Burna Boy to play Grammys premiere ceremony

Hosted by American singer-songwriter Jhené Aiko, the event is a precursor to the Grammy Awards main show on the same day. It will see Burna Boy perform alongside international acts including Poppy, Rufus Wainwright and Kamasi Washington.

The premiere ceremony also forms part of the events that make up Grammy Week 2021, which the Recording Academy says will “celebrate this year's nominees and the music that unites us.”

Presented by the Recording Academy and first held in 1959, the Grammys celebrate “artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position.”

Originally scheduled for 31 January, the 63rd Grammys were postponed to 14 March due to the “deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles”, where the ceremony will take place. Additionally, all events constituting this year’s Grammys Week will be held virtually as a result of the pandemic.

Burna Boy will be looking to pick up his first-ever Grammy after earning a second consecutive nomination for his 2020 LP Twice As Tall. The Afro-fusion singer scored a nomination in the Best Global Music Album category, formerly known as Best World Music Album. He was shortlisted alongside Grammy-winning Tuareg collective Tinariwen, Brooklyn-based Afrobeat band Antibalas, Brazilian-American pop singer Bebel Gilberto and British-Indian sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar.

Meanwhile, other activities at this year’s Grammy Week, taking place from 8 to 14 March, include Grammy in the Schools Fest, Women in the Mix, the inaugural Black Music Collective Grammy Week Celebration and the Grammy U Masterclass with Tayla Parx. Completing the programme are the Producers and Engineers Wing 20th Anniversary Celebration, the 23rd Annual Entertainment Law Initiative, and MusiCares’ Music on a Mission event. 

The 2021 Grammys will be held at the Staples Center, with South African comedian Trevor Noah fulfilling host responsibilities. Beyoncé leads this year’s nominees with nine nods, followed by Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and Roddy Ricch with six each.