Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars lead 60th Grammy nominees

The Recording Academy welcomes this year’s class of GRAMMY nominees. Already a 21-time GRAMMY winner, JAY-Z leads with eight nominations, followed by Kendrick Lamar (7), Bruno Mars (6), Childish Gambino (5), Khalid (5), No I.D. (5), and SZA (5). Selected from more than 22,000 submissions across 84 categories, the nominations showcase some of the most gifted music makers of the past awards year (October 1, 2016–September 30, 2017). As the only peer-selected music award, the GRAMMY is voted on by the Recording Academy’s membership body of music makers, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers, and engineers.

“I’m inspired by this year’s nominees and the incredible talent each possesses,” states Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “Their recordings are a true testament to how creatively alive and meaningful our music industry has become. Each nominee uses their craft to inspire, uplift, and tell stories of our world through their artistry. They provide a vibrant soundtrack that represents the highest level of excellence and continues to impact and reflect our culture.”

“The beauty of our process begins and ends with the participation of music professionals,” says Bill Freimuth, Recording Academy Senior Vice President of Awards. “Our nominations reflect the expertise and passion of Recording Academy voting members.”

The final round of GRAMMY voting is December 7th–21st. The Recording Academy will present the GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, January 28, 2018, live from Madison Square Garden in New York and broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 7:30–11:00 pm ET/4:30–8:00 pm PT.

The following is a sampling of nominations from the GRAMMY Awards’ 30 Fields and 84 categories.

Record Of The Year

  • “Redbone” — Childish Gambino
  • “Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
  • “The Story Of O.J.” — JAY-Z
  • “HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar
  • “24K Magic” — Bruno Mars

Album Of The Year

  • “Awaken, My Love!” — Childish Gambino
  • 4:44 — JAY-Z
  • DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar
  • Melodrama — Lorde
  • 24K Magic — Bruno Mars

Song Of The Year

  • “Despacito” — Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber)
  • “4:44” — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (JAY-Z)
  • “Issues” — Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels)
  • “1-800-273-8255” — Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury, Khalid Robinson, songwriters (Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid)
  • “That’s What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)

Best New Artist

  • Alessia Cara
  • Khalid
  • Lil Uzi Vert
  • Julia Michaels
  • SZA

Best Pop Solo Performance

  • “Love So Soft” — Kelly Clarkson
  • “Praying” — Kesha
  • “Million Reasons” — Lady Gaga
  • “What About Us” — P!nk
  • “Shape Of You” — Ed Sheeran

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

  • “Something Just Like This” ­— The Chainsmokers & Coldplay
  • “Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
  • “Thunder” — Imagine Dragons
  • “Feel It Still” — Portugal. The Man
  • “Stay” — Zedd & Alessia Cara

Best Dance/Electronic Album

  • Migration — Bonobo
  • 3-D The Catalogue — Kraftwerk
  • Mura Masa — Mura Masa
  • A Moment Apart — Odesza
  • What Now — Sylvan Esso

Best Rock Performance

  • “You Want It Darker” — Leonard Cohen
  • “The Promise” — Chris Cornell
  • “Run” — Foo Fighters
  • “No Good” — Kaleo
  • “Go To War” — Nothing More

Best Urban Contemporary Album

  • Free 6lack — 6lack
  • “Awaken, My Love!” — Childish Gambino
  • American Teen — Khalid
  • Ctrl — SZA
  • Starboy — The Weeknd

Best Rap Album

  • 4:44 — JAY-Z
  • DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar
  • Culture — Migos
  • Laila’s Wisdom — Rapsody
  • Flower Boy — Tyler, The Creator

Best Country Album

  • Cosmic Hallelujah — Kenny Chesney
  • Heart Break — Lady Antebellum
  • The Breaker — Little Big Town
  • Life Changes — Thomas Rhett
  • From A Room: Volume 1 — Chris Stapleton

Best Jazz Vocal Album

  • The Journey — The Baylor Project
  • A Social Call — Jazzmeia Horn
  • Bad Ass And Blind — Raul Midón
  • Porter Plays Porter — Randy Porter Trio With Nancy King
  • Dreams And Daggers — Cécile McLorin Salvant

Best Gospel Album

  • Crossover — Travis Greene
  • Bigger Than Me — Le’Andria
  • Close — Marvin Sapp
  • Sunday Song — Anita Wilson
  • Let Them Fall In Love — Cece Winans

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

  • Rise — Danny Gokey
  • Echoes (Deluxe Edition) — Matt Maher
  • Lifer — MercyMe
  • Hills And Valleys — Tauren Wells
  • Chain Breaker — Zach Williams

Best Latin Pop Album

  • Lo Único Constante — Alex Cuba
  • Mis Planes Son Amarte — Juanes
  • Amar Y Vivir En Vivo Desde La Cuidad De México, 2017 — La Santa Cecilia
  • Musas (Un Homenaje Al Folclore Latinoamericano En Manos De Los Macorinos) — Natalia Lafourcade
  • El Dorado — Shakira

Best Americana Album

  • Southern Blood — Gregg Allman
  • Shine On Rainy Day — Brent Cobb
  • Beast Epic — Iron & Wine
  • The Nashville Sound — Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit
  • Brand New Day — The Mavericks

Best Comedy Album

  • The Age Of Spin & Deep In The Heart Of Texas — Dave Chappelle
  • Cinco — Jim Gaffigan
  • Jerry Before Seinfeld — Jerry Seinfeld
  • A Speck Of Dust — Sarah Silverman
  • What Now? — Kevin Hart

Best Song Written For Visual Media

  • “City Of Stars” — Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, songwriters (Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone), Track from La La Land
  • “How Far I’ll Go” — Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Auli’i Cravalho), Track from Moana: The Songs
  • “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker) — Jack Antonoff, Sam Dew & Taylor Swift, songwriters (ZAYN & Taylor Swift), Track from Fifty Shades Darker
  • “Never Give Up” — Sia Furler & Gregg Kurstin, songwriters (Sia), Track from Lion
  • “Stand Up For Something” — Common & Diane Warren, songwriters (Andra Day Featuring Common), Track from Marshall

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical

  • Calvin Harris
  • No I.D.
  • Greg Kurstin
  • Blake Mills
  • The Stereotypes

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com