Jimmie Allen, Ledisi & More to Perform at 2022 Grammys’ Premiere Ceremony
Jimmie Allen, Ledisi, Mon Laferte, Allison Russell, and Curtis Stewart are set to perform during the Premiere Ceremony prior to the 64th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (April 3). LeVar Burton will host the event, at which the vast majority of Grammys are presented. Only about 10 are presented during the live telecast.
The show will open with a multi-artist performance by Madison Cunningham, Falu, Nnenna Freelon, Kalani Pe’a, John Popper, and The Isaacs.
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Presenters include current nominees Jimmie Allen, Arlo Parks, Nate Bargatze, Nnenna Freelon, Pierce Freelon, and Sylvan Esso, as well as Jimmy Jam, a five-time Grammy winner and former chair of the Recording Academy’s board of trustees.
The Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will stream live from MGM Grand Conference Marquee Ballroom in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3 at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on the Grammy’s YouTube page and on live.grammy.com.
Most of the participants are current Grammy nominees. Allen and Parks are both nominated for best new artist. Parks is also nominated for best alternative music album (Collapsed in Sunbeams). Russell has three nominations, more than any of these other participants — best American roots performance (“Nightflyer”), best American roots song (“Nightflyer” with Jeremy Lindsay) and best Americana album (Outside Child).
Burton, a film and TV star, may seem an odd choice to host the event, but he is a past Grammy winner and a current nominee. He won best spoken word album 22 years ago for The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. and is nominated again in that category this year for Aftermath.
This year, for the first time, all of the nominees in that category are Black men, a fact that Burton made note of in a statement.
“I’m excited to host this celebration of the best performers across genres and art forms,” he began. “I am incredibly honored in particular to be represented in the best spoken word category this historic year, with a cohort of five other outstandingly talented Black men, along with the words of the late great Congressman John Lewis.”
The Premiere Ceremony is produced by Chantel Sausedo, a long-time member of the Grammy production team, along with three Recording Academy executives — Branden Chapman, chief operating officer; Ruby Marchand, chief awards and industry officer; and Rex Supa, vice president, production and event operations, all on behalf of the Recording Academy.
Greg Fera is executive producer. Cheche Alara is music producer and musical director.
The 64th Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live following the Premiere Ceremony on CBS and Paramount+ from 8 to 11:30 p.m. ET/5 to 8:30 p.m. PT. Trevor Noah, star of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, is hosting the Grammys for the second year in a row.
