First round of Grammy performers announced, none named Beyoncé

With the Grammys just a few weeks away, the Recording Academy has announced a first wave of performers set to take the stage at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com arena on the big night.

Although two of the most-nominated names this year, Beyoncé and Adele, weren’t listed, hope endures: the Academy also confirmed additional performers would be announced in the coming days. Whether the pop icons will sing at the Grammys this year or not, both artists have made long-awaited returns to performance recently. Adele is in the midst of her rescheduled Las Vegas residency, while a recent Dubai performance from Beyoncé marked her first live show since dropping The A.V. Club’s No. 1 album of the year, Renaissance.

The eight performers announced on Wednesday morning are: Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, and Sam Smith. All eight are also up for awards this year—of the confirmed performers, Brandi Carlile has the most 2023 nominations with seven, tying her with Adele. Beyonce leads the pack with 11 nods, followed by Kendrick Lamar (eight), Adele, and Carlile.

Carlile is also up for Record Of The Year, alongside Blige (six nominations), Lacy (four), Lizzo (five), and Bad Bunny (three). Combs is up for three awards in the country category, including Best Song, Best Duo/Group Performance, and Best Album. First-time nominee Petras and four-time winner Smith are both nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their collaboration “Unholy.”

Hosted by three-time emcee Trevor Noah, the 2023 Grammys will air live via CBS on February 5 at 8 P.M. E.T./ 5 P.M. P.T.