Image Credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images
Yes, they will be handing out some gold statuettes at this year’s Grammys, coming up on Feb. 12. But for many, the real draw is the performances — a veritable parade of music-industry stars-slash-nominees.
Taylor Swift, whose album Speak Now is up for Best Country Album and whose single “Mean” is nominated for two more prizes, will join the growing list of artists who will bring their A-game to music’s biggest night. Nicki Minaj, whose second album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is set to hit stores two days after the show airs, will make her debut on the Grammy stage (she is also nominated for three prizes, including Best New Artist).
The current announced performance slate also includes the likes of Kelly Clarkson (who will have an awful lot of national TV exposure in February, as she will also be singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl), Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, and Jason Aldean (who will presumably duet with Clarkson on their smash hit “Don’t You Wanna Stay”).
That’s only a fraction of the performers who will end up rolling out songs on the stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 12. Last year, there were a grand total of 17 performance segments involving three dozen artists.
Since the focus over the past few years has been put on on-stage collaborations, and since the ads for this year’s show focus on past tag-teams like Prince and Beyoncé, the biggest question remains who will link up with who for a memorable performance this time around.
Of all the people already announced, it’d be most satisfying to see Minaj involved in some sort of salute to women in hip-hop (Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Lauryn Hill, and Eve could all make guest appearances, culminating in a climactic beef-burying appearance from Lil Kim).
We would also love to see Dave Grohl open up his Rolodex and invite some of the rock icons he has jammed with just over the past 12 months (including Lemmy Kilmister, Bob Mould, and former bandmate Krist Novoselic).
Who are you hoping will come together at the 54th Grammy Awards? Cast your votes in the comments.
Read more on EW.com:
Taylor Swift joins ‘Les Miserables’: Will her star power motivate you to go to the movies?
Madonna enlists Nicki Minaj, M.I.A. for next album
Today in Kelly Clarkson: Yes, she’s ditching ‘Idol’ for the ‘Voice’; no, Ron Paul didn’t actually affect her sales
Unless something in her life eventually goes horribly awry, it is unlikely that Taylor Swift will ever release a rap album.
