6:40 p.m. Huge, huge cheers in the crowd for Chappell winning new artist. Think they’re almost glad someone not in the Disney machine broke through to major pop success, especially for being exactly as eccentric and unabashedly gay as she wanted to be. Good on her for advocating for living wages and healthcare from music!
“Labels, we got you, but do you got us?” Hell yeah. — A.B.
Chappell Roan, the Norma Rae of drag-inspired 2020s electro-pop! I’m so, so interested to see how Chappell’s career plays out over the next five years. “Fame sucks” has been the default mode for new pop stars since, what, Lorde’s “Royals” more than a decade ago? Yet again and again, Chappell finds a way to take it a click further, either by provoking her fans or the music-business machinery around her. — M.W.
6:24 p.m. You know, it says something very encouraging about pop’s freshman class that the normie of the group — Teddy Swims — is a face-tatted grunge-soul singer wearing Doc Ock shades and a flower-adorned duster. Keep pop weird! — M.W.
Shaboozey’s got a big hill to climb here for new artist but man, I’m rooting for him. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is just a perfect song, and he’s got more of them in the wings. It’s just a diabolically well-crafted single. He’s got even better tunes to come. — A.B.
Will admit I’m extremely tired of hearing “A Bar Song,” but I’m with you on Shaboozey’s charm and magnetism. Hope he finds a way to break the Lil Nas X curse. — M.W.
Raye has been an industry best-kept secret for a bit as a writer, hope this is a big breakout for her in the Adele-power-bloc of voters. — A.B.
Huge look for Raye, though she’s probably the act that would’ve been best served by one of the Grammys’ little biographical videos. Sometimes I think the secret of Adele’s success isn’t her voice — it’s her personality. — M.W.
6:21 p.m. Doechii is legit the first rapper I think may have seen “All That Jazz” more times than I have. — M.W.
Doechii is so, so good, and good in a specific virtuoso-lyricist/rap-craft way that probably reminds Grammy voters of the ‘90s golden era that keeps winning trophies today. — A.B.
6:15 p.m. Benson Boone at a bistro table with Jennifer Lopez. Inspiring. — M.W.
J. Lo moves on QUICK. — A.B.
Who could resist? I’ve seen Benson Boone perform three of four times at this point and have never NOT seen him in a gorgeous jumpsuit. Not the same jumpsuit. Different jumpsuits! — M.W.
Tearaway powder blue disco singlets are gonna be flying off the shelves after this Benson Boone set. What a backflip! — A.B.
“THE GRAMMYS, BABY!” says Boone. I’ve seen enough. Best new dreamboat. — M.W.
6:03 p.m. Taylor Swift presenting the country album award says to me that Beyoncé won. — M.W.
Did someone just watch “Conclave,” Mikael? — A.B.
LOL the Grammys are very Vatican! — M.W.
Beyoncé for country album. Huge achievement on the merits in a hard genre to cross into, and a giant flashing neon bar sign this might be her year for album. — A.B.
“Genre is sometimes a code word to keep us in our place,” says Beyoncé, who’s now the first Black woman to win the country album Grammy. — M.W.
And I agree, August, that Beyoncé’s win augurs more awards. Was texting with a Nashville source the other night who’s convinced she’s taking it all tonight. — M.W.
Yep, if she broke through the famously Beyoncé-skeptical Nashville establishment voting bloc to win this, she’s got a huge, huge wind at her back. — A.B.
5:58 p.m. In a pre-taped piece before her performance of “Pink Pony Club,” Chappell Roan says L.A. was “ultimately where I feel the most free,” and that’s an L.A. value worth keeping in mind the next few years. And I really hope “Pink Pony Club” ends up in the great L.A. sleazy underdog pop canon. It’s Randy Newman worthy. — A.B.
I wonder if Chappell decided after the fires to do “Pink Pony Club” instead of her Big Grammy Record, which is “Good Luck, Babe!” — M.W.
Yeah, great occasion to shout out neighborhoods affected by all this. — A.B.
5:43 p.m. Everyone knew this was a big year for the Pop Girlies, but St. Vincent and Doechii and Charli XCX and Sierra Ferrell cleaning up in the subgenres suggests this is going to be a deep-category story too. — A.B.
Feel like I’ve still never gotten a good explanation of the Chad Smith/Will Ferrell thing. — M.W.
Anthony Kiedis has regrettably changed from his outfit at FireAid, where he was a goth Tapatio guy. — A.B.
Goth. Tapatio. Guy. — M.W.
Sabrina for pop vocal album. Barry Koeghan must be in shambles. Might actually become The Joker now. — A.B.
I’m into Sabrina’s win. I think “Short n’ Sweet” is a long shot for album of the year — like, a very long shot — but it does basically everything you want from a pop album. You laugh, you cry, you wonder which Letters to Cleo record she told her guitar player to study. — M.W.
Yeah, it’s an exemplary pop album in the sense that it’s expert, accessible and packed with variety and true star power. She’s clearly got a lot of champions here tonight. — A.B.
5:41 p.m. While we’re on a commercial break, I’ll mention that I spoke with Dawes and the god Randy Newman yesterday about their opening number. Fun fact I couldn’t fit into my story: Newman’s favorite new discovery is … Gracie Abrams. —M.W.
5:31 p.m. Cardi B, who’s presenting rap album, is one of only two women who’ve ever won this award (along with Lauryn Hill of the Fugees). — M.W.
And it’s Doechii! Add a third name to that criminally short list, Mikael. — A.B.
Love that Doechii is calling attention to the history here. — M.W.
Big shoutout to her sobriety too, hell yeah. — A.B.
It is crazy, though, that — as a proud hip-hop theater kid — Doechii won a rap album Grammy before Nicki Minaj. — M.W.
5:25 p.m. I appreciate Sabrina Carpenter’s NOT trying to tell the world that she was sleeping when Grammy noms came out and she didn’t even know until she woke up to a million texts and wow what a crazy thing. — M.W.
Kinda rare to get someone who is receiving the breakout-young-superstar treatment at the Grammys who is also this many albums (and years of Disney training) deep in preparation to be this good and pro tonight. — A.B.
She’s got such a head start that it’s almost not fair. — M.W.
5:18 p.m. Very sweet gesture to give this ad block to an Altadena flower studio, Orla. — A.B.
Raj Kapoor, one of the show’s executive producers, told me in an interview last week about their plan to make spots with local businesses affected by the fires. Sounded weird, but that was kind of touching. Doja Cat: good pitchwoman. — M.W.
5:14 p.m. It’s kind of nice to see Billie with a really big backing band of live players! — A.B.
And this parched desert landscape — two for two on L.A.-centric performances. — M.W.
“Birds of a Feather” feels like one of those songs that’ll be around forever. I’ve probably heard it 150 times? Still dig it. — M.W.
5:12 p.m. Trevor Noah getting in some light cracks about being deported. Will that just be a dark undertone of the night or will anyone speak up more forcefully? — A.B.
Feel like Noah just live-blogged the entire last year of music in six minutes. I’m tired! — M.W.
5:10 p.m. Wonder what palms Sam Altman greased for Trevor Noah to suggest AI can make a new Rihanna album happen. — A.B.
5:05 p.m. Pretty big moment for local rock to give stalwarts Dawes (whose singer and drummer lost homes and studios in the Eaton Fire) such a huge opener with “I Love L.A.” with John Legend, Brad Paisley, St. Vincent, Sheryl Crow and Brittany Howard. — A.B.
St. Vincent finessing that indelibly ‘80s synth solo — love to see it. — M.W.
5:03 p.m. Best line from Trevor Noah’s opening monologue about our town’s identity as the global hub of pop music: “L.A. was the city where Snoop first mixed gin and juice.” — M.W.
5:00 p.m. Well, August, here we find ourselves yet again. Obviously, the big awards-centric question is whether Beyoncé finally wins album of the year — or the Recording Academy just goes ahead and renames the prize after Taylor Swift. Any other tight races you’re watching? — M.W.
Mikael, it’s finally time for the inimitable high drama that only Music’s Biggest Night can offer. The fires obviously will be a huge theme for the night, and a big responsibility for the Academy to honor. It’s such an undisputed huge year for excellent pop that I’m holding out for at least one insane Classic Grammy Curveball, like an André 3000 win for album. — A.B.
