A Guide to the 66th Grammy Awards

Vaishali Prayag, Staff Writer

The 66th Annual Grammy Awards Poster. Photo// Paramount Press Express

It is around this time of the year when the Recording Academy officially reveals the nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards, which will take place on Sunday, February 4 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

This will be the 66th Grammy Awards, and following the success of the preceding one, anticipation is high.

This year has fostered the careers of many artists, from recurring ones like Taylor Swift to new artists such as Gracie Abrams — and despite their status, everyone is deserving of their nominations. Whether or not they will be taking home the iconic trophy, there is no denying that this day remains meaningful for many artists nominated.

This year, SZA is the most notable contestant with nine nominations for record, album and song of the year. Her record-breaking song “Kill Bill” has become a statement R&B ballad.

In fact, the leading nominees this year are almost entirely women, including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Olivia Rodrigo.

The Recording Academy's voting members and record companies first cast their votes, then validate artists into categories and participate in the nominating process that determines the five finalists in each category. Finally, they go through the voting process which determines the official Grammy winners.

There are 11 total genres of music that are explored through these awards namely: Pop, Rock, Metal and Alternative Music, R&B, Rap and Country. Some of the general categories include Record, Song, Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Producer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year.

Additionally, three new Grammy categories will also be debuting, including Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best Pop Dance Recording. These three additions have been long awaited and are part of a larger set of amendments, as they try to make the whole process “more fair, transparent and accurate,” according to the CEO Harvey Mason Jr.

The Awards will air live (8:00-11:30 PM, LIVE ET/5:00-8:30 PM, LIVE PT) on CBS. Keep an eye out to see who will be crowned the unofficial ‘titan’ of the music industry.