British soul-pop artist Sam Smith, US R&B star Beyoncé and singer-producer Pharrell Williams led artists with six Grammy nominations each, including nods for the top prize of album of the year, the recording academy said on Friday.
Smith’s In the Lonely Hour, Beyoncé’s self-titled album and Pharrell’s Girl joined rocker Beck’s Morning Phase and British singer Ed Sheeran’s X in the album of the year category, announced during the CBS broadcast of A Very Grammy Christmas concert late on Friday.
Smith, 22, picked up nods in the three top Grammy categories including record of the year and song of the year for his song Stay with Me. He follows on the heels of fellow British soul-pop singer Adele, who won all six of her Grammy nominations in 2013 including the top three awards.
Smith is a contender for the coveted best new artist, alongside Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, British pop-rockers Bastille, country singer Brandy Clark and California sister trio Haim.
Record of the year nominees include Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off, Meghan Trainor’s All About That Bass, Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX’s Fancy and Sia’s Chandelier.
Song of the Year also includes Swift’s Shake it Off, Trainor’s All About That Bass and Sia’s Chandelier, alongside Hozier’s Take Me to the Church.
Pharrell, 41, earned Grammy nominations for his own album Girl and his production work on Sheeran’s X and Beyoncé’s self-titled record.
Beyoncé, 33, became the most-nominated artist in Grammy history with 52 nominations. Her self-titled album, released without fanfare last December, is one of this year’s biggest-selling records with 2m US copies sold.
Swift’s 1989 album, which has sold more than 2m US copies since October, did not land any nominations, but its song Shake It Off picked up three nods.
The soundtrack from Disney’s Oscar-winning film Frozen, the year’s top-selling album with more than 3.5m US copies sold, scored nominations in the categories for music written for visual media.
The recording academy comprises music industry professionals who select Grammy contenders from music released between 1 October 2013 and 30 September 2014.
In an effort to draw younger viewers to the annual Grammys ceremony in Los Angeles on 8 February 2015, the recording academy chose to announce the nominees in 82 of its 83 categories throughout Friday morning on its Twitter feed.
Nominations
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Morning Phase – Beck; Beyoncé – Beyoncé; X – Ed Sheeran; In the Lonely Hour – Sam Smith; Girl – Pharrell Williams.
RECORD OF THE YEAR: Fancy – Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX; Chandelier – Sia; Stay With Me (Darkchild Version) – Sam Smith; Shake It Off – Taylor Swift; All About That Bass – Meghan Trainor.
SONG OF THE YEAR (Songwriters award): All About That Bass – Kevin Kadish & Meghan Trainor; Chandelier –Sia Furler & Jesse Shatkin; Shake It Off – Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift; Stay With Me (Darkchild Version) – James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith; Take Me To Church – Andrew Hozier-Byrne.
BEST NEW ARTIST: Iggy Azalea; Bastille; Brandy Clark; Haim; Sam Smith.
BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM: Ghost Stories – Coldplay; Bangerz – Miley Cyrus; My Everything – Ariana Grande; Prism – Katy Perry; X – Ed Sheeran; In the Lonely Hour – Sam Smith.
BEST ROCK ALBUM: Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams; Morning Phase – Beck; Turn Blue – The Black Keys; Hypnotic Eye – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers; Songs Of Innocence – U2.
BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM: Sail Out – Jhené Aiko; Beyoncé – Beyoncé; X – Chris Brown; Mali Is… – Mali Music; Girl – Pharrell Williams. BEST COUNTRY ALBUM: Riser – Dierks Bentley; The Outsiders – Eric Church 12 Stories – Brandy Clark; Platinum – Miranda Lambert; The Way I’m Livin’ – Lee Ann Womack.
BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM: Syro – Aphex Twin; While (1(2) – Deadmaus; Nabuma Rubberband – Little Dragon; Do It Again – Röyksopp & Robyn; Damage Control – Mat Zo.
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM: This Is All Yours – Alt-J; Reflektor – Arcade Fire; Melophobia – Cage The Elephant; St Vincent – St. Vincent; Lazaretto – Jack White.
BEST RAP ALBUM: The New Classic – Iggy Azalea; Because The Internet – Childish Gambino; Nobody’s Smiling – Common; The Marshall Mathers LP2 – Eminem; Oxymoron – Schoolboy Q; Blacc Hollywood – Wiz Khalifa.
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL: Paul Epworth; John Hill; Jay Joyce; Greg Kurstin; Max Martin.
