USA TODAY International Edition
BEYONCÉ, DRAKE, KANYE WEST LEAD ROAD TO GOLD
59TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS
Lemonade is the drink of choice for Recording Academy voters.
Beyoncé’s genre- smashing behemoth leads the 2017 Grammy Awards nominations with nine nods, including album of the year. She is joined in the category by Adele’s 25, Drake’s Views, Justin Bieber’s Purpose and Sturgill Simpson’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth.
In addition to record- and song- of- the- year nominations for defiant lead single Formation, Beyoncé is recognized across a variety of song categories. Hold
Up is competing for best pop solo performance, Don’t Hurt Yourself ( featuring Jack White) is up for best rock performance, and Free
dom ( with Kendrick Lamar) is contending for best rap/ sung performance. Lemonade, which Beyoncé unveiled as a one- hour HBO special this spring, also is nominated for best music film and urban contemporary album, and Formation’s visual is up for best music video.
With her 2017 nominations, Beyoncé continues her run as the most- nominated female artist in Grammys history, with 62 nominations and 20 wins. If she wins eight of the nine categories in which she’s nominated, she’ll pass Alison Krauss ( with 27 Grammys) as the winningest woman in the history of the awards. Lemonade’s multi- genre nominations are a broader indication that “artists today have greater creative freedom,” says Recording Academy president Neil Portnow. “They are willing to take chances and are feeling very empowered — and frankly, courageous — to follow their own muse, wherever that takes them.” Beyoncé, in particular, “is the poster child for that kind of diversification and for stepping out and doing whatever she feels comfortable to do. It’s great to see that fans are openminded and want to embrace all of that.”
Drake, Kanye West and Rihanna tied for second- most nominations with eight each, including many shared honors. Rihanna’s
featuring Drake is up for record of the year and best pop duo/ group performance, and Drake’s with West and Jay Z is competing for best rap performance. Rihanna also is nominated for album of the year as a featured artist on Drake’s
Views, although her own Anti missed the top category.
With eight nominations this year and 68 total, West is the second- most- nominated male artist in Grammys history, surpassed only by Quincy Jones with 79. Although the lightning- rod rapper’s The Life of Pablo was passed over in top categories including album of the year, its controversial Famous and gospel- infused
Ultralight Beam were each recognized for best rap song and best rap/ sung performance.
Chance the Rapper, nominated as both a songwriter and featured artist on Ultralight Beam, benefited from the Recording Academy’s new amendment that allows streaming- only releases to be eligible for nominations. He received seven total, including best rap album ( Coloring Book) and best new artist. Chance is joined in the latter category by country singers Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini, dance duo The Chainsmokers and hip- hop upstart Anderson . Paak.
Rounding out the top honors, Adele ( with five nominations) is vying for record and song of the year for comeback single Hello, while Danish pop group Lukas Graham’s 7 Years also earned nods in both categories. Twenty One Pilots’ Stressed Out will contend for record of the year, and Justin Bieber ( Love Yourself) and Mike Posner ( I Took a Pill
in Ibiza) are both up for song of the year. The Grammys are voted on by about 13,000 academy members made up of artists, songwriters, producers and engineers. More than 21,700 recordings were submitted for Grammys consideration this year. For 2017 awards, music must have been released between Oct. 1, 2015, and Sept. 30, 2016, to be eligible.
The 59th Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Feb. 12 ( CBS, 8 ET/ PT).
‘ Lemonade’ is looking pretty sweet, and Adele, Bieber, Rihanna and Simpson are in the mix