were wondering whether the public was involved in the curation or selection of the winners, now you have your answer, and that’s also what’s drawn the most criticism on the Grammys throughout the years.

Over the years, the anonymous industry professionals that get to choose whose work of art should be awarded often got it completely wrong, neglecting albums that'll go on to become legendary, like Jeff Buckley's Grace and Nas’ Illmatic, among others.

However, what many artistes find disappointing more than the committee’s short-sightedness is the fact that the Grammys seem like the perfect tool for the recording industry to celebrate itself rather than a way to praise actual creative efforts.

Musicians who’ve complained publicly about the nature and purpose of these awards abound: from Pearl Jam to Tool, to Bon Iver and The Weeknd.

While in different ways, all of them questioned the logic, values and purpose that make the Grammys the most popular music-related award in the world.

WHAT’S NEW AND PREDICTIONS

This year we’ll have five new categories:

• “Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media”
• “Best Alternative Music Performance”
• “Best Americana Performance”
• “Best Spoken Word Poetry Album”
• “Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical” 

Plus, for most categories, it's required to present music that features at least 75 percent of original material (until 2022, the percentage was 50%).

The most nominated artiste this year is Beyoncé, with a stunning nine nominations for her album Renaissance.

Queen B is currently the most-nominated artiste in the history of the Grammys, together with her husband Jay-Z; if she wins in four categories, she’ll also become the most-awarded one, at just 41.

Just like in 2017, Beyoncé is facing her Grammys nemesis Adele, who’s competing in seven different categories with her album 30. Six years ago, the British artiste won “Album of the Year” and “Record of the Year” over Beyoncé’s critically-acclaimed album Lemonade.

With eight nominations, Kendrick Lamar is the second most-nominated artiste of the year with Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, last year's most anticipated release.

The album is ambitious, beautifully arranged, and unforgettable, so I wouldn't be surprised if Lamar ended up being the most successful artiste of this year’s Grammys.

K-pop superstars BTS were nominated for the third year in a row for best pop duo/group performance with the track My Universe.

The track is a collaboration between the South Korean band and Coldplay, which, after Something Just Like This with The Chainsmokers in 2017, are making group collaborations one of their most successful formulas.

GRAMMY AWARDS 2023 NOMINEES

“Album of the Year”

• ABBA – Voyage
• Adele – 30
• Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti
• Beyoncé – Renaissance
• Brandi Carlile – In These Silent Days
• Coldplay – Music Of The Spheres
• Harry Styles – Harry’s House
• Kendrick Lamar – Mr Morale & The Big Steppers
• Lizzo – Special
• Mary J. Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous

“Record of the Year”

• ABBA – Don’t Shut Me Down
• Adele – Easy On Me
• Beyoncé – Break My Soul
• Brandi Carlile featuring Lucius – You And Me On The Rock
• Doja Cat – Woman
• Harry Styles – As It Was
• Kendrick Lamar – The Heart Part 5
• Lizzo – About Damn Time
• Mary J Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous
• Steve Lacy – Bad Habit

“Song of the Year”

• Adele – Easy On Me
• Beyoncé – Break My Soul
• Bonnie Raitt – Just Like That
• DJ Khaled featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend, Fridayy – God Did
• Gayle – ABCDEFU
• Harry Styles – As It Was
• Kendrick Lamar – The Heart Part 5
• Lizzo – About Damn Time
• Steve Lacy – Bad Habit
• Taylor Swift – All Too Well

“Best New Artiste”

• Anitta
• Domi & JD Beck
• Latto
• Maneskin
• Molly Tuttle
• Muni Long
• Omar Apollo
• Samara Joy
• Tobe Nwigwe
• Wet Leg

Ignored artistes, controversial nominees, a shady selection process: everything about the Grammys seems to be preparing us for a night of debate and disagreements.

Some of the artistes included in this list, like Lamar, are undoubtedly pushing the boundaries of music and enriching the sonic palette of their genres, whichever they are. And for that, we should all be grateful.

However, me being me, I’d like to end this piece with the words of Eddie Vedder back in 1996, when he won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance”.

“I don't know what this means. I don't think it means anything. That's just how I feel.”

Listen to 65^th Grammy Awards nominees with KEF

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Writer | Marco Sebastiano Alessi

Marco is an Italian music producer, composer and writer. He’s the founder of Naviar Records, a music community and record label exploring the connection between experimental electronic music and traditional Japanese poetry.