Ed Sheeran, Best New Artist GRAMMY nominee
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What qualifies a Best New Artist GRAMMY winner as 'new'?
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GRAMMYs
Jan 16, 2014 - 9:37 am

With the recent launch of The Recording Academy's and Pepsi's Best New Artist program, in our latest installment of Ask The GRAMMYs we feature a question pertaining to eligibility for the Best New Artist category:

Ed Sheeran was nominated for a GRAMMY last year and this year he is nominated in the Best New Artist category? What exactly qualifies an artist as "new"? — Joanna X

Thanks for your question, Joanna X.

Our Best New Artist category probably has the most complicated set of rules of any of our categories. Essentially, a "new artist" is defined for the GRAMMY process as any performing artist or established performing group who releases, during the eligibility year, the recording that first establishes the public identity of that artist or established group as a performer. A GRAMMY nomination in a performance category in a prior year disqualifies an artist from competing in this category, unless the nomination came from a single or a guest spot on another artist's recording, and the artist hadn't yet released a full album.

In Ed Sheeran's case, he was nominated for songwriting last year, not performing, and so remained technically eligible.

Still not completely clear? We hope not, and for more information on the GRAMMY Awards process, check out our handy infographic.

And for exclusive content on Sheeran and the rest of this year's Best New Artist nominees, visit GRAMMY.com.

(Have a specific GRAMMY Awards process question? Need the 411 on The Recording Academy's advocacy-related work in Washington? Are you curious about MusiCares or the GRAMMY Foundation? Ask The GRAMMYs is your opportunity. Send your burning GRAMMY-related question via email to askthegrammys@grammy.com. And don't forget to tune in to Music's Biggest Night, the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014, on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. ET/PT.)

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Exploring The Best New Artist Nominees
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A look at the nominees for Best New Artist for the 56th GRAMMY Awards
GRAMMYs
Dec 10, 2013 - 5:07 pm
GRAMMY.com

You've seen the list of nominees, now take a closer look at the Best New Artist nominees for the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Best New Artist

The Best New Artist race features artists who released albums that charted on the Billboard 200 in 2013: James Blake (Overgrown, No. 32), Kendrick Lamar (Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, No. 2), Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (The Heist, No. 2), Kacey Musgraves (Same Trailer Different Park, No. 2), and Ed Sheeran (+, No. 5).

The category includes four first-time nominees — Blake, Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Musgraves — and returning nominee Sheeran, who is looking to win his first career GRAMMY.

 

James Blake

Blake has one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of his career.

Kendrick Lamar

Lamar's seven nominations this year include Album Of The Year and Best Rap Album for Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have seven nominations this year, including Album Of The Year for The Heist.

Kacey Musgraves

Musgraves has four nominations this year, including Best Country Album for Same Trailer Different Park.

Ed Sheeran

Sheeran has two nominations this year and one prior GRAMMY nomination, a Song Of The Year nod last year for "The A Team."

Who will take home the GRAMMY for Best New Artist? Tune in to the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 26, 2014, taking place at Staples Center in Los Angeles and airing live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

 

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The 56th GRAMMY Awards: The Guessing Game (Part 2)
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GRAMMYs
Jan 17, 2014 - 9:22 am

(Editor's Note: The winners for the 56th GRAMMY Awards are not known until they are announced during the Pre-Telecast and GRAMMY telecast on Sunday, Jan. 26. The following blog offers predictions that do not reflect the opinions of The Recording Academy, GRAMMY.com or Recording Academy voting members. The Academy's voting members, all involved in the creative and technical processes of recording, participate in the nominating process that determines the finalists in each GRAMMY category; and the final voting process that determines the GRAMMY winners. For more information on the GRAMMY Awards process, visit GRAMMY.org.)

The pundits are pontificating, the more than 12,000 Recording Academy voters have cast their ballots, and the 56th GRAMMY Awards, airing on CBS Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, is just around the corner, so what better time to survey this year's GRAMMY field and offer a few observations?

As I pointed out in my first blog, in which I peered into the crystal ball for the nominations, the following are my personal educated guesses in the General Field and select GRAMMY categories from my perspective as a longtime professional observer.

Record Of The Year
Certainly no one can quibble with this year's nominees. There's consensus that Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams' "Get Lucky," Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive," Lorde's "Royals," Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams' "Blurred Lines" and Bruno Mars' "Locked Out Of Heaven" were the most ubiquitous songs of the past year, both in terms of airplay and critical acclaim. That said, Mars, with four current nominations and a total of 14 prior GRAMMY nominations and one win (Best Pop Male Vocal Performance for "Just The Way You Are" in 2010), seems ripe for recognition — complete with the heat surrounding his upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance — though any of the other four wouldn't be a surprise.

Album Of The Year
This category includes a nominee from pop (Sara Bareilles), dance (Daft Punk), country (Taylor Swift), and two hip-hop artists (Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis). Album Of The Year has a diverse history (recent winners include Mumford & Sons, Adele, Arcade Fire, Swift, and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss), and the presence of two rap acts might split that vote. Could that open the door for Bareilles, or another coronation for Swift, whose Fearless garnered the nod in 2009? That's what I'm thinking.

Song Of The Year
The competition is strong in this category, which recognizes songwriters, with Record Of The Year nominees "Locked Out Of Heaven" and "Royals" represented, Pink Featuring Nate Ruess' "Just Give Me A Reason" and Katy Perry's tour de force "Roar." But here's guessing that Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Same Love" captures the political zeitgeist this year, just as the Dixie Chicks ("Not Ready To Make Nice") and Bruce Springsteen ("Streets Of Philadelphia") have in years past.

Best New Artist
Once again, a mixed genre bag, with UK dub-step artist James Blake, Compton, Calif., hip-hop hopeful Kendrick Lamar, country newcomer Kacey Musgraves and Brit folkie Ed Sheeran forming a strong batch of contenders. However, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' DIY success story and overturning of hip-hop orthodoxy in areas of bling and sexuality could just make the difference here.

Best Pop Solo Performance
Could this be where Justin Timberlake gets his due for the smash "Mirrors"? Or will Bareilles' "Brave" get the nod? Also in the mix are Perry's "Roar," Mars' "When I Was Your Man" and Lorde's "Royals." With not-so-perfect 20/20 foresight, I'm going with JT here.

Best Pop Vocal Album
A tough one to call, with pop starlet Lana Del Rey (Paradise) and the presence of General Field nominees Lorde (Pure Heroine), Mars (Unorthodox Jukebox) and Thicke (Blurred Lines) all accounted for, but I think this is where Timberlake (The 20/20 Experience — The Complete Experience) will reign.

Best Rock Performance
Deserving veterans David Bowie ("The Stars [Are Out Tonight]"), Led Zeppelin ("Kashmir"), Jack White ("I'm Shakin"), and Queens Of The Stone Age ("My God Is The Sun") are all represented here, along with last year's Best New Artist nominees Alabama Shakes ("Always Alright"), but I don't think newcomers Imagine Dragons' Record Of The Year nominee "Radioactive" will be denied.

Best Rock Song
Paul McCartney and Nirvana ("Cut Me Some Slack"), the Rolling Stones ("Doom And Gloom") and Black Sabbath ("God Is Dead?") are nominated, along with Muse ("Panic Station") and Gary Clark Jr. ("Ain't Messin 'Round), but I believe the presence of Dave Grohl with a living legend like Macca makes "… Slack" a "cut" above the rest.

Best Rap Album
Lamar (Good Kid, M.A.A.D City) and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (The Heist) face off against the reigning hip-hop triumvirate of Jay Z (Magna Carta … Holy Grail), Kanye West (Yeezus) and Drake (Nothing Was The Same). My call? Lamar edges out his Seattle rivals to snare the prize.

Best Country Album
If Swift (Red) doesn't claim Album Of The Year, this will be a worthy consolation over a strong field, including Musgraves (Same Trailer Different Park), Jason Aldean (Night Train), Tim McGraw (Two Lanes Of Freedom) and Blake Shelton (Based On A True Story).

You've read my predictions. Who do you think GRAMMY voters will choose?

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The 55th GRAMMYs In 140 Characters Or Less
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GRAMMY nominees, winners and attendees react to Music's Biggest Night on Twitter
GRAMMYs
Feb 12, 2013 - 9:34 am
GRAMMY.com

You've heard the acceptance speeches and interviews from the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards, but what did GRAMMY nominees, winners and attendees really have to say? To answer that question, we of course turned to brevity's social media platform of choice: Twitter. While the following represents just a sampling of what was being tweeted on Music's Biggest Night, you'll find out who was inspired by the eclectic lineup of GRAMMY performances, who tore a sleeve on their Yves Saint Laurent suit, who exchanged digits with Alicia Keys and got "stuck" to Kelly Clarkson, who gave thanks to a higher power, and who worked in a One Direction nod in their acceptance tweet, among other tidbits.

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Beyoncé, Sam Smith, Pharrell Williams Top 57th GRAMMY Nominations
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Beyoncé, Smith and Williams earn six nods each; other top nominees include Iggy Azalea, Beck, Eric Church, Jay Z, Miranda Lambert, Sia, and Jack White
GRAMMYs
Dec 5, 2014 - 7:01 pm

Nominations for the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced today by The Recording Academy and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year, as determined by The Academy's voting members.

This year, Beyoncé, Sam Smith and Pharrell Williams top nominations, garnering six each. Iggy Azalea, Beck, Eric Church, recording engineer Tom Coyne, Drake, Gordon Goodwin, Jay Z, Miranda Lambert, Sia, Usher, and Jack White earn four nominations each.

"This year's nominees are a reflection of the music community's diversity and range of talent, and a testament to The Academy's voting process," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "The Recording Academy is pleased to celebrate this talented crop of artists, nominated to receive music's greatest honor for their contributions to their respective genres. The tone for Music's Biggest Night has undoubtedly been set, and we look forward to producing one of the most exciting telecasts in GRAMMY history."  

The nominations were revealed on a rolling basis throughout the day, starting with four categories on "CBS This Morning," followed by a series of video announcements posted by a variety of artists and celebrities on Twitter. The day culminated with the unveiling of Album Of The Year nominations on the one-hour entertainment special "A Very GRAMMY Christmas," which featured performances of holiday classics and current pop songs.

Following are the nominations in the General Field categories:

Album Of The Year:
Morning Phase — Beck
Beyoncé — Beyoncé
X — Ed Sheeran
In The Lonely Hour — Sam Smith
Girl — Pharrell Williams

Record Of The Year:
"Fancy" — Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX
"Chandelier" — Sia
"Stay With Me" (Darkchild Version) — Sam Smith
"Shake It Off" — Taylor Swift
"All About That Bass" — Meghan Trainor 

Song Of The Year:
"All About That Bass" — Kevin Kadish & Meghan Trainor, songwriters (Meghan Trainor)
"Chandelier" — Sia Furler & Jesse Shatkin, songwriters (Sia)
"Shake It Off" — Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
"Stay With Me" (Darkchild Version) — James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith)
"Take Me To Church" — Andrew Hozier-Byrne, songwriter (Hozier)

Best New Artist:
Iggy Azalea
Bastille
Brandy Clark
Haim
Sam Smith

Following is a sampling of nominations in the GRAMMY Awards' other 29 Fields:

For Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, the nominees are "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX; "A Sky Full Of Stars" by Coldplay; "Say Something" by A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera; "Bang Bang" by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj; and "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J.

The nominees for Best Dance Recording are "Never Say Never" by Basement Jaxx; "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit Featuring Jess Glynne; "F For You" by Disclosure Featuring Mary J. Blige; "I Got U" by Duke Dumont Featuring Jax Jones; and "Faded" by Zhu.

The Best Rock Performance nominees are "Gimme Something Good" by Ryan Adams; "Do I Wanna Know?" by Arctic Monkeys; "Blue Moon" by Beck; "Fever" by the Black Keys; and "Lazaretto" by Jack White.

For Best Alternative Music Album, the nominees are This Is All Yours by Alt-J; Reflektor by Arcade Fire; Melophobia by Cage The Elephant; St. Vincent by St. Vincent; and Lazaretto by Jack White.

The nominees for Best Rap Performance are "3005" by Childish Gambino; "0 To 100/The Catch Up" by Drake; "Rap God" by Eminem; "I" by Kendrick Lamar; and "All I Need Is You" by Lecrae.

For Best Rap Album, the nominees are The New Classic by Iggy Azalea; Because The Internet by Childish Gambino; Nobody's Smiling by Common; The Marshall Mathers LP2 by Eminem; Oxymoron by Schoolboy Q; and Blacc Hollywood by Wiz Khalifa.

The Best Urban Contemporary Album nominees are Sail Out by Jhené Aiko; Beyoncé by Beyoncé; X  by Chris Brown; Mali Is…by Mali Music; and Girl by Pharrell Williams.

The nominees for Best Country Duo/Group Performance are "Gentle On My Mind" by the Band Perry; "Somethin' Bad" by Miranda Lambert With Carrie Underwood; "Day Drinking" by  Little Big Town; "Meanwhile Back At Mama's" by Tim McGraw Featuring Faith Hill; and "Raise 'Em Up" by Keith Urban Featuring Eric Church.

The Best Country Album nominees are Riser by Dierks Bentley; The Outsiders by Eric Church; 12 Stories by Brandy Clark; Platinum by Miranda Lambert; and The Way I'm Livin' by Lee Ann Womack.

This year's Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical nominations go to Paul Epworth, John Hill, Jay Joyce, Greg Kurstin, and Max Martin.

This year's GRAMMY Awards process registered more than 20,000 submissions over a 12-month eligibility period (Oct. 1, 2013 – Sept. 30, 2014). GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 17 to The Recording Academy's voting members. Ballots are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 16, 2015, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the 57th GRAMMY Awards telecast.

The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held Feb. 8, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). For updates and breaking news, visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.