Grammy nominees 2016: Kendrick Lamar leads the way
Taylor Swift and the Weeknd are next in line.
By Emily VanDerWerff and Caroline Framke Updated Dec 7, 2015, 10:56am EST
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Kendrick Lamar pulled in 11 Grammy nominations for his album To Pimp a Butterfly.
Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Power 105.1's Powerhouse 2015
The 58th annual Grammy Awards announced its nominations in 83 categories on December 7, 2015. They were led by hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar, who pulled in 11 nominations. Taylor Swift and the Weeknd each received seven.
The top four categories reflect a broadly diverse slate of musical artists, from major stars like Swift and the Weeknd to more obscure figures like Alabama Shakes and Courtney Barnett. The Album of the Year category alone features representatives from pop, country, hip-hop, and alternative.
Swift was the only artist to receive nominations in the top three categories, with 1989 nominated for Album of the Year and her song "Blank Space" landing spots in the Record of the Year and Song of the Year categories. (For an explanation of what's different about these categories, go here.) No artist received nominations in all four top categories, as none of the five Best New Artist nominees saw substantial success in the other top three categories. These four categories — Album, Record, Song, and New Artist — are the only four all artists are eligible for. Otherwise, they are split up among "fields," including pop, rock, country, and so on.
The many nominations for Swift's 1989, which came out in October 2014, and the Best New Artist nomination for Meghan Trainor, who first saw major success in summer 2014, reflect the Grammys' odd eligibility calendar, which runs from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 2015. (Trainor's first album came out in that time period.)
Though the Grammys are currently known more for their wild performances than for the actual awards, they do still hand out trophies. Most are handed out before the telecast (which will be held on Monday, February 15, 2016), but a handful — including the big four — are saved for the main show.
A list of nominees in selected categories follows. To read the full list in all 83 categories, go to the Grammys' website.
The 58th annual Grammy Award nominations
Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes
To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar
Traveller, Chris Stapleton
1989, Taylor Swift
Beauty Behind the Madness, the Weeknd
Taylor Swift received several nominations for her song "Blank Space."
"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
"Alright," Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Anthony Spears & Pharrell Williams, songwriters; Kendrick Lamar, performer
"Blank Space," Max Martin, Shellback, and Taylor Swift, songwriters; Swift, performer
"Girl Crush," Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, and Liz Rose, songwriters; Little Big Town, performer
"See You Again," Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth, and Cameron Thomax, songwriters; Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, performers
"Thinking Out Loud," Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge, songwriters; Sheeran, performer
Best Pop Vocal Album
Piece by Piece, Kelly Clarkson
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, Florence + the Machine
Uptown Special, Mark Ronson
Before This World, James Taylor
Best Dance/Electronic 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 Alternative Music Album
Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes.
Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for AOL
Vulnicura, Bjork
The Waterfall, My Morning Jacket
Currents, Tame Impala
Star Wars, Wilco
Chaos and the Calm, James Bay
Kintsugi, Death Cab for Cutie
Mister Asylum, Highly Suspect
Drones, Muse
.5: The Gray Chapter, Slipknot
2014 Forest Hills Drive, J. Cole
Compton, Dr. Dre
If You're Reading This It's Too Late, Drake
The Pinkprint, Nicki Minaj
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Ego Death, the Internet
You Should Be Here, Kahlani
Blood, Lianne La Havas
Wildheart, Miguel
Best Country Album
Country star Chris Stapleton.
Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images
Montevallo, Sam Hunt
Pain Killer, Little Big Town
The Blade, Ashley Monroe
Pageant Material, Kacey Musgraves
Best Musical Theater Album
Best Comedy Album
Back to the Drawing Board, Lisa Lampanelli
Brooklyn, Wyatt Cenac
Happy. And a Lot., Jay Mohr
Just Being Honest, Craig Ferguson
Live at Madison Square Garden, Louis C.K.
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