Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Brittany Howard Lead 2021 Grammy Nominations

Nominations for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards have been announced. Among the top contenders are Beyoncé, with nine nods; Taylor Swift, who is up for six awards (including five for her album Folklore); and Brittany Howard, whose solo debut, Jaime, earned her five nominations. Dua Lipa and Roddy Ricch are each up for six categories, while DaBaby, Justin Bieber, Phoebe Bridgers, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, and David Frost all have four nominations.

Daily Show host and Grammy-nominated comedian Trevor Noah will serve as host for the ceremony, which will take place at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on January 31, 2021. Fans at home can catch the show live on CBS.

Artists from around the globe participated in the nomination announcements, including rising country star Mickey Guyton, legendary Mexican singer-songwriter and multiple Grammy Award winner Pepe Aguilar, Nigerian Afropop singer Yemi Alade, Grammy-winning classical violinist Nicola Benedetti, Grammy-winning contemporary Christian singer Lauren Daigle, two-time Grammy-winning artist Imogen Heap, CBS This Morning anchor Gayle King, two-time Grammy-winning pop star Dua Lipa, and The Talk host Sharon Osbourne.

Perhaps most notably, this year’s Best Rock Performance category is, for the very first time, comprised entirely of female artists, including HAIM (for “The Steps”), Brittany Howard (“Stay High)”, Grace Potter (“Daylight”), Phoebe Bridgers (“Kyoto”), Fiona Apple (“Shameika”), and Big Thief (“Not”).

Other highlights include South Korean pop sensation BTS, who scored their very first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“Dynamite”) while Michael Kiwanuka, who won this year’s Mercury Prize for his album KIWANUKA, also earned his first Grammy nod for Best Rock Album.

Among the contenders for the coveted Album of The Year award are Jhené Aiko for Chilombo, Post Malone for Hollywood’s Bleeding, Taylor Swift for Folklore, and HAIM for Women in Music Pt. III.

Nomination announcements began with a statement from the Recording Academy’s interim president and CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., who spoke about the importance of music during the past year. “Our normal world was suddenly transformed not just by a global pandemic but by social unrest,” said Mason. During this time, he added, people listened to music “for solace, inspiration, and unity.”

Scroll down to view select categories. For a full list of nominees, visit the official website.

Record Of The Year:
“Black Parade” — Beyoncé
“Colors” — Black Pumas
“Rockstar” — DaBaby Featuring Roddy Ricch
“Say So” — Doja Cat
“Everything I Wanted” — Billie Eilish
“Don’t Start Now” — Dua Lipa
“Circles” — Post Malone
“Savage” — Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé

Song Of The Year:
“Black Parade” — Denisia Andrews, Beyoncé, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk & Rickie “Caso” Tice, songwriters (Beyoncé)
“The Box” — Samuel Gloade & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Roddy Ricch)
“Cardigan” — Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
“Circles” — Louis Bell, Adam Feeney, Kaan Gunesberk, Austin Post & Billy Walsh, songwriters (Post Malone)
“Don’t Start Now” — Caroline Ailin, Ian Kirkpatrick, Dua Lipa & Emily Warren, songwriters (Dua Lipa)
“Everything I Wanted” — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
“I Can’t Breathe” — Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
“If The World Was Ending” — Julia Michaels & JP Saxe, songwriters (JP Saxe Featuring Julia Michaels)

Album Of The Year:
Chilombo — Jhené Aiko
Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition) — Black Pumas
Everyday Life — Coldplay
Djesse Vol. 3 — Jacob Collier
Women In Music Pt. III — Haim
Future Nostalgia — Dua Lipa
Hollywood’s Bleeding — Post Malone
Folklore — Taylor Swift

Best New Artist:
Ingrid Andress
Phoebe Bridgers
Chika
Noah Cyrus
D Smoke
Doja Cat
Kaytranada
Megan Thee Stallion

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
“Un Dia (One Day)” — J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny & Tainy
“Intentions” — Justin Bieber Featuring Quavo
“Dynamite” — BTS
“Rain On Me” — Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande
“Exile” — Taylor Swift Featuring Bon Iver

Best Pop Vocal Album:
Changes — Justin Bieber
Chromatica — Lady Gaga
Future Nostalgia — Dua Lipa
Fine Line — Harry Styles
Folklore — Taylor Swift

Best Dance/Electronic Album:
Kick I — Arca
Planet’s Mad — Baauer
Energy — Disclosure
Bubba — Kaytranada
Good Faith — Madeon

Best Rock Performance:
“Shameika” — Fiona Apple
“Not” — Big Thief
“Kyoto” — Phoebe Bridgers
“The Steps” — HAIM
“Stay High” — Brittany Howard
“Daylight” — Grace Potter

Best Progressive R&B Album:
Chilombo — Jhené Aiko
Ungodly Hour — Chloe X Halle
Free Nationals — Free Nationals
F*** Yo Feelings — Robert Glasper
It Is What It Is — Thundercat

Best Rap Performance:
“Deep Reverence” — Big Sean Featuring Nipsey Hussle
“Bop” — DaBaby
“What’s Poppin” — Jack Harlow
“The Bigger Picture” — Lil Baby
“Savage” — Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé
“Dior” — Pop Smoke

Best Country Album:
Lady Like — Ingrid Andress
Your Life Is A Record — Brandy Clark
Wildcard — Miranda Lambert
Nightfall — Little Big Town
Never Will — Ashley McBryde

Best Jazz Vocal Album:
Ona — Thana Alexa
Secrets Are The Best Stories — Kurt Elling Featuring Danilo Pérez
Modern Ancestors — Carmen Lundy
Holy Room: Live At Alte Oper — Somi With Frankfurt Radio Big Band
What’s The Hurry — Kenny Washington

Best Latin Pop Or Urban Album:
YHLQMDLG — Bad Bunny
Por Primera Vez — Camilo
Mesa Para Dos — Kany García
Pausa — Ricky Martin
3:33 — Debi Nova

Best Americana Album:
Old Flowers — Courtney Marie Andrews
Terms Of Surrender — Hiss Golden Messenger
World On The Ground — Sarah Jarosz
El Dorado — Marcus King
Good Souls Better Angels — Lucinda Williams

Best Contemporary Blues Album:
Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? — Fantastic Negrito
Live At The Paramount — Ruthie Foster Big Band
The Juice — G. Love
Blackbirds — Bettye LaVette
Up And Rolling — North Mississippi Allstars

Best Global Music Album:
FU Chronicles — Antibalas
Twice As Tall — Burna Boy
Agora — Bebel Gilberto
Love Letters — Anoushka Shankar
Amadjar — Tinariwen

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):
Acid For The Children: A Memoir — Flea
Alex Trebek – The Answer Is… — Ken Jennings
Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, And The Richest, Most Destructive Industry On Earth — Rachel Maddow
Catch And Kill — Ronan Farrow
Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) — Meryl Streep (& Full Cast)

Best Music Film:
Beastie Boys Story — Beastie Boys
Black Is King — Beyoncé
We Are Freestyle Love Supreme — Freestyle Love Supreme
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice — Linda Ronstadt
That Little Ol’ Band From Texas — ZZ Top