GRAMMY AOTY: WILL THE FIFTH TIME BE THE CHARM FOR BEY?

This Sunday’s Grammy Awards will take place in the shadow of the ruinous wildfires that have forever upended so many lives here in L.A. Rightfully, most of the conversation surrounding this year’s ceremony has centered on, first, whether or not the show should take place as scheduled, and then, once the decision was made to proceed, on the tone and mood of the broadcast, as many here are still sitting shiva over the unimaginable losses incurred.

The awards themselves, therefore—the usual should-win, could-win, will-win chatter—have gone mostly overlooked in the run-up to Sunday.

This year’s general field categories are packed with artists, mostly women, at or near the top of their games, Taylor, Billie, Chappell, Sabrina, Kendrick and Charli among them. But the big question looming over the 67th Grammys, the one that will and probably should define this year’s show, is: Will Beyoncé finally take home the Album of the Year trophy?

As esteemed critic and Yale professor Daphne A. Brooks points out in a 1/29 New York Times piece, only three Black women have ever won Grammy’s most prized award: Natalie Cole in 1992, Whitney Houston in 1994 and most recently (if you can call it that) Lauryn Hill in 1999.

Beyoncé herself, as has been noted by many (including her husband, Jay-Z, on last year’s telecast), has been nominated for the award five times. COWBOY CARTER (Parkwood/Columbia), her reclaiming and reimagining of country music, follows such AOTY-nominated career landmarks as 2013’s Beyoncé (lost to Beck), 2016’s Lemonade (lost to an apologetic Adele) and 2022's RENAISSANCE (lost to Harry Styles). What does it say about Grammy, Brooks’ piece asks, that Black women are continually deemed less than when it comes to the trophyfest's most prestigious honor?

To his credit, Harvey Mason Jr. has made it a priority to diversify the voting bloc and lower its average age, and in past years the nominees have better reflected the state of popular music.

But change, as they say, starts at the top. And at the Grammys, the top is Album of the Year.