Five things to watch for at the 67th Grammy Awards

The Grammys have long faced criticism that they're too white and too male. In recent years, the Recording Academy, which organizes the show, has made efforts to improve on that shortcoming, including by diversifying its voting membership. Those efforts seem to have yielded some progress: the past few galas have proven historic for women in the major, all-genre categories as well as in fields where they were routinely sidelined, like rock. But a stark truth remains: a Black woman has not won Album of the Year in this century. The last to do so was Lauryn Hill, in 1999. Before her, Whitney Houston won in 1994, and Natalie Cole in 1992. With her sprawling, ambitious "Cowboy Carter" that underscored the rich history of Black artists in country music, Beyonce is all but daring Grammy voters to snub her once again. One thing is for sure: Win or lose, Beyonce will dominate the headlines.

This year's Grammys ceremony takes place just weeks after deadly wildfires engulfed entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles, shattering the lives of thousands of residents including many in the music industry. But the Recording Academy decided the show must go on, although it will likely be a more muted affair than usual, with an extra emphasis on raising money for fire relief efforts. The fires have lent prominence to the Academy's philanthropic arm MusiCares, which says it has already distributed several million dollars in emergency aid, and which will hold its annual fundraising pre-Grammy gala on Friday - sans red carpet.

Sabrina Carpenter

The Grammys never disappoint with the head-scratchers: this year, the most puzzling nomination went to The Beatles - yes, those Beatles, the group that broke up more than 50 years ago. The Record of the Year nomination for "Now and Then" spotlighted the Recording Academy's ongoing debate on how to handle artificial intelligence. An AI tool allowed for isolating John Lennon's vocals from a poor quality demo tape, which were then added to contributions from living Beatles Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, along with 1995 guitar recordings from the late George Harrison. The track is eligible for a Grammy because the AI was not generative, and the nomination could be a nod from the Academy to the future of production and recording. If The Beatles win - Grammy voters do love a legacy act - it would be their first time ever scoring that prize, after four failed attempts in their heyday.

Sunday's concert gala will include a salute to the singular Quincy Jones, who after Beyonce (32) and the conductor Georg Solti (31) is among the most awarded artists, with 28 career Grammys. The 91-year-old died in November after ruling the American music industry with a magic touch for well over half-a-century, working with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson. A jazz musician, composer and tastemaker, Jones's studio chops and arranging prowess made him a star in his own right - and the Recording Academy is set to honor him as such.