The 2012 Grammy Awards marked the coronation of Adele.

The year prior, Lady Antebellum stoked the pride of their Georgia relatives when they scored two big ones – record and song of the year (for “Need You Now”) and dominated the country categories.

This year?

You’ll have about as much luck prognosticating the victors as you would picking the winning Powerball numbers.

The Grammys have always see-sawed between slathering all of their praise on the hot artist of the year (see: Beyonce and “Single Ladies [Put a Ring On It]”) or picking deserving artists at the most inappropriate times (even the most ardent Steely Dan fan still has to wonder how “Two Against Nature” emerged as album of the year in 2001 over Eminem’s brilliant “The Marshall Mathers LP”).

On Sunday, when the 55^th Grammys air live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, music fans will probably find themselves screaming at the TV at some point because their favorites can’t win everything.

That’s because there are no favorites.

Six artists reeled in six nominations each. That’s a motley showing in itself. And then you look at the stunning diversity of the choices.

There’s the New York-based .fun and their intelligent pop that bulldozed the barrier to mainstream radio (Atlanta’s Janelle Monae factors in five of their nods because of her contribution to their hit, “We Are Young”).

The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach is up for producer of the year, which nudges the bluesy-garage-rocking Keys into the pick-six club since the band itself scored five nominations.

Jay-Z and Kanye West each nabbed six as well, proving themselves – if there was any question – the most esteemed among the rap pack.

Then there are British folkies Mumford & Sons and sensitive R&B balladeer Frank Ocean, acts that have found radio play but are known more for their cultish fans who appreciate their commitment to organic music.

It would be a shocking night if any of the acts swept, which is exactly why this might be one of the most invigorating Grammys in years.

“People are going into that show and the element of surprise to the nominees makes it unique for them. You hate predictability,” said Michele (CQ) Caplinger, senior executive director of the Recording Academy Atlanta Chapter.

“You also hope that Grammy voters will vote for the sonic quality and not just for the popular artist.”

Tell that to Justin Bieber, who, despite being the king of Twitter and a sold-out-arena draw, was shut out of the nominations even with his bid for maturity on last year’s “Believe” album.

 But while the teen Romeo with a part-time Atlanta address was left with a bruised ego, Georgians are attached to 29 nominations this year – an average showing for the state.

As Caplinger reminds, “These are the Georgia artists who put out product during the eligibility period (Oct. 1, 2011 to Sept. 30, 2012). We’ve gotten a little spoiled when we go, ‘Gee, we only have X-number of nominees.”

As in recent years, the strongest representations from area artists are in the rap and Christian music categories.

College Park native 2 Chainz is up for three awards, including best rap album for his “Based on a T.R.U. Story,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart last summer.

Ludacris, also on the list for best rap/sung collaboration with John Legend (“Tonight [Best You Ever Had]”), said at a recent event hosted by the Recording Academy Atlanta Chapter to honor Georgia nominees, “There are unlimited amounts of talent here. It’s like we breathe great talent in Atlanta.”

Locals Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns and Lecrae will all battle in several gospel and contemporary Christian music categories.

But don’t forget the heartbeat of the Peach State- country music – which will be represented by, among others, Little Big Town and the Zac Brown Band, whose “Uncaged” is nominated for best country album.

“We’re proud to be representing Georgia,” Brown said at the nominee event. “I think Atlanta is a great melting pot of things. There’s a lot of urban influence and different diversity from the R&B/hip-hop side of things. We’re glad to be welcomed by the country industry, but we just pride ourselves on being artists.”

No matter the category, winning a Grammy is a career-changing moment for most artists. It’s the qualifier that will be attached to their names in every story until – and even after – their obituaries.

Michael Graves, who lives in Chamblee, is nominated along with fellow Atlantan Steven Lance Ledbetter for mastering and producing, respectively, “Opika Pende: Africa At 78 RPM” in the best historical album category.

Both won their first Grammy in the same category in 2008; this is their second nomination.

“I have a studio in my home and on my desk is a Grammy. It’s really surreal,” Graves said. “So many people work out of their houses now and before we won the Grammy we had a lot of things commercially released, but winning gives you more credibility when you’re working out of your house. Yes, I have a home studio – but I also have a Grammy.”

Ace songwriter Dallas Davidson, an Albany native who now lives in Nashville, has written dozens of country hits for artists such as Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton and Brooks & Dunn, but hasn’t yet experienced his own Grammy moment. It’s a goal he’s determined to achieve.

“It would mean everything to win one,” Davidson said. “You’ve got not just the country genre voting on your work, but all genres giving their opinion — and that speaks loud to me.”

Neither Jay-Z nor West really needs further artistic validation, but if the night proves momentous for fun., Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys or Ocean, it could prove career-changing…at least for awhile.

“When you’re a kid and you think of the things you want to do in your life – it’s hit a home run to win the World Series, hit a last-second shot to win the game and win a Grammy,” said Mac Powell, frontman for Atlanta-based Christian rockers Third Day, who have four career Grammys. “At the same time, you put things in perspective and in a few years people will probably forget about it. But you can always say you’re a Grammy winner.”

(Here are some of my predictions for Sunday's show. Feel free to weigh in with your own. And don't forget to check out our all-things-Grammy page and visit The Music Scene over the weekend for live reports from Los Angeles.)