Grammy Nominees 2016: Kendrick Lamar Leads The Way with 11 Nominations
- Skid
- Dec 7, 2015
- 2 min read
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. Taylor Swift and the Weeknd each received seven.
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 1989nominated 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.
The many nominations for Swift's 1989, which came out in October 2014, and the Best New Artist nomination for Meghan Trainor, who first saw major success in summer 2014, reflect the Grammys' odd eligibility calendar, which runs from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 2015. (Trainor's first album came out in that time period.)
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 Monday, February 15, 2016), but a handful — including the big four — are saved for the main show.
To read the full list in all 83 categories,go to the Grammys' website.
