James Corden is "terrified" about hosting the Grammy Awards.

James Corden

James Corden

The 'Late Late Show' presenter will take the helm for the annual awards ceremony, which honours excellence in music, in New York City on Sunday (28.01.18) and though he's had the gig before, he's still wracked with nerves.

He said: "I'm nervous now, I'm nervous all the time, I'm never not nervous. So yes, I'll be terrified."

But one thing the 39-year-old star doesn't have to worry about is getting involved with the performances.

He told 'Entertainment Tonight': "I think it's very important to know the room that you're in, and the room that you're going to play, and this is unlike any other awards show. It isn't about a host in any way. It's just about the performances and the music, and that's what the show's about."

And James isn't planning a "big opening" to the show because he wants to let the musical acts take centre stage, and teased a "very, very big performance" that will kick off proceedings.

He said: "We're not doing a big opening or anything.

"There's a very, very big performance at the start of the show, so we thought, 'Well, we should try and as best we can bring little pockets of joy to the show. So we have a couple of things planned, and a couple of things we're still waiting to hear on if we can pull it off, and then we'll see."

But fans shouldn't be expecting the mystery performance to be a duet between the evening's most nominated artist, Jay-Z, and his wife Beyonce, who will be returning to the spotlight following the birth of twins Rumi and Sir in June.

Speaking about the couple, who also have six-year-old daughter Blue Ivy together, James said: "I think they'll be there, but I don't think Jay-Z's performing."