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, including album of the year for “To Pimp A Butterfly”. Taylor Swift and the Weeknd each
received seven.
"Lamar's
achievement is all the more impressive because he did so with 'To Pimp a
Butterfly,' a rap album so challenging and musically complex that fans and
critics are still chewing on it nearly nine months after its release," the Los Angeles
Times' Gerrick D. Kennedy wrote.
Recording
Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow praised the diversity of the field.
"Artists
are pushing boundaries in exciting ways, making it an exceptionally strong year
for music," he said in a statement.
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.
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 tonight, Monday, February 15, 2016), but a
handful — including the big four — are saved for the main show.
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