59TH ANNUAL
GRAMMY AWARDS
On CBS, Sunday at 8 p.m.
Wondering where Lady Gaga ended up after concluding her electrifying Super Bowl halftime show with an ostensibly death-defying leap off-camera? Look no further than the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the Mother Monster ranks among a who’s-who of big stars who’ll be performing at Sunday’s 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
The list includes multi-nominated British vocal powerhouse Adele, R&B crooner Bruno Mars, and the lyrically dexterous Chance the Rapper, a nominee for best new artist.
Viewers can also look forward to a reverential night that pays special homage to two of the artists who died in 2016. Individual tribute segments are planned for Prince, a seven-time Grammy winner, and two-time winner George Michael.
“While the primary focus of the Grammy Awards is to celebrate and honor the year’s best in music, we consider it our responsibility to tell music’s broader story by honoring its legends lost,’’ said Ken Ehrlich, who has produced the ceremony since 1980, in a statement.
Another iconic artist lost in 2016, David Bowie, was honored during last year’s ceremony, which took place just weeks after his death. This year he has received five posthumous nominations for “Blackstar,’’ his final recording.
Performers have not yet been announced for the Prince and George Michael tributes; Gaga, who tore through a medley of Bowie’s greatest hits last year, is one possibility, but ceremony organizers may look to distance themselves from a repeat of the criticism (including a stinging tweet from Bowie’s son) incurred by that homage.
If they want to spread the wealth, there are plenty of options. Others set to perform at the ceremony — to be broadcast live on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. — include The Weeknd and Daft Punk, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Lukas Graham, Metallica, Anderson .Paak, A Tribe Called Quest, Dave Grohl, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Sturgill Simpson, Andra Day, Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini, William Bell, Gary Clark Jr., Little Big Town, and Cynthia Erivo.
In fact, the strength of the artists on hand is such that host James Corden has reportedly chosen not to script a cold open, instead launching the ceremony with a still-unspecified performance.
Beyond star power, viewers might also expect some incendiary speeches. Given the tense cultural climate surrounding the early days of Donald Trump’s presidency, as well as twin examples set by actress Meryl Streep during January’s Golden Globes and “Stranger Things’’ star David K. Harbour at the recent SAG Awards, it’s within the pale to expect at least a few headline-making moments at the ceremony to skew political in nature.
But don’t expect news from some of pop music’s biggest names, at least not onstage. Justin Bieber, Kanye West, and Drake are all expected to skip the ceremony this year: Bieber as part of an apparent dismissal of the awards as a whole, West in protest of deadline-related snubs for Frank Ocean’s “Blonde’’ and “Endless’’ albums, and Drake due to a scheduling conflict with his ongoing “Boy Meets World’’ tour.
Isaac Feldberg can be reached at isaac.feldberg@globe.com and on Twitter at @i_feldberg.
