Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Outkast are among the latest performers added to the 46th annual Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy announced Tuesday (January 13).
The acts will join previously announced performers the White Stripes at the February 8 ceremony, to be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Former “Mickey Mouse Club” co-stars and 2003 tour mates Justin and Christina will, of course, perform separately, while Andre 3000 and Big Boi will be joined onstage by George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic; Earth, Wind & Fire; and Robert Randolph & the Family Band for a tribute to funk music.
Outkast enter the Grammys as leading contenders, along with Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams, with six nominations each.
The Atlanta duo’s landmark double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, is up for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album, while “Hey Ya!” will vie for Record of the Year, Best Urban/Alternative Performance and Best Short Form Music Video. Dre and Big Boi will also compete against the Neptunes, the Matrix, Nigel Godrich, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical.
Timberlake is right behind Outkast with five nominations, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Justified, Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Where Is the Love” with the Black Eyed Peas, and Best Pop Male Vocal Performance for “Cry Me a River.”
Aguilera, meanwhile, has three nominations: Best Pop Vocal Album for Stripped, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Beautiful” and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for “Can’t Hold Us Down” with Lil’ Kim. “Beautiful” is also nominated for Song of the Year, a songwriters award that would go to author Linda Perry.
The legendary soul ensemble Earth, Wind & Fire are also nominated, in the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance category for “Hold Me,” as is pedal steel virtuoso Robert Randolph and his band, for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “Squeeze” and Best Rock Gospel Album for Unclassified.
Airing on CBS at 8 p.m., the Grammys will be broadcast in HDTV with 5.1 Surround Sound, according the academy.
