(SOUNDBITE OF SABRINA CARPENTER SONG, "PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE")
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
The 67th Grammy Awards take place tonight in Los Angeles. The award show is a huge celebration of talent in the music industry. And this year, we're likely going to see a generational shift happening in pop music. There's a new wave of talent that rose to stardom this past year, and those artists will be assembled for the first time tonight on the Grammy stage, both to perform and to possibly take home a golden gramophone. NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento joins us to talk about that. Hi, Isabella.
ISABELLA GOMEZ SARMIENTO, BYLINE: Hi, Ayesha. Thanks for having me.
RASCOE: So who are some of the artists in this new wave of pop stars?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: So the thing that's really cool about this year is that it's not just one or two new names. There's a lot of new artists who've just totally claimed their star power in a matter of 12 months. It's Doechii. It's Chappell Roan. It's pop underdogs like Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter, who've been around for a while but achieved a new level of success this year. If you told me this same time last year that all of these people would be some of the biggest names in pop music and on the Grammy stage tonight, I wouldn't have believed you.
RASCOE: Wow. But as you said, it seems like some of them have been working at this for a while, like Charli XCX. She was all over that Icona Pop hit, "I Love It."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I LOVE IT")
ICONA POP AND CHARLI XCX: (Singing) I crashed my car into the bridge. I don't care. I love it.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: I love that song. That's right. That was from 2012. Charli's been making music for over a decade, and she's done really well for herself in that time, but for the most part, her career has existed in a more alternative kind of hyperpop lane. So it wasn't until she released her album "Brat" last summer that she really kind of took over the pop world.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "360")
CHARLI XCX: (Singing) Drop down, yeah. Put the camera flash on. So stylish. Baby tee is all gone. Drop down, yeah. Looking like an icon. Work angles, yeah. Yeah, 360. When you're in the mirror, do you like what you see?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: That's her song "360." And this year's Grammys mark the first time Charli is nominated as a solo artist. She's up for seven awards. And her performance at tonight's show will likely cement her new status as one of pop's it girls. We were all talking about "Brat" summer when the album came out. But whether or not she wins a Grammy, Charli taking the stage could mean "Brat" summer and her more maximalist party-fueled pop sound is here to stay.
RASCOE: Oh, yeah, we heard so much about that "Brat" summer. And you mentioned Sabrina Carpenter. She's another one of those artists who's been putting out albums for a while, right? But she really hit it in 2024.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Totally. So she was actually a Disney kid, and she's already several albums into her career. But 2024, like you said, Ayesha, was the year she finally cracked the code and really found her sound. Her album "Short N' Sweet" came out in August, and she had three singles at the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart for months, including "Espresso," which is up for record of the year.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ESPRESSO")
SABRINA CARPENTER: (Singing) Now he's thinking about me every night. Oh, is it that sweet? I guess so. Say you can't sleep. Baby, I know. That's that me espresso.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: So it's interesting because in the past, there's been a lot of controversy around a former Disney star like Miley Cyrus embracing her sexuality. But Sabrina has totally catapulted into stardom with this really cheeky and seductive image. And, you know, being a pop star, a pop diva - it's about more than just having hits. It's about putting on a show. So her performance tonight is a chance to prove that she didn't just climb the ranks of pop, she could be one of its new rulers.
RASCOE: And then there are also two true newcomers who will be performing tonight, Chappell Roan and Doechii. Tell us about them.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: So Chappell Roan put out her debut album, "The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess," in 2023. She's up for album of the year, song of the year, record of the year and best new artist. And she makes really synth-heavy, kind of, like, '80s queer-pop anthems. She's completely taken off as well. She played to huge crowds at Coachella and Lollapalooza last year. This is her song "Pink Pony Club."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PINK PONY CLUB")
CHAPPELL ROAN: (Singing) It's where I belong down at the Pink Pony Club. I'm going to keep on dancing at the Pink Pony Club. I'm going to keep on dancing down in west Hollywood.
RASCOE: I hope she plays "Hot To Go." My kids love that song (laughter).
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Yeah, that is definitely one of the big favorites. And there's also Doechii, who is such a breath of fresh air. She's up for best new artist, best rap album and best rap performance. And Doechii - like, she's a really dynamic rapper. She's got the storytelling chops. She's got the look. She's got the choreo. She is the full package. This is "Nissan Altima" from her mixtape, "Alligator Bites Never Heal."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NISSAN ALTIMA")
DOECHII: (Singing) I'm the new hip-hop Madonna. I'm the trap Grace Jones. I don't know what type of [expletive] crack they on. I'm like Carrie Bradshaw with a back brace on. I've been carrying you [expletive] now for way too long.
RASCOE: OK, so we can expect to see a little bit of everything tonight. But how do you think this new generation of singers will do when it comes to winning awards?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: So in the major categories, we have a ton of huge names nominated alongside those newcomers - Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, even The Beatles. But winning in the big categories is not necessarily the thing that makes you a star. It's performances at the Grammys that can really make careers. So when it comes to Sabrina, Chappell, Charli and Doechii, they're all really magnetic, captivating performers, and tonight, they'll have a chance to shine on a bigger stage than ever before.
RASCOE: Now, the recording Academy decided to go ahead with the Grammys, even though Los Angeles has been just devastated by wildfires. How's that going to affect the tone of the ceremony this year?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Yeah, that's right. So the Grammys have a huge impact on the local economy. So even though a lot of the parties and events leading up to tonight were canceled, they've said not going forward with the show would have been an even bigger blow to the city of Los Angeles. That being said, the tone of the Grammys this year will be a lot more serious and somber, and the show will be largely focused on fundraising efforts for those impacted by the Wildfires.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento. Thank you so much.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOT TO GO")
ROAN: (Singing) H-O-T T-O G-O. You can take me hot to go. H-O-T T-O G-O. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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