DUEL OF THE DIVAS
ADELE AND BEYONCÉ GOING HEAD-TO-HEAD FOR GRAMMYS
IT’LL BE A duel between divas at the Grammys this year. Superstar songbirds Beyoncé and Adele will battle for Grammy gold across several categories at the music industry’s biggest night in categories, including record of the year, best pop solo performance and album of the year. The latter is a competitive group of A-listers that includes Rihanna, Drake and standout newcomers Twenty One Pilots (right) and Lukas Graham. Beyoncé was nominated for her politically charged song, “Formation,” and the chart-topping album “Lemonade,” while Rihanna is up for her club-favorite hit with Drake, “Work.” Adele was named a candidate for five Grammys, including nods for her smash song, “Hello” and the album “25,” which sold more than 10 million copies in less than a year. Twenty One Pilots, an alternative hip-hop group that enjoyed its first three Top 5 singles this year, is up for the award for its first major hit, “Stressed Out,” while pop band Lukas Graham is being considered for its reflective ballad “7 Years.” Overall, Beyoncé leads the competition with nine nods — but she will compete directly against Adele in five categories. “Lemonade” was also nominated for best music film, and “Formation” for best music video. This year’s wild card in the best album category is “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth,” by country singer Sturgill Simpson. The record was a hit with critics but enjoyed little commercial success. Meanwhile, troubled artist Kanye West wasn’t named a contender for any of the major overall categories, but he’s a finalist for best rap album (“The Life of Pablo”) and has two songs up for best rap/sung performance (“Famous” and “Ultralight Beam”) at the Feb. 12 ceremony in Los Angeles. West snared a total of eight nominations in five categories, but has in the past complained when he’s been left out of major categories. The rapper made waves recently after canceling the remainder of his Saint Pablo tour and being hospitalized for over a week for “a psychiatric emergency.”