Everything We're Looking Forward To At The 2022 Grammys

We can only hope that the 64th Grammy Awards will be just as surprise-filled and entertaining as the Oscars. After getting rescheduled from the top of the year, music’s biggest night will finally kick off Sunday — and not a moment too soon.

After a modified ceremony in 2021, you’ll be pleased to hear that the 2022 Grammys will be back to normal this year with actual live music performances, though with a slight location change; due to rescheduling conflicts, the Grammys, which normally hosts its ceremony in either New York City or Los Angeles, will be taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Still, it’s likely to be a memorable and historic night with a slate of exciting performances lined up, and many big wins expected. Trevor Noah is hosting for the second time in a row. And it’s the Grammys — there’s always something brewing in the wings. Below are six moments NYLON is most looking forward to come Sunday, including some of our award predictions, a rumored celebrity appearance, and a Taylor Hawkins tribute.

Olivia Rodrigo Sweeping The Big Four

Perhaps one of the biggest questions leading into Sunday night is whether Olivia Rodrigo will sweep the Grammys’ Big Four. If you ask us, it’s extremely likely, especially with Billie Eilish setting that precedent just a few years ago.

If there’s any other pop star that could rival the stratospheric rise Eilish had in 2019, it’s Rodrigo. Her debut album, Sour, was a critical and commercial smash, and has everything the Grammys cares about when it comes to awarding young song-makers: a short list of credited songwriters, with Rodrigo being one of them. Let’s face it: the Recording Academy loves the look of showering awards on a seemingly underdog candidate (if it’s not too controversial of a pick), and it’s Rodrigo’s luck this year — and why shouldn’t it be?

BTS finally winning a grammy for “Butter”

The time has come for the Recording Academy to give BTS their roses. After two years of nominations and zero wins, we’re hoping that the record-breaking K-pop group will finally win Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Butter.” If not, the snub will look even worse for the Academy the third time around.

Doja Cat Winning Her First Grammy

After netting 0 wins in 2021, this could be Doja Cat’s year. The singer, who’s gotten exponentially more popular since last year’s ceremony, is up for a whopping eight awards (including two in Album Of The Year for her record Planet Her and Lil Nas’ X’s Montero). While it’s unlikely that she’ll pick up any in the general field categories — we’re guessing those will go to Rodrigo — she could still net a hefty load from her genre-specific nods. She has two nominations in the pop field and one in rap, so her net is definitely cast wide. We wouldn’t be surprised if she picks up her first, second, and possibly third Grammy on Sunday.

Woman Musicians Dominating The Alternative Field

For the second year in a row, women musicians dominate the Best Alternative Music Album category (we’re not acknowledging the dismal rock category nominations this year). Japanese Breakfast (Jubilee), Halsey (If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power), Arlo Parks (Collapsed In Sunbeams), St. Vincent (Daddy’s Home), and Fleet Foxes (Shore) are all up for the award, and while we very much enjoyed Fleet Foxes’ clarifying record, we’re hoping that this year, the trophy will go to one of our indie faves.

A Tribute to Foo Fighters Drummer Taylor Hawkins

The music world is still reeling from the tragic death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. While the band was scheduled to perform at the 2022 ceremony, it’s likely that won’t be happening anymore. The Grammys instead has announced that they’re preparing a tribute to the late musician to air during the ceremony, though details about what it will entail haven’t yet been released. Hawkins died on March 25 at just 50 years old.

Live Musical Performances Again

The Grammys showrunners did a fine job making do with capacity restrictions last year, but let’s face it, the half pre-recorded segments and half live segments did leave it all a bit wanting. Thankfully, everything will be aired live this year, including, most importantly, the musical performances. And it’s looking to be a stacked night where that’s concerned; Olivia Rodrigo, BTS, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, and more are set to take the stage. And none other than Silk Sonic will kick off the show.

A Surprise Kanye Appearance

This isn’t something we’re exactly excited about per se, but the thirst for drama definitely has us a little curious. Although Kanye was formally barred from performing at the awards show in March and even had his performance pulled, the Recording Academy has seemingly been suggesting that the rapper could make a surprise appearance on Sunday night anyway. When asked about what the show would do if Ye decided to come, the CBS Head of Specials insisted to Deadline that he would be welcome. “If he chooses to come, okay,” Jack Sussman said. “There’s no one keeping him from coming.” Which to us reads, yeah, he’ll definitely be there — and what’s a night at the Grammys without a little chaos?