LOS ANGELES—So the nominees for the biggest night in music: The Grammys have been announced. Leading the pack this year is Beyonce, Pharrell and Sam Smith who all nabbed six nominations apiece, including the competitive Album of the Year race. I’ll admit I’m pulling for a Beyonce win as her surprise album last year was not just commercially successful, but also critically.
Smith could be a force to reckon with as he has nominations also in the Record and Song of the Year races for his ballad “Stay With Me,” and is a formidable foe in the Best New Artist race. I will acknowledge there were plenty of snubs this year. What, no, “Happy” or “Let It Go” in the Song or Record of the Year races? Those songs were two of the biggest of 2014, where is the love.
Another surprising omission is John Legend’s ubiquitous love ballad “All of Me” being left out in the Song of the Year race. That ballad screams nominee and should have been included in the category. Taylor Swift is proving to have a good year as her summer hit “Shake It Off” could walk off with Grammy love in both the Record and Song of the Year races.
When it comes to Best New Artist it’s a duel between summer sensation Iggy Azalea and British sensation Sam Smith. I think we all have an idea of who will come out on top in that race? To see some of this year’s nominees see the list below:
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
“All About That Bass” — Kevin Kadish & Meghan Trainor, songwriters (Meghan Trainor)
“Chandelier” — Sia Furler & Jesse Shatkin, songwriters (Sia)
“Shake It Off” — Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
“Stay With Me” (Darkchild Version) — James Napier, William Phillips, and Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith)
“Take Me To Church” — Andrew Hozier-Byrne, songwriter (Hozier)
Best New Artist
Iggy Azalea
Bastille
Brandy Clark
Haim
Sam Smith
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Fancy” by Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX;
“A Sky Full Of Stars” by Coldplay;
“Say Something” by A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera;
“Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
“Dark Horse” by Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J.
Best Rock Performance
“Gimme Something Good” by Ryan Adams
“Do I Wanna Know?” by Arctic Monkeys
“Blue Moon” by Beck
“Fever” by the Black Keys
“Lazaretto” by Jack White
Best Rap Performance
“3005” by Childish Gambino
“0 To 100/The Catch Up” by Drake
“Rap God” by Eminem
“I” by Kendrick Lamar
“All I Need Is You” by Lecrae
Best Rap Album
“The New Classic” by Iggy Azalea
“Because The Internet” by Childish Gambino
“Nobody’s Smiling” by Common
“The Marshall Mathers LP2” by Eminem
“Oxymoron” by Schoolboy Q
“Blacc Hollywood” by Wiz Khalifa
Best Urban Contemporary Album
“Sail Out by Jhené Aiko
“Beyoncé by Beyoncé
“X” by Chris Brown
“Mali Is…” by Mali Music
“Girl” by Pharrell Williams
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Gentle On My Mind” by the Band Perry
“Somethin’ Bad” by Miranda Lambert With Carrie Underwood
“Day Drinking” by Little Big Town
“Meanwhile Back At Mama’s” by Tim McGraw Featuring Faith Hill
“Raise ‘Em Up” by Keith Urban Featuring Eric Church
Best Country Album
“Riser” by Dierks Bentley
“The Outsiders” by Eric Church
“12 Stories” by Brandy Clark
“Platinum” by Miranda Lambert
“The Way I’m Livin’” by Lee Ann Womack.
The 57th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 8, 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show will be televised live on CBS at 8 p.m. EST.
By LaDale Anderson
