That celebrities could use their cultural power to get fans to vote for a candidate struck me as ridiculous at best, snobby and condescending at worst.

Also nominated is Taylor Swift, who beat Beyoncé for Album of the Year when they first faced off in 2010. As L.A. Times pop music critic Mikael Wood reports – another showdown is looming.

For the first time since 2010, music-industry titans Beyoncé and Taylor Swift will compete for the Grammys’ coveted Album of the Year award for their records Cowboy Carter and The Tortured Poets Department.