Sam Smith, Beyonce, Pharrell Lead Grammys With 6 Nods each

British soul-pop artist Sam Smith, R&B
star Beyonce and singer-producer
Pharrell Williams led artists with six
Grammy nominations each.
They also had nods for the top prize of
Album of the Year, the Recording
Academy said Friday.
Smith’s “In the Lonely Hour,” Beyonce’s
self-titled album and Pharrell’s “Girl”
joined rocker Beck’s “Morning Phase”
and British singer Ed Sheeran’s “X” in
the Album of the Year category.
The nominations were announced during
the CBS broadcast of “A Very Grammy
Christmas” concert late Friday.
Smith, 22, picked up nods in the three
top Grammy categories, including
Record of the Year and Song of the Year
for his song “Stay with Me.
“He follows in the heels of fellow British
soul-pop singer Adele, who won all six of
her Grammy nominations in 2013,
including the top three awards.
Smith is a contender for the coveted
Best New Artist, alongside Australian
rapper Iggy Azalea, British pop-rockers
Bastille, country singer Brandy Clark and
California sister trio Haim.
Record of the Year nominees include
Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” Meghan
Trainor’s “All About That Bass,” Iggy
Azalea and Charli XCX’s “Fancy” and
Sia’s “Chandelier.”
Song of the Year also includes Swift’s
“Shake it Off,” Trainor’s “All About That
Bass” and Sia’s “Chandelier,” alongside
Hozier’s “Take Me to the Church.”
Pharrell, 41, earned Grammy
nominations for his own album “Girl”
and his production work on Sheeran’s
“X” and Beyonce’s self-titled record.
Beyonce, 33, became the most-
nominated artist in Grammy history with
52 nominations.
Her self-titled album, released without
fanfare last December, is one of this
year’s biggest-selling records with 2
million U.S. copies sold.
Swift’s “1989” album, which has sold
more than 2 million U.S. copies since
October, did not land any nominations,
but its song “Shake It Off” picked up
three nods.
The soundtrack from Disney’s Oscar-
winning film “Frozen,” the year’s top-
selling album with more than 3.5 million
U.S. copies sold, scored nominations in
the categories for music written for visual
media.
The Recording Academy comprises
music industry professionals who select
Grammy contenders from music released
between Oct. 1, 2013 and Sept. 30,
2014.
In an effort to draw younger viewers to
the annual event in Los Angeles on Feb.
8, 2015, the organisers chose to
announce the nominees in 82 of its 83


(Reuters/NAN)