The 2012 Grammy Awards is only minutes away, and aside from the omnipresent Kanye West, it looks like Feb. 12 is going to be overshadowed by Whitney Houston’sdeath.

Music’s biggest night was rocked on the eve of the event with news that the 48-year-old pop legend was found dead in her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where she was preparing to attend a pre-Grammy party.

Speculation over this year’s Grammy favourites seemed secondary in the wake of her death. Still, the show will go on, with a musical tribute to Houston by one of her biggest fans, Jennifer Hudson.

As some of the music industry’s finest females are leading the pack with the most nominations. Adele, the reigning queen of emotions, snagged a whopping six nominations, with fellow super stars Lady Gaga and Rihanna not too far behind.

 Here’s a taste of who’ll be fighting for the gold at this year’s Grammy Awards:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR: 21– Adele Wasting Light– Foo Fighters Born This Way– Lady Gaga Doo-Wops & Hooligans – Bruno Mars Loud – Rihanna

BEST NEW ARTIST:

The Band Perry Bon Iver J.Cole Nicki Minaj Skrillex

SONG OF THE YEAR:

“All of the Lights” “The Cave” “Grenade” “Holocene” “Rolling in the Deep”

RECORD OF THE YEAR: Rolling in the Deep – Adele Holocene – Bon Iver Grenade – Bruno Mars The Cave – Mumford & Sons Firework – Katy Perry

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM: 21 -Adele The Lady Killer – Cee Lo Green Born This Way – Lady Gaga Doo-Wops & Hooligans – Bruno Mars Loud– Rihanna

BEST ROCK ALBUM: Rock ‘N’ Roll Party Honoring Les Paul – Jeff Beck Wasting Light – Foo Fighters Come Around Sundown – Kings of Leon I’m With You – Red Hot Chilli Peppers The Whole Love – Wilco

BEST RAP ALBUM: Watch The Throne – Jay-Z and Kanye West Tha Carter IV – Lil Wayne Lasers – Lupe Fiasco Pink Friday – Nicki Minaj My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – Kanye West

BEST R&B ALBUM F.A.M.E. – Chris Brown Second Chance – El DeBarge Love Letter – R. Kelly Pieces of Me – Ledisi Kelly – Kelly Price

Before the death of one of pop music’s most important figures, the Grammy buzz focused on whether Adele – 2011’s top-selling artist and set to make her first public performance on the show since having vocal cord surgery – would be the queen of the Grammys. Although Kanye West leads all nominees with seven and Bruno Mars and the Foo Fighters tied Adele with six nominations, she was favored to sweep all of her categories.

But as show time neared, the focus remained on Houston’s death. Grammy show producer Ken Ehrlich was quick to announce Hudson’s tribute. “It’s too fresh in everyone’s memory to do more at this time,” he said late Saturday. “But we would be remiss if we didn’t recognise Whitney’s remarkable contribution to music fans in general, and in particular her close ties with the Grammy telecast and her Grammy wins and nominations over the years,” Ehrlich said. More Houston tributes from nominees and presenters are expected during the three-and-a-half hour Staples Center show, which was to feature the Foo Fighters, Mars, Nicki Minaj, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Chris Brown and Rihanna.

It will mark the first time Rihanna and Brown have appeared at the same awards show since his attack on her three years ago – also on the eve of the Grammys – forced both to drop out of the show and led to an assault conviction for Brown. It almost derailed his career, but 2011 marked a huge comeback, and he was rewarded with a Grammy performance slot on Sunday night’s CBS broadcast. Rihanna is also a nominee, up for album of the year. She is competing with Adele’s 21, Mars’ Doo-Woops & Hooligans, the Foo Fighters’ Wasting Light and Lady Gaga’s“Born This Way.

Adele’s Rolling in the Deep is nominated for record and song of the year. Both categories also include Bon Iver’s Holocene, Mumford & Sons’ The Cave, and Mars’ Grenade. Katy Perry’s Firework is up for record of the year but instead of that song, West’s All of the Lights takes the remaining position in the song of the year category.

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