LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 Trevor Noah feels more comfortable hosting the Grammy Awards for a third-straight year, but the former 鈥淭he Daily Show鈥 host still has some nervousness about leading the ceremony with big-time acts like Beyonc茅, Adele and Harry Styles looking on.
鈥淭he nerves come in because you鈥檙e standing in front of not just some of the best, but some of the biggest performers in the world,鈥 said the Emmy winner. Noah expects his diligent preparation to get him through Sunday's show.
鈥淣erves are part of what I do,鈥 the comedian said.
Noah returns for his third hosting stint at , which airs live from Arena on Sunday on CBS and Paramount+. The ceremony returns to Los Angeles after for the first-time ever because of rising COVID-19 cases and omicron variant.
鈥淚 was relieved Trevor came back because it makes my job more enjoyable and easier,鈥 said Ben Winston, the show's executive producer. He called Noah an 鈥渁bsolute pro鈥 who he said can pivot gracefully at any moment on a night celebrating music鈥檚 best.
鈥淗e reassures me on a stressful night when a set hasn鈥檛 been built in time and I say to his ear 鈥楽orry about that. I need you to go an extra 90 seconds because Lady Gaga鈥檚 orchestra isn鈥檛 in.鈥 He鈥檒l just naturally flow, make a joke, get up and sit at somebody鈥檚 table and chat with them,鈥 Winston said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a very difficult task which very few people could do 鈥 and definitely can鈥檛 do with his comedy and charm that Trevor has.鈥
Noah said each year of hosting the Grammys has offered a different experience because of the logistical challenges stemmed from the pandemic. But he said the in 2021 helped him build a rapport with music stars 鈥 especially when telling his jokes.
Last year鈥檚 ceremony in Las Vegas was a hybrid model that included fans.
鈥淓very year, I notice that I develop a different rapport with the people in the room,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat opens you up to a few more jokes and a few more conversations in a way where people understand the context of who you are in relation to them. It means you get to have a little bit of fun without anybody feeling like you鈥檙e dunking on them.鈥
As a music fan, Noah is looking forward to checking out the popular performers who will hit the stage including Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, Lizzo, Steve Lacy and Brandi Carlile.
Beyonc茅 heads into the ceremony with a , including record and song of the year nods for her song 鈥淏reak My Soul.鈥 Kendrick Lamar has the second-most nominations with eight, while Adele and Carlile enter the show with seven nods.
Styles, Blige, Future, DJ Khaled, The-Dream and mastering engineer Randy Merrill each received six nominations.
鈥淲e love having Trevor because he's so darn good at it,鈥 said Harvey Mason jr, the CEO of the Recording Academy. 鈥淗e is so personable, he鈥檚 so funny. I don鈥檛 know how he does what he does. He never stumbles, he never hesitates. He鈥檚 always so earnest and heartfelt. He鈥檚 also a music guy. You see him when he鈥檚 not on camera. He鈥檚 singing, he鈥檚 dancing, he鈥檚 rapping. I feel like he鈥檚 one of us now.鈥
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