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Bruno Mars, Rihanna Will Join Sting for ‘Very Special’ Grammy Awards Performance

bruno mars, rihanna, sting, grammys

Bruno Mars and Rihanna will join Sting for what is nebulously described as a “very special performance” at the Grammy Awards on February 10, the Recording Academy announced today (February 4). No other details about what will make it so special have been revealed. A tribute, perhaps? Grammys producers fucking love tributes.

The generations-spanning trio join a stuffed bill of previously announced performers: Taylor Swift, fun., Mumford & Sons, the Black Keys, Jack White, Carrie Underwood, Justin Timberlake, Frank Ocean, are just some of the confirmed acts. Kelly Clarkson, fresh off her inauguration appearance, has also been added to the roster of live talent.

The Academy also revealed a fresh crop of presenters: Prince (!), Beyonce (!!), Jennifer Lopez, Best New Artist nominee Hunter Hayes, and actress Pauley Perrette (from NCIS) will all hand out trophies.

As previously reported, Clarkson is up for three trophies: Record of the Year (“Stronger”), Best Pop Solo Performance (“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”), and Best Pop Vocal Album (Stronger). Mars picked up a single nod: Best Rap Song for his appearance on Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa’s “Young, Wild, & Free.” Sting is not up for any awards on Sunday, but the former Police frontman has already collected 11 Grammys throughout his solo career (plus the six he rounded up with the Police).

Rihanna could go home with three statues this weekend: Best Pop Solo Performance (“Where Have You Been”), Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the Jay-Z-featuring “Talk That Talk”), and Best Short Form Music Video (“We Found Love”). It’s been widely speculated that the Unapologetic singer’s on-again-off-again boyfriend, Hall of Shame MVP Chris Brown, will join her on the Grammys live stage, but that has not yet been confirmed. Brown made headlines over the weekend after Frank Ocean (himself nominated in six Grammy categories) publicly forgave the Fortune star for their recent brawl in a Los Angeles parking lot. Ocean revealed he would not be pressing charges against Brown, despite initial reports that the “heroic” channel ORANGE auteur would be pursuing legal action.

The 55th Annual Grammy Awards, hosted by LL Cool J, will broadcast live from the Staples Center in L.A. on CBS on Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. EST. The night before, viewers can watch The Grammys Will Go On: A Death in the Family, a one-hour documentary on how the 2012 Grammys had to make last-minute changes following the sudden death of Whitney Houston. A Death in the Family airs on CBS on February 9 at 9 p.m. EST.