2024 Grammys, Taylor Swift Performance?

The focal point of anticipation for the upcoming 2024 Grammy telecast, scheduled for Sunday (Feb. 4), lies not in speculating about major award winners but rather in pondering the participation of Taylor Swift. The question at hand is whether she will grace the stage with a performance or opt to be an attendee at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, ready to accept accolades should they come her way.

In 2023, Swift indisputably held the title of the hottest artist, solidifying her status when she was crowned Billboard’s Greatest Pop Star of 2023 in December. Historically, artists bestowed with this honor have often showcased their talents on the Grammy telecast shortly thereafter.

This trend makes sense, as the music industry is inherently drawn to those who dominate the year, earning nominations for top-tier Grammys. Typically, nominees receive invitations to perform, and the majority willingly embrace this opportunity. A Grammy performance during the zenith of one’s success becomes a timeless moment, preserved in the digital time capsule of platforms like YouTube for perpetual viewing.

Billboard introduced the concept behind the Greatest Pop Star of the Year project in 2020, emphasizing the search for the artist that most aptly defines each year. This designation considers various factors, including the impact across diverse realms such as hit singles, bestselling albums, music videos, live performances, image, headlines, controversy, cultural impact, and overall ubiquity. The key question guiding this selection is whether one could have traversed the year without forming an opinion on the chosen artist.

Commencing in 1981 with the launch of MTV, the project retrospectively extended to the turn of the century. Examining the artists declared Billboard’s Greatest Pop Star of the Year from 1999 to the present offers insights into whether they graced the next Grammy telecast stage or not.