Beyoncé leads with 9 Grammy nominations

Beyoncé, Drake, Rihanna and Adele lead the nominations for the 59th annual Grammy Awards, the organization behind the ceremony announced today.

With nine nods for “Lemonade,” an album and film that explored race and infidelity, Beyoncé had more nominations than any other artist. But in each of the top three categories she will compete directly against Adele, the British diva whose album “25” was one of the music industry’s biggest success stories in years.

For album of the year, “Lemonade” and “25” will also contend with Drake’s “Views,” a monster streaming hit; “Purpose,” Justin Bieber’s comeback vehicle; and “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” by country singer Sturgill Simpson, a critical favorite but modest seller that may be the year’s wild card.

For record of the year, an award for the performer and producers of a single track, Beyoncé’s “Formation” faces off against Adele’s “Hello,” along with “7 Years,” a mellow hit by the Danish group Lukas Graham; “Stressed Out” by the genre-mixing pop duo Twenty One Pilots; and Rihanna’s “Work,” which features Drake.

In the song of the year category, which recognizes songwriters, “Formation,” “Hello” and “7 Years” are up against Bieber’s “Love Yourself” and Mike Posner’s “I Took a Pill in Ibiza,” an acoustic song that had a second life as a dance remix.

The nominees for best new artist include the Chainsmokers, the DJ duo that had a major hit with “Closer”; Chance the Rapper, who has climbed the charts as an independent; country singers Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini; and singer and rapper Anderson .Paak.

In all, Drake and Rihanna are each up for eight awards, and Adele five. Chance the Rapper has seven nominations in five categories; like Drake, he is up for all four rap trophies.

The awards, which will be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 12 and broadcast by CBS, recognize music released from Oct. 1, 2015, to Sept. 30, 2016.

No announcement of Grammy nominees is without surprises.

Kanye West, whose album “The Life of Pablo” was one of the most closely watched pop events of the year, received eight nominations in five categories, including all rap awards. But the members of the Recording Academy, the organization that presents the awards, did not choose West — a frequent Grammy critic — in any of the top categories for his own work. (He is, however, one of the 20 credited producers on Drake’s “Views.”)

On the other hand, Beyoncé was nominated for seemingly every award possible. Besides the top fields, she is up for awards in the pop category (“Hold Up,” pop solo performance), rock (“Don’t Hurt Yourself,” with Jack White, for rock performance), R&B (“Lemonade” for urban contemporary album) and rap (“Freedom,”) with Kendrick Lamar, for best rap/sung performance).

“Lemonade” was also nominated for best music film, and “Formation” for best music video.

Beyoncé has now been nominated 62 times in her career, more than any other female artist. She has already won 20 awards, and if she wins eight this year, Beyoncé would surpass Alison Krauss as the most-honored woman in Grammy history.

Among the other major nominees, members of Twenty One Pilots are up for a total of five awards, and those up for four include producers Benny Blanco and Greg Kurstin; Bieber and Morris; and David Bowie, who died in January after releasing his album “Blackstar.” In his lifetime, Bowie won only one Grammy, along with a lifetime achievement award.

The Grammys, long criticized for celebrating aging stars at the expense of vital young talent, have taken steps in recent years to better reflect the current pulse of pop music. The Recording Academy has expanded its membership and become more active in campaigning for musicians’ rights in Washington.

“There was a time when the membership of the academy may have skewed a little older,” Neil Portnow, the academy’s president, said in an interview. “But as we have evolved and the community of membership has broadened, you probably see some reflection of that in how the nominations come out.”

Yet there were still some striking absences from this year’s nominees, including Drake’s song “One Dance.” By far one of the biggest hits of the year — it was No. 1 for 10 weeks — it was not nominated for any award.

Another absence is the result of an apparent protest. Frank Ocean, the R&B singer and songwriter whose album “Blonde” was another major pop event, declined to submit his material for consideration. In an interview with The New York Times last month, Ocean called the Grammys’ nomination system “dated,” and added: “I’d rather this be my Colin Kaepernick moment for the Grammys than sit there in the audience.”

In response to that, Portnow said, “If you look at the 22,000-plus entries in our process, it’s pretty clear to me that the vast majority of artists feel that we are important, that they do aspire to be honored by their peers, and that the process we’ve created is democratic and transparent.”

Here is the list of nominees for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

GENERAL FIELD

Record of the Year:

“Hello”— Adele

“Formation” — Beyoncé

“7 Years” — Lukas Graham

“Work” — Rihanna Featuring Drake

“Stressed Out” — Twenty One Pilots

Album Of The Year:

25 — Adele

Lemonade — Beyoncé

Purpose — Justin Bieber

Views — Drake

A Sailor’s Guide To Earth — Sturgill Simpson

Song Of The Year:

“Formation”— Khalif Brown, Asheton Hogan, Beyoncé Knowles & Michael L. Williams II, songwriters (Beyoncé)

“Hello” — Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)

“I Took A Pill In Ibiza” — Mike Posner, songwriter (Mike Posner)

“Love Yourself” —Justin Bieber, Benjamin Levin & Ed Sheeran, songwriters (Justin Bieber)

“7 Years” — Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten & Morten Ristorp, songwriters (Lukas Graham)

Best New Artist:

Kelsea Ballerini

The Chainsmokers

Chance The Rapper

Maren Morris

Anderson .Paak

POP FIELD

Best Pop Solo Performance:

“Hello” — Adele

“Hold Up” — Beyoncé

“Love Yourself” — Justin Bieber

“Piece By Piece” (Idol Version) — Kelly Clarkson

“Dangerous Woman” — Ariana Grande

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

“Closer” — The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey

“7 Years” — Lukas Graham

“Work” — Rihanna Featuring Drake

“Cheap Thrills” — Sia Featuring Sean Paul

“Stressed Out” — Twenty One Pilots

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

Cinema — Andrea Bocelli

Fallen Angels — Bob Dylan

Stages Live — Josh Groban

Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin — Willie Nelson

Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway

Best Pop Vocal Album:

25 — Adele

Purpose — Justin Bieber

Dangerous Woman — Ariana Grande

Confident — Demi Lovato

This Is Acting — Sia

DANCE/ELECTRONIC MUSIC FIELD

Best Dance Recording:

“Tearing Me Up” — Bob Moses

“Don’t Let Me Down” — The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya

“Never Be Like You” — Flume Featuring Kai

“Rinse & Repeat” — Riton Featuring Kah-Lo

“Drinkee” — Sofi Tukker

Best Dance/Electronic Album:

Skin — Flume

Electronica 1: The Time Machine — Jean-Michel Jarre

Epoch — Tycho

Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future — Underworld

Louie Vega Starring…XXVIII — Louie Vega

CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL FIELD

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album:

Human Nature — Herb Alpert

When You Wish Upon A Star — Bill Frisell

Way Back Home Live From Rochester, NY — Steve Gadd Band

Unspoken — Chuck Loeb

Culcha Vulcha — Snarky Puppy

ROCK FIELD:

Best Rock Performance:

“Joe” (Live From Austin City Limits) — Alabama Shakes

“Don’t Hurt Yourself” — Beyoncé Featuring Jack White

“Blackstar” — David Bowie

“The Sound Of Silence” (Live On Conan) — Disturbed

“Heathens” — Twenty One Pilots

Best Metal Performance:

“Shock Me” — Baroness

“Silvera” — Gojira

“Rotting In Vain” — Korn

“Dystopia” — Megadeth

“The Price Is Wrong” — Periphery

Best Rock Song:

“Blackstar” — David Bowie, songwriter (David Bowie)

“Burn The Witch” — Radiohead, songwriters (Radiohead)

“Hardwired” — James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich, songwriters (Metallica)

“Heathens” — Tyler Joseph, songwriter (Twenty One Pilots)

“My Name Is Human” — Rich Meyer, Ryan Meyer & Johnny Stevens, songwriters (Highly Suspect)

Best Rock Album:

California — Blink-182

Tell Me I’m Pretty — Cage The Elephant

Magma — Gojira

Death Of A Bachelor — Panic! At The Disco

Weezer — Weezer

ALTERNATIVE FIELD

Best Alternative Music Album:

22, A Million — Bon Iver

Blackstar — David Bowie

The Hope Six Demolition Project — PJ Harvey

Post Pop Depression — Iggy Pop

A Moon Shaped Pool — Radiohead

R&B FIELD

Best R&B Performance:

“Turnin’ Me Up” — BJ The Chicago Kid

“Permission” — Ro James

“I Do” — Musiq Soulchild

“Needed Me” — Rihanna

“Cranes In The Sky” — Solange

Best Traditional R&B Performance:

“The Three Of Me” — William Bell

“Woman’s World” — BJ The Chicago Kid

“Sleeping With The One I Love” — Fantasia

“Angel” — Lalah Hathaway

“Can’t Wait” — Jill Scott

Best R&B Song:

“Come See Me” — J. Brathwaite, Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib, songwriters (PartyNextDoor Featuring Drake)

“Exchange” — Michael Hernandez & Bryson Tiller, songwriters (Bryson Tiller)

“Kiss It Better” — Jeff Bhasker, Robyn Fenty, John-Nathan Glass & Natalia Noemi, songwriters (Rihanna)

“Lake By The Ocean” — Hod David & Musze, songwriters (Maxwell)

“Luv” — Magnus August Høiberg, Benjamin Levin & Daystar Peterson, songwriters (Tory Lanez)

Best Urban Contemporary Album:

Lemonade — Beyoncé

Ology — Gallant

We Are King — KING

Malibu — Anderson .Paak

Anti — Rihanna

Best R&B Album:

In My Mind — BJ The Chicago Kid

Lalah Hathaway Live — Lalah Hathaway

Velvet Portraits — Terrace Martin

Healing Season — Mint Condition

Smoove Jones — Mya

RAP FIELD

Best Rap/Sung Performance:

“Freedom” — Beyoncé Featuring Kendrick Lamar

“Hotline Bling” — Drake

“Broccoli” — D.R.A.M. Featuring Lil Yachty

“Ultralight Beam” — Kanye West Featuring Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream

“Famous” — Kanye West Featuring Rihanna

Best Rap Song:

“All The Way Up” — Joseph Cartagena, Edward Davadi, Shandel Green, Karim Kharbouch, Andre Christopher Lyon, Reminisce Mackie & Marcello Valenzano, songwriters (Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared)

“Famous” — Chancelor Bennett, Ross Birchard, Ernest Brown, Andrew Dawson, Kasseem Dean, Mike Dean, Noah Goldstein, Kejuan Muchita, Patrick Reynolds, Kanye West & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Rihanna)

“Hotline Bling” — Aubrey Graham & Paul Jefferies, songwriters (Drake)

“No Problem” — Chancelor Bennett, Dwayne Carter & Tauheed Epps, songwriters (Chance The Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz)

“Ultralight Beam” — Chancelor Bennett, Kasseem Dean, Mike Dean, Kirk Franklin, Noah Goldstein, Samuel Griesemer, Terius Nash, Jerome Potter, Kelly Price, Nico “Donnie Trumpet” Segal, Derek Watkins, Kanye West & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream)

Best Rap Album:

Coloring Book — Chance The Rapper

And The Anonymous Nobody — De La Soul

Major Key — DJ Khaled

Views — Drake

Blank Face LP — ScHoolboy Q

The Life Of Pablo — Kanye West

COUNTRY FIELD

Best Country Solo Performance:

“Love Can Go To Hell” — Brandy Clark

“Vice” — Miranda Lambert

“My Church” — Maren Morris

“Church Bells” — Carrie Underwood

“Blue Ain’t Your Color” — Keith Urban

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

“Different For Girls” — Dierks Bentley Featuring Elle King

“21 Summer” — Brothers Osborne

“Setting The World On Fire” — Kenny Chesney & P!nk

“Jolene” — Pentatonix Featuring Dolly Parton

“Think Of You” — Chris Young With Cassadee Pope

Best Country Song:

“Blue Ain’t Your Color” — Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey & Steven Lee Olsen, songwriters (Keith Urban)

“Die A Happy Man” — Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett & Joe Spargur, songwriters (Thomas Rhett)

“Humble And Kind” — Lori McKenna, songwriter (Tim McGraw)

“My Church” — busbee & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris)

“Vice” — Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

Best Country Album:

Big Day In A Small Town — Brandy Clark

Full Circle — Loretta Lynn

Hero — Maren Morris

A Sailor’s Guide To Earth — Sturgill Simpson

Ripcord — Keith Urban

NEW AGE FIELD

Best New Age Album:

Orogen — John Burke

Dark Sky Island — Enya

Inner Passion — Peter Kater & Tina Guo

Rosetta — Vangelis

White Sun II — White Sun

JAZZ FIELD

Best Improvised Jazz Solo:

“Countdown” — Joey Alexander, soloist

“In Movement” — Ravi Coltrane, soloist

“We See” — Fred Hersch, soloist

“I Concentrate On You” — Brad Mehldau, soloist

“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” — John Scofield, soloist

Best Jazz Vocal Album:

Sound Of Red — René Marie

Upward Spiral — Branford Marsalis Quartet With Special Guest Kurt Elling

Take Me To The Alley — Gregory Porter

Harlem On My Mind — Catherine Russell

The Sting Variations — The Tierney Sutton Band

Best Jazz Instrumental Album:

Book Of Intuition — Kenny Barron Trio

Dr. Um — Peter Erskine

Sunday Night At The Vanguard — The Fred Hersch Trio

Nearness — Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau

Country For Old Men — John Scofield

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album:

Real Enemies — Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society

Presents Monk’estra, Vol. 1 — John Beasley

Kaleidoscope Eyes: Music Of The Beatles — John Daversa

All L.A. Band — Bob Mintzer

Presidential Suite: Eight Variations On Freedom — Ted Nash Big Band

Best Latin Jazz Album

Entre Colegas — Andy González

Madera Latino: A Latin Jazz Perspective On The Music Of Woody Shaw — Brian Lynch & Various Artists

Canto América — Michael Spiro/Wayne Wallace La Orquesta Sinfonietta

30 — Trio Da Paz

Tribute To Irakere: Live In Marciac — Chucho Valdés

GOSPEL/CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC FIELD

Best Gospel Performance/Song:

“It’s Alright, It’s Ok” — Shirley Caesar Featuring Anthony Hamilton

“You’re Bigger” [Live] — Jekalyn Carr

“Made A Way” [Live] — Travis Greene

“God Provides” — Tamela Mann

“Better” — Hezekiah Walker

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song:

“Trust In You — Lauren Daigle

“Priceless” — For King & Country

“King Of The World” — Natalie Grant

“Thy Will” — Hillary Scott & The Scott Family

“Chain Breaker” — Zach Williams

Best Gospel Album:

Listen — Tim Bowman Jr.

Fill This House — Shirley Caesar

A Worshipper’s Heart [Live] — Todd Dulaney

Losing My Religion — Kirk Franklin

Demonstrate [Live] — William Murphy

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album:

Poets & Saints — All Sons & Daughters

American Prodigal — Crowder

Be One — Natalie Grant

Youth Revival [Live] — Hillsong Young & Free

Love Remains — Hillary Scott &The Scott Family

Best Roots Gospel Album:

Better Together — Gaither Vocal Band

Nature’s Symphony In 432 — The Isaacs

Hymns — Joey+Rory

Hymns And Songs Of Inspiration — Gordon Mote

God Don’t Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson — (Various Artists)

MUSIC VIDEO/FILM FIELD

Best Music Video:

Formation — Beyoncé

River — Leon Bridges

Up & Up — Coldplay

Gosh — Jamie XX

Upside Down & Inside Out — OK Go

Best Music Film:

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead — Steve Aoki

The Beatles: Eight Days A Week The Touring Years — (The Beatles)

Lemonade — Beyoncé

The Music Of Strangers — Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble

American Saturday Night: Live From The Grand Ole Opry — (Various Artists)

REGGAE FIELD

Best Reggae Album:

Sly & Robbie Presents… Reggae For Her — Devin Di Dakta & J.L

Rose Petals — J Boog

Ziggy Marley — Ziggy Marley

Everlasting — Raging Fyah

Falling Into Place — Rebelution

SOJA: Live In Virginia — SOJA

WORLD MUSIC FIELD

Best World Music Album:

Destiny — Celtic Woman

Walking In The Footsteps Of Our Fathers — Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Sing Me Home — Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble

Land Of Gold — Anoushka Shankar

Dois Amigos, Um Século De Música: Multishow Live — Caetano Veloso & Gilberto Gil

CHILDREN’S FIELD

Best Children’s Album:

Explorer Of The World — Frances England

Infinity Plus One — Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

Novelties — Recess Monkey

Press Play — Brady Rymer And The Little Band That Could

Saddle Up — The Okee Dokee Brothers

SPOKEN WORD FIELD

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):

The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo — Amy Schumer

In Such Good Company: Eleven Years Of Laughter, Mayhem, And Fun In The Sandbox — Carol Burnett

M Train — Patti Smith

Under The Big Black Sun: A Personal History Of L.A. Punk — (John Doe With Tom Desavia) (Various Artists)

Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink — Elvis Costello

COMEDY FIELD

Best Comedy Album:

…America…Great… — David Cross

American Myth — Margaret Cho

Boyish Girl Interrupted — Tig Notaro

Live At The Apollo — Amy Schumer

Talking For Clapping — Patton Oswalt

MUSICAL THEATER FIELD

Best Musical Theater Album:

Bright Star — Carmen Cusack, principal soloist; Jay Alix, Peter Asher & Una mJackman, producers; Steve Martin, composer; Edie Brickell, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

The Color Purple — Cynthia Erivo & Jennifer Hudson, principal soloists; Stephen Bray, Van Dean, Frank Filipetti, Roy Furman, Scott Sanders & Jhett Tolentino, producers (Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell &Allee Willis, composers/lyricists) (New Broadway Cast)

Fiddler On The Roof — Danny Burstein, principal soloist; Louise Gund, David Lai & Ted Sperling, producers (Jerry Bock, composer; Sheldon Harnick, lyricist) (2016 Broadway Cast)

Kinky Boots — Killian Donnelly & Matt Henry, principal soloists; Sammy James, Jr., Cyndi Lauper, Stephen Oremus & William Wittman, producers (Cyndi Lauper, composer & lyricist) (Original West End Cast)

Waitress — Jessie Mueller, principal soloist; Neal Avron, Sara Bareilles & Nadia DiGiallonardo, producers; Sara Bareilles, composer & lyricist

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