The 2023 Grammys, set to air on Sunday, Feb. 5, will have a strong focus on contemporary R&B and hip-hop. There will be individual performances by Lizzo, Mary J. Blige and Steve Lacy. DJ Khaled, joined by Fridayy, Jay-Z, John Legend, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross, will perform “God Did,” their No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit. Most notably, there will be an extensive 50th-anniversary salute to hip-hop, hosted by LL Cool J and featuring dozens of hip-hop stars.
Hip-hop will also factor into another set piece on the show. The annual In Memoriam spot will feature three breakout salutes – to Migos co-founder Takeoff, Fleetwood Mac mainstay Christine McVie and country legend Loretta Lynn. Maverick City Music will join Quavo for Quavo’s sentimental ballad “Without You” to honor Takeoff. Bonnie Raitt, Mick Fleetwood and Sheryl Crow will team to perform “Songbird” from Fleetwood Mac’s album of the year-winning Rumours to honor McVie. Kacey Musgraves will perform Lynn’s 1970 classic “Coal Miner’s Daughter” in tribute to the country legend.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras are expected to perform their Hot 100 No. 1 smash “Unholy,” which is nominated for best pop duo/group performance. The song was released just six days before the end of the eligibility year (Sept. 30, 2022). If it had had more time to fully register with Grammy voters, it would almost certainly have been nominated for record and/or song of the year.
At press time, only one of the four artists who had the most 2023 Grammy nominations (Carlile) has been announced as a performer on the show. The other three (Adele, Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar) have not. That may well change as the show approaches. Awards shows increasingly tend to hold back announcements of big names until the last minute to create buzz when they need it the most.
The 65th annual Grammy Awards will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and will be hosted for the third year in a row by Emmy-winning comedian Trevor Noah. The show will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
The 65th annual Grammy Awards are produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Kapoor serves as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Winston and Jesse Collins as executive producers. Phil Heyes joins the team for the first time as director. Eric Cook is co-executive producer with Tabitha Dumo, Tiana Gandelman, Patrick Menton and David Wild as producers.
Prior to the telecast, the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on live.Grammy.com. Randy Rainbow, a first-time Grammy nominee for best comedy album for A Little Brains, A Little Talent, is co-hosting the show. His co-host has yet to be named.
Main Telecast
Host
Trevor Noah
Performers
Bad Bunny
Brandi Carlile
DJ Khaled with Fridayy, Jay-Z, John Legend, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross
Harry Styles
Lizzo
Luke Combs
Mary J. Blige
Sam Smith & Kim Petras
Steve Lacy
Stevie Wonder with Smokey Robinson and Chris Stapleton
50th-anniversary salute to hip-hop: LL Cool J (host), Questlove (producer/musical director), The Roots (music), Black Thought (narrator), Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Melle Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz and Too $hort.
In Memoriam breakouts: Kacey Musgraves; Bonnie Raitt, Mick Fleetwood and Sheryl Crow; Maverick City Music and Quavo
Presenters
Billy Crystal
Cardi B
Dwayne Johnson
James Corden
Jill Biden
Olivia Rodrigo
Shania Twain
Viola Davis
Premiere Ceremony
Host
Randy Rainbow
Performers
The Blind Boys of Alabama with La Marisoul from La Santa Cecilia
Arooj Aftab
Madison Cunningham
Samara Joy
Anoushka Shankar
Carlos Vives
Presenters
Babyface
DOMi and JD Beck
Myles Frost
Arturo O’Farrill
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Jimmy Jam