NOMINEES ANNOUNCED
Toronto rapper Drake tops Canadian contingent with three music award nominations
NEW YORK — British newcomer Sam Smith, Pharrell and Beyoncé — the most nominated female in Grammy history — lead the pack of Grammy Awards nominees with six nods each.
All three are nominees for album of the year, the top award, which The Recording Academy announced Friday night on the TV special A Very Grammy Christmas. Beck and Ed Sheeran are also nominated in that category.
Toronto rap superstar Drake led the Canadian contingent with three nominations — even though this was a year in which he didn’t release an album.
He’s up for best rap song and best rap performance ( for 0 to 100/ The Catch- Up), as well as best rap/ sung collaboration for his verses on iLoveMakonnen’s Tuesday.
Montreal’s Arcade Fire got nominations for best alternative music album ( for Reflektor) and best music video for their We Exist clip, which stars Amazing Spider- Man actor Andrew Garfield.
Also nominated again is outspoken dance producer Deadmau5, whose record While ( 12) got the nod for best dance/ electronic album.
Tegan and Sara’s Everything is Awesome!!! — from The Lego Movie — is a contender for best song written for visual media, but the Calgary twins weren’t actually named in the nomination because they didn’t write the song.
Similarly, Neil Young’s A Letter Home collection received a nomination for best boxed or special limited edition package, but it went to art directors Gary Burden and Jenice Heo.
Smith is the real leader: In addition to his album of the year nomination for In the Lonely Hour, he’s up for key awards such as best new artist and song and record of the year for his hit Stay With Me.
Beyoncé, surprisingly, was not up for song or record of the year. Her nominations include best urban contemporary album for her fifth album as well as R& B song and R& B performance for Drunk in Love.
For song and record of the year, Smith’s Stay With Me will battle Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off, Meghan Trainor’s All About That Bass and Sia’s Chandelier.
Iggy Azalea’s Fancy is nominated for record of the year, while Hozier’s Take Me to Church is up for song of the year, a songwriter’s award.
Azalea, the Australian newcomer, earned four nominations, including best rap album for The New Classic, best pop duo/ group performance for Fancy and best new artist, pitting her and Smith against pop- rock trio HAIM, English band Bastille and country singer Brandy Clark.
Usher, Jack White, Miranda Lambert and Eric Church also earned four nominations each. Church and Lambert will compete for best country album, along with Clark, Dierks Bentley and Lee Ann Womack.
Sia, who also earned four nominations, had a breakthrough this year with Chandelier after writing songs for other singers, from Rihanna to Beyoncé to Katy Perry.
Smith’s six nominations include best pop solo performance and pop vocal album for his debut, In the Lonely Hour, one of the year’s top- selling albums. The big- voiced singer will battle Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry and Coldplay in the latter category.
Pharrell’s Happy and John Legend’s All of Me, tunes that peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year, were technically released before Grammy eligibility, so the singers submitted live renditions of the songs so they could be considered for awards.
They didn’t earn nominations in the top awards, but the hits will compete with Stay With Me, Shake It Off and All About That Bass for best pop solo performance.
Pharrell earned three nominations, including best urban contemporary album for Girl, where he will battle Beyoncé’s surprise album.
The pop queen is also nominated for best surround sound album for Beyoncé and music film for her On the Run tour with Jay- Z. Beyoncé has won 17 Grammys so far.
U2’ s Songs of Innocence, originally released for free to iTunes users, is up for best rock album. Other nominees include Beck, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Ryan Adams and the Black Keys.
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett’s duets album, Cheek to Cheek, is nominated for best traditional pop vocal album, where it will compete with Barbra Streisand’s duets album as well as efforts from Annie Lennox, Johnny Mathis and Barry Manilow.
The Grammy Awards will air live Feb. 8 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.