Los Angeles, California - Music's biggest stars including Beyoncé and Taylor Swift will vie for top awards at Sunday's Grammys gala, a glitzy ceremony proceeding despite devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.

The shell-shocked entertainment capital is still reeling after the deadly blazes razed entire neighborhoods, leaving the music and film industries – vital to the city's economy – grappling with how to navigate the coming awards season.

Many annual Grammy week functions were scrapped, including prominent parties organized by top labels and companies like Spotify.

But Harvey Mason Jr, the head of the Recording Academy behind the Grammys, said the gala would go on as planned at Crypto.com Arena "in close coordination with local authorities" – and with an eye towards raising money for wildfire relief.

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The fires have lent prominence to the Recording Academy's philanthropic arm MusiCares, which says it has already distributed several millions of dollars in emergency aid.

On Friday, MusiCares hosted its annual pre-Grammy gala – this year honoring psychedelic jam band rockers The Grateful Dead – to bring together top industry figures at an event where relief efforts and honoring firefighters took precedence.

The night before, major event promoters Live Nation and AEG Presents held FireAid benefit concerts featuring A-listers like Olivia Rodrigo, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, and John Mayer.

The Recording Academy is "thrilled that so many artists in our community are banding together at this time to show support for their fellow music makers and others impacted by the recent wildfires," said Mason.

Beyoncé and her groundbreaking Cowboy Carter album that vaunted Black cowboy culture lead this year's Grammy hopefuls, with 11 chances at a prize.

It's a baffling irony that the culture-shifting Beyoncé has won more Grammys than anyone, ever, but has yet to attain the holy grail that is winning Album of the Year.

At Sunday's 67th edition of music's top awards ceremony, the megastar has yet another chance to take home the prize – but in a packed field of no-skips albums, who will ultimately win the night's top trophies is anyone's guess.

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The Grammys have long faced criticism that they're too white and too male.

In recent years, the Recording Academy, which organizes the show, has made efforts to improve on that shortcoming, including by diversifying its voting membership.

Those efforts seem to have yielded some progress: the past few galas have proven historic for women in the major, all-genre categories as well as in fields where they were routinely sidelined, like rock.

But a stark truth remains: a Black woman has not won Album of the Year in this century.

The last to do so was Lauryn Hill, in 1999. Before her, Whitney Houston won in 1994, and Natalie Cole in 1992.

Cowboy Carter is her fifth studio album vying for the top prize (she also was shortlisted as a featured artist on Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster), with Swift – who has won it a record four times – among her rivals.

It's a pop star's world and we're just living in it: Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Charli XCX have all enjoyed massive years that place them among Sunday's top contenders.

Roan and Carpenter in particular are among the favorites to take the prizes for best record and best song, which celebrates songwriting, as well as the coveted prize for best new artist.

And perennial winner Billie Eilish is also a major name to beat in the top categories – the Grammys darling is just 23 but could win a record third Song of the Year trophy.

Despite all of her accolades, Swift – who could win a fifth Album of the Year prize, which would break her own record – has somehow never won Song of the Year, despite receiving persistent praise for her songwriting skills.

She's lost seven times – and has the chance to finally end that streak.

Legends Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, and John Legend will also appear during the gala, which will pay tribute to legendary late producer Quincy Jones.

After Beyoncé (32) and the conductor Georg Solti (31,) Jones is among the most awarded artists, with 28 career Grammys.