It was inevitable that the Grammy Awards would honor the memory of Prince during Sunday night’s ceremony and Grammy officials confirmed it earlier this week, adding that a tribute to George Michael was also planned for the show.
But who will be behind the microphone? The Grammys aren’t saying. But last week, Billboard reported Bruno Mars was in talks to perform a Prince tribute backed by members of the Time. The 31-year-old Hawaii native and “Uptown Funk” hitmaker feels like an obvious choice for the role, and he was reportedly on the wish list for last year’s BET Awards Prince tribute as well as the live concert at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center staged by Prince’s family.
The list of officially announced Grammy performers includes numerous names who could contribute to the Prince tribute, including Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, John Legend, the Weeknd and Tori Kelly, who played both the BET Awards and the Xcel Prince tribute. And don’t count out Beyonce, who is up for nine awards. She isn’t on the Grammy schedule, but she’s heavily rumored to be making a surprise appearance.
Prince has a long history with the Grammy Awards. In 1985, he performed “Baby I’m a Star” during the ceremony and left with three trophies, including best rock performance for “Purple Rain.” He returned in 2004 to play a medley of “Purple Rain”-era hits with the help of Beyonce and an eight-piece string orchestra. Over the years, Prince amassed a collection of seven Grammys, while three of his albums have been inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame: “1999,” “Purple Rain” and “Sign O’ the Times.”
The 59th annual Grammy Awards will air live at 7 p.m. Sunday on CBS.
Pop music critic Ross Raihala can be reached at 651-228-5553. Follow him at Twitter.com/RossRaihala.
