The Song of the Year prize is a songwriting award.
Advertisement
As for Song of the Year, Kendrick Lamar earned a nod for “Alright”, as did Little Big Town for “Girl Crush” and Wiz Khalifa for “See You Again”. But Taylor Swift racked up seven nominations, including three out of the four biggest categories – Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Lamar’s challenging To Pimp a Butterfly is, in terms of artistry and social commentary, among the most important albums the genre has ever produced.
R&B singer/songwriter The Weeknd was tapped for record (Can’t Feel My Face) and album of the year, the latter for Beauty Behind The Madness, which entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1. Based on that alone, it will get the most love from the Academy Of Recording Arts And Sciences, which is notorious for valuing popularity over substance. In a twist, Lamar’s contributions to Swift’s “Bad Blood” scored nominations for Best Music Video as well as Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, the Associated Press reported. Despite success with tours, albums and singles, Luke Bryan was also snubbed and has yet to earn a Grammy nomination. However, Rihanna failed to receive any nominations at all this year.
Melbourne future-soul quartet Hiatus Kaiyote were nominated for best R&B performance for their song Breathing Underwater. Lamar’s album, should it win, would generate 30 awards for the collective group of performers, producers and engineers who are nominated. Most notably, it is unlikely Adele will steal the spotlight at the upcoming ceremony as her new album 25 was released on 20 November.
When the Grammy Awards’ 2016 nominees are announced Monday morning, you’ll no doubt hear some familiar names.
The Grammys will be presented February 15 at Staples Center.
English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran’s viral ballad Thinking Out Loud was nominated for both record of the year and song of the year.
Best new artist: Courtney Barnett, James Bay, Sam Hunt, Tori Kelly, Meghan Trainor.
Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images Taylor Swift performs during her “1989” World Tour in Sydney, Australia last month.
Advertisement
Taylor Swift’s wildest dreams have come true.
