The 2017 Grammy award nominations were announced today on “CbS This Morning”. Singer Beyonce Knowles leads with nine nominations, including bids for album of the year with “Lemonade,” and song and record of the year with “Formation.” Beyonce has already won 20 grammy awards. She is also the first artist to earn nominations in the pop, rock, R&B and rap categories in the same year.
Singer/ rapper Drake and Singer Rhianna, and Kanye West follow with 8 nominations each.
Adele, like Beyonce, is nominated for album, record, and song of the year. For album of the year, “Lemonade” and “25” will compete against Drake’s multi-hit “Views,” Justin Bieber’s redemption album “Purpose” and surprise nominee “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth,” the third album from respected and rebellious country singer Sturgill Simpson.
Beyoncé’s nine nominations include best rock performance (“Don’t Hurt Yourself” with Jack White), pop solo performance (“Hold Up”), rap/sung performance (“Freedom” with Kendrick Lamar) and urban contemporary album (“Lemonade”). With 62 nominations over the years, Beyoncé is the most-nominated woman in Grammy history.
“Artists are feeling emboldened and courageous and just wanting to step out of the predictable boundaries of what they have done. Of course, (Beyoncé) is the poster child for that,” Recording Academy CEO and president Neil Portnow said in an interview with the Associated Press.
David Bowie, who died of cancer in January, earned four nominations for his final album, “Blackstar,” including best rock performance, rock song, alternative music album and engineered album, non-classical.
Breakout rapper Chance the Rapper scored seven nominations including best new artist, pitting him against country singers Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini; singer-rapper Anderson Paak; and pop-EDM duo the Chainsmokers, whose recent hits include “Closer” and “Don’t Let Me Down.”
