Many of the night's awards will be handed out prior to the telecast.
For the first time this year, an Album of the Year nominee will serve as the host of the GRAMMYs Premiere Ceremony!
Jhené Aiko is set to serve as emcee for the GRAMMYs' kickoff ceremony on March 14, hosting the pre-telecast event where most of the night's awards are actually handed out. A triple nominee this year, Aiko could take home some awards of her own during the ceremony, which begins at 12 p.m. PT and will be followed by the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards at 5 p.m. PT.
The event will kick off with a special, all-nominee performance celebrating the 50th anniversary of the classic Marvin Gaye track "Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)," followed by performances from Rufus Wainwright, Poppy, Burna Boy, jazz band Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science, blues musician Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, classical pianist Igor Levit, and Latin electropop musician Lido Pimienta.
"No matter where you live, you'll be able to be part of Music's Biggest Night!" the Recording Academy announced on Tuesday. "Hosted by three-time GRAMMY nominee @JheneAiko, the #GRAMMYPremiere Ceremony will take place Sunday, March 14, at 12:00 p.m. PT, and will be streamed live internationally via GRAMMY.com."
The R&B singer's 2020 album, Chilombo, is nominated for Album of the Year and Best Progressive R&B Album. Aiko is also nominated for Best R&B Performance for her song "Lightning & Thunder" featuring John Legend.
ET spoke with Harvey Mason Jr., Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, earlier this year, who explained how this year's ceremony -- which was postponed from Jan. 31 to March 14 due to the coronavirus pandemic -- will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is right next door to the Staples Center.
"It includes some areas around that location, as well as outside and on some of the rooftops, so I think it will be an exciting look for the show," he shared. "Something a little bit different."
At the time, Mason Jr. shared there weren't plans for anyone to attend, "as far as an audience is concerned," however he noted that "nothing is set in stone," as regulations over COVID-19 could change at any minute.
"We'll obviously adjust accordingly, but for us it's really about the health and well-being and safety of our artist community, staff and people working on the show. That's of paramount importance to us," he said. "There will be live performances as planned [right] now, but we don't know going forward what we'll be allowed to do."
"I think there will be more outdoor performances. I think there will be multiple locations, giving us the flexibility to have more than one artist at a time. [With] protocols and trying to sterilize things, you need to shift things around a little bit. So we'll be inside the L.A. Convention Center, we'll be outside in the street, different locations."
See more on the upcoming awards show in the video below.
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