Kanye West And Adele Lead Grammy Nominations
Kanye West looks set to be the king of the 54th annual Grammy Awards next year (12) after landing seven nominations.
The Stronger rapper leads the way with the most amount of nods - his star-studded collaboration All Of The Lights is up for Song of the Year and Best Rap Song, while he also earns a nod in the latter category for his Jay Z duet Otis.
British soul singer Adele is not far behind West with a total of six nominations. She is in the running for Song of the Year for Rolling in the Deep, while her critically-acclaimed 21 will fight for the prestigious titles of Record of the Year and Album of the Year.
Rockers Foo Fighters and R&B singer Bruno Mars were also revealed as six-time contenders for the 2012 ceremony on Wednesday (30Nov11) during the televised Grammy Nominations Concert Live, which was hosted by LL Cool J from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
Mars took to Twitter.com after the nominations were announced to write, "I've been trynna (trying to) think of something clever to say... But the only thing that comes to my mind is... Frikikikiki (sic)!! We Did It!"
He will battle it out with Adele for Album of the Year with Doo-Wops & Hooligans, as well as Rihanna (Loud), Foo Fighters (Wasting Light) and Lady Gaga (Born This Way).
The Poker Face hitmaker was surprisingly left out of the Song of the Year category for her mega-hit Born This Way.
Another star to miss out on the top honours was country star Taylor Swift, who along with Gaga had one of the fastest-selling albums of the year with her Speak Now record, but she missed out on a mention in the Album of the Year category.
However, Swift did pick up three nominations - her track Mean garnered nods for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song, while Speak Now was named in the Best Country Album category.
Other musicians to win multiple mentions included Lil Wayne and dub step star Skrillex with five nominations each, Rihanna and folk group Mumford & Sons are up for four, along with Bon Iver.
Coldplay, Katy Perry, Radiohead and Maroon 5 also picked up nominations.
Late soul star Amy Winehouse, who died in July (11) aged 27, collected a posthumous nomination for her duet with veteran star Tony Bennett on Body and Soul, which is up for Pop Duo Or Group Performance.
Unlike this year's (11) shock winner in the Best New Artist category, which saw relatively unknown singer Esperanza Spalding take the prize from favourite Justin Bieber, the 2012 event looks set for less controversy - Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver, The Band Perry and Skrillex are up for the award.
Performance highlights from the Grammy Nominations Concert Live came from R&B star Usher, who remembered late songwriters Nickolas Ashford and Jerry Leiber with a medley of their hits.
Common, Lupe Fiasco and LL Cool J also hit the stage to pay tribute to rap icon Grandmaster Flash with a rousing rendition of hip-hop anthem The Message with the legend himself and his longtime collaborator Melle Mel to mark the recording's recent addition to the 2012 Grammy Hall of Fame.
There were also two unlikely country collaborations - Jason Aldean and rapper Ludacris teamed up to perform the singer's track Dirt Road Anthem, and Lady Gaga, who opened the event wearing skeletal face paint to sing Marry The Night, was joined by Sugarland to close the show with the pop superstar's hit single You and I.
The 54th annual Grammy Awards will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on 12 February (12).
The main list of nominees is as follows:
Record of the Year:
Adele - Rolling in the Deep
Bon Iver - Holocene
Bruno Mars - Grenade
Mumford & Sons - The Cave
Katy Perry - Firework
Song Of The Year:
Kanye West - All of the Lights
Mumford & Sons - The Cave
Bruno Mars - Grenade
Bon Iver - Holocene
Adele - Rolling in the Deep
Best New Artist:
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex
Album Of The Year:
Adele - 21
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Rihanna - Loud
Best Pop Solo Performance:
Adele - Someone Like You
Lady Gaga - You And I
Bruno Mars - Grenade
Katy Perry - Firework
Pink - F**kin' Perfect
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse - Body and Soul
The Black Keys - Dearest
Coldplay - Paradise
Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks
Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger
Best Pop Vocal Album:
Adele - 21
Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Rihanna - Loud
Best Rock Song:
Mumford & Sons - The Cave
The King Is Dead - Down By The Water
Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall
The King of Limbs - Lotus Flower
Foo Fighters - Walk
Best Rock Album:
Jeff Beck - Rock 'n' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown
Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You
Wilco - The Whole Love
Best R&B Song:
Marsha Ambrosius - Far Away
Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona - Fool For You
Kelly Price & Stokley - Not My Daddy
Ledisi - Pieces of Me
Charlie Wilson - You Are
Best R&B Album:
Chris Brown - F.A.M.E.
El DeBarge - Second Chance
R. Kelly - Love Letter
Ledisi - Pieces of Me
Kelly Price - Kelly
Best Rap Song:
Kanye West - All of the Lights
Wiz Khalifa - Black and Yellow
Dr. Dre, Eminem & Skylar Grey - I Need A Doctor
Chris Brown, Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes - Look At Me Now
Jay Z & Kanye West - Otis
Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On
Best Rap Album:
Jay Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV
Lupe Fiasco - Lasers
Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Best Country Song:
Thompson Square - Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not
Blake Shelton - God Gave Me You
Trace Adkins - Just Fishin'
Taylor Swift - Mean
Vince Gill - Threaten Me With Heaven
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter - You And Tequila
Best Country Album:
Jason Aldean - My Kinda Party
Eric Church - Chief
Lady Antebellum - Own The Night
Blake Shelton - Red River Blue
George Strait - Here For A Good Time
Taylor Swift - Speak Now.
