2016 Grammy Nominations: Fairly Predictable But Still Room For Snubs

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The nominations for the 2016 Grammy Awards were announced Monday, and to nobody’s surprise, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd led the pack with the most nods. Lamar pulled in the most nominations, 11, while Swift and The Weeknd received seven nods each.

Ed Sheeran took to Twitter to share his excitement about his nominations. Even though he says he wasn’t expecting any nominations, no one’s jaw dropped over his hit “Thinking Out Loud” receiving three nominations. The song, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 (and remained there for eight weeks straight),  earned nominations for Record of The Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance. Sheeran also received a nomination as a songwriter for The Weeknd’s “Beauty Behind the Madness” for Album of the Year.

 

I wasn’t expecting the Grammy noms, thank you

— Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) December 7, 2015

  Another Brit to earn three nods is James Bay. The rocker will be going up against his tour mate from earlier this year, Elle King, for Best Rock Song. After his breakout year, Bay is also up for the coveted Best New Artist and Best Rock Album for his debut album, “Chaos and the Calm.”

THREE GRAMMY NOMINATIONS. THREE!!! ???????????????????? pic.twitter.com/Xe8y3XGy0s — James Bay (@JamesBayMusic) December 7, 2015

While many of the artists that make up the nominees for the big categories are obvious Top 40 contenders, the Grammy Awards still left room for some misses. Although Drake wasn’t shut out completely (earning nods for his songs “Energy” and “Back to Back” as well as his album “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”), his song “Hotline Bling,” one of the most ubiquitous songs of the moment, was left out, despite being released before the cut off date. Last year, the Grammy’s asked Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney to perform their collaboration “FourFiveSeconds,” but perhaps forgot about the track, seeing as it received no love from the committee.

The award show honors music released October 1 through September 30, which is why 1989 may feel a little dated and why Adele is noticeably absent. This at least will give Bieliebers and Directioners another year to hope for nominations.

Check out a selection of nominees below, and the full list here:

Best New Artist
Courtney Barnett
James Bay
Sam Hunt
Tori Kelly
Meghan Trainor

Record of the Year
“Really Love” D’Angelo and the Vanguard
“Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
“Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran
“Blank Space,” Taylor Swift
“Can’t Feel My Face,” the Weeknd

Song of the Year
“Alright,” Kendrick Lamar
“Blank Space,” Taylor Swift
“Girl Crush,” Little Big Town
“See You Again,” Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
“Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran

Album of the Year:
Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes
To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar
Traveller, Chris Stapleton
1989, Taylor Swift
Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd

Best Pop Solo Performance
“Heartbeat Song,” Kelly Clarkson
“Love Me Like You Do,” Ellie Goulding
“Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran
“Blank Space,” Taylor Swift
“Can’t Feel My Face,” The Weeknd

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Ship to Wreck,” Florence + the Machine
“Sugar,” Maroon 5
“Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
“Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
“See You Again,” Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth

Best Pop Vocal Album
Piece by Piece, Kelly Clarkson
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, Florence + the Machine
Uptown Special, Mark Ronson
1989, Taylor Swift
Before This World, James Taylor

Best Dance Recording
“We’re All We Need,” Above & Beyond featuring Zoë Johnston
“Go,” The Chemical Brothers
“Never Catch Me,” Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar
“Runaway (U & I),” Galantis
“Where Are Ü Now,” Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber

Best Dance Album
Our Love, Caribou
Born in the Echoes, The Chemical Brothers
Caracal, Disclosure
In Colour, Jamie xx
Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü, Skrillex and Diplo

Best Rock Performance
“Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes
“What Kind of Man,” Florence + the Machine
“Something from Nothing,” Foo Fighters
“Ex’s & Oh’s,” Elle King
“Moaning Lisa Smile,” Wolf Alice

Best Rock Song (awarded to songwriters)
“Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes
“Ex’s & Oh’s,” Elle King
“Hold Back the River,” James Bay
“Lydia,” Highly Suspect
“What Kind of Man,” Florence + the Machine

Best Rock Album
Chaos and the Calm, James Bay
Kintsugi, Death Cab for Cutie
Mister Asylum, Highly Suspect
Drones, Muse
.5: The Gray Chapter, Slipknot

Best Alternative Music Album
Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes
Vulnicura, Björk
The Waterfall, My Morning Jacket
Currents, Tame Impala
Star Wars, Wilco

Best R&B Performance
“If I Don’t Have You,” Tamar Braxton
“Rise Up,” Andra Day
“Breathing Underwater,” Hiatus Kaiyote
“Planes,” Jeremih featuring J. Cole
“Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey),” The Weeknd

Best R&B Song
“Coffee,” Miguel
“Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey),” The Weeknd
“Let It Burn,” Jazmine Sullivan
“Really Love,” D’Angelo and the Vanguard
“Shame,” Tyrese

Best Urban Contemporary Album
Ego Death, The Internet
You Should Be Here, Kehlani
Blood, Lianne La Havas
Wildheart, Miguel
Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd

Best R&B Album
Coming Home, Leon Bridges
Black Messiah, D’Angelo and the Vanguard
Cheers to the Fall, Andra Day,
Reality Show, Jazmine Sullivan
Forever Charlie, Charlie Wilson

Best Rap Performance
“Apparently,” J. Cole
“Back to Back,” Drake
“Trap Queen,” Fetty Wap
“Alright,” Kendrick Lamar
“Truffle Butter,” Nicki Minaj featuring Drake and Lil Wayne
“All Day,” Kanye West featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom and Paul McCartney

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
“Only Man Can Change the World,” Big Sean featuring Kanye West and John Legend
“Glory,” Common and John Legend
“Classic Man,” Jidenna featuring Roman GianArthur
“These Walls,” Kendrick Lamar featuring Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat
“Only,” Nicki Minaj featuring Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown

Best Rap Song
“All Day,” Kanye West featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom and Paul McCartney
“Alright,” Kendrick Lamar
“Energy,” Drake
“Glory,” Common and John Legend
“Trap Queen,” Fetty Wap

Best Rap Album
2014 Forest Hills Drive, J. Cole
Compton, Dr. Dre
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Drake
To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar
The Pinkprint, Nicki Minaj

Best Country Solo Performance
“Burning House,” Cam
“Traveller,” Chris Stapleton
“Little Toy Guns,” Carrie Underwood
“John Cougar, John deere, John 3:16,” Keith Urban
“Chances Are,” Lee Ann Womack

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Stay a Little Longer,” Brothers Osborne
“If I Needed You,” Joey+Rory
“The Driver,” Charles Kelly, Dierks Bentley & Eric Paslay
“Girl Crush,” Little Big Town
“Lonely Tonight,” Blake Shelton featuring Ashley Monroe

Best Country Song (awarded to songwriter)
“Chances Are,” Lee Ann Womack
“Diamond Rings and Old Barstools,” Tim McGraw
“Girl Crush,” Little Big Town
“Hold My Hand,” Brandy Clark
“Traveller,” Chris Stapleton

Best Country Album
Motevallo, Sam Hunt
Pain Killer, Little Big Town,
The Blade, Ashley Monroe
Pageant Material, Kacey Musgraves
Traveller, Chris Stapleton

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Empire: Season 1, Various Artists
Fifty Shades of Grey, Various Artists
Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me, Various Artists
Pitch Perfect 2, Various Artists
Selma, Various Artists

Best Music Video
“LSD,” A$AP Rocky
“I Feel Love (Every Million Miles),” The Dead Weather
“Alright,” Kendrick Lamar
“Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
“Freedom,” Pharrell Williams

Best Music Film
Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown
Sonic Highways
What Happened, Miss Simone?
The Wall
Amy

 

 

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