LOS ANGELES—Nominations for various award ceremonies are taking place left and right and this week the biggest award ceremony in the music industry, the Grammys announced contenders for this year.  Leading the pack of all nominees is rapper Jay-Z with a total of nine nominations including Best Rap Album. Followed closely behind were Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams with seven nominations each.

“This year’s nominations reflect the talented community of music makers who represent some of the highest levels of excellence and artistry of the year in their respective fields,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “Once again, The Academy’s awards process and its voting membership have produced an impressive list of nominations across various genres promising music fans a spectacular show filled with stellar performances and unique ‘GRAMMY Moments.’ We are off to a great start and look forward to GRAMMY Sunday as Music’s Biggest Night takes the stage.”

There were of course quite a few snubs this year. What no JT for Album of the Year for “The 20/20 Experience,” country star Luke Bryan not nominated for Best Country Album, Miley Cyrus completely forgotten even though she pushed the most boundaries this year, and of course we can’t forget Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” being left from both the Record and Song of the Year races.

Every year, there is always surprises come Grammy season, 2013 may contain some of the biggest surprises. Below is a list of nominees in some of the major categories.

Album of the Year

-“The Blessed Unrest,” Sara Bareilles

-“Random Access Memories”, Daft Punk

-“Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,” Kendrick Lamar

-“The Heist,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

-“Red,” Taylor Swift

Record of the Year

-“Get Lucky,” Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams

-“Radioactive,” Imagine Dragons

-“Royals,” Lorde

-“Locked Out Of Heaven,” Bruno Mars

-“Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell Williams

Song of the Year

-“Just Give Me A Reason,” Pink featuring Nate Reuss

-“Locked Out of Heaven,” Bruno Mars

-“Roar,” Katy Perry

-“Royals,” Lorde

-“Same Love,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert

Best New Artist

-Ed Sheeran

-Kendrick Lamar

-Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

-Kacey Musgraves

-James Blake

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

-“Just Give Me A Reason,” Pink feat. Nate Reuss

-“Stay,” Rihanna Mikky Ekko

-“Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke feat. Pharrell and T.I.

-“Suit and Tie,” Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z

-“Get Lucky,” Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams

Best Country Album

-“Two Lanes Of Freedom,” Tim McGraw

-“Same Trailer Different Park,” Kacey Musgraves

-“Based On A True Story,” Blake Shelton

-“Night Train,” Jason Aldean

-“Red,” Taylor Swift

Best Pop Vocal Album

-“Paradise,” Lana Del Rey

-“Pure Heroine,” Lorde

-“Unorthodox Jukebox,” Bruno Mars

-“Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke

-‘The 20/20 Experience,” Justin Timberlake

Best Rock Album

-“13,” Black Sabbath

-“The Next Day,” David Bowie

-“Mechanical Bull,” Kings ofLeon

-“Celebration Day,” Led Zeppelin

-“…Like Clockwork,” QueensOf The Stone Age

-“Psychedelic Pill,” Neil Young With Crazy Horse

Best Urban Contemporary Album

-“Love And War,” Tamar Braxton

-“Side Effects  Of You,’ Fantasia

-“One: In The Chamber,” Salaam Remi

-“Unapologetic,” Rihanna

-“New York: A Love Story,” Mack Wilds

Best Rap Album

-“Nothing Was The Same,” Drake

-“Magna Carta…Holy Grail,” Jay-Z

-“Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,” Kendrick Lamar

-“The Heist,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

-“Yeezus,” Kanye West

The 56th Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, January 26, 2014, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS at 8 p.m. (EST). So now that we know the nominees who do you think will be the big winner next month? Start making your guesses!

By LaDale Anderson