Based on the nominations for the 60th annual Grammy awards, it is evident that hip-hop and R&B genres are currently the dominant genres of the music industry. Rapper Jay-Z led the field with eight nominations followed closely behind by Kendrick Lamar who received seven.

No white males are present among the top artist nominees. Artists of color and women highlight the Grammys’ four general categories of record, album, song and new artist, including 21-year old Canadian singer and songwriter Alessia Cara. This encouraging trend illustrates the level of diversity present in today’s pop music, while also acknowledging the pivotal role of hip-hop and urban genres.

Outside of the major categories, the dance and electronic nominees have some standout contenders including Bonobo, Gorillaz, LCD Soundsystem, and Odesza in the Best Dance Recording category while Sylvan Esso and Mura Masa are both welcome surprises in the Best Dance/Electronic Album category.

 

In terms of local Bay Area nominees, SF Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) and the symphony have been nominated for best orchestral performance for Debussy: Images, Jeux and La Plus Que Lente. If MTT wins, it will be his 10th with the SF Symphony and his 11th overall. MTT recently announced that he will step down from his post after the 2019-20 season, marking 25 years in his current role.

The best comedy album category seems nearly impossible to predict the winner with heavyweights Dave Chappelle, Jim Gaffigan, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman, and Kevin Hart among the contenders. One of the more fascinating categories this year is best spoken word album, which features Bruce Springsteen for Born To Run, Bernie Sanders And Mark Ruffalo for their audiobook Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In (Bernie Sanders) as well as the late Carrie Fisher for her memoir, The Princess Diarist.

Music industry voters recognized additional artists who died recently with posthumous nominations, such as Canadian poet-songwriter Leonard Cohen, country star Glen Campbell, Allman Brothers Band co-founder Gregg Allman, and singer-songwriter Chris Cornell.

This year’s award ceremony will take place on January 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York City instead of its usual location at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Grammy Awards are determined by 13,000 voting members of the Recording Academy, consisting of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, managers, record executives and other industry personnel.

Below is a list of the nominees from a majority of the categories.

Record Of The Year
Childish Gambino – “Redbone”
Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber – “Despacito”
Jay Z – “The Story of O.J.”
Kendrick Lamar – “Humble.”
Bruno Mars – “24K Magic”

Album Of The Year
Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love
Jay Z – 4:44
Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.
Lorde – Melodrama
Bruno Mars – 24K Magic

Song Of The Year
Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber – “Despacito”
Jay Z – “4:44”
Julia Michaels – “Issues”
Logic feat. Alessia Cara & Khalid – “1-800-273-8255”
Bruno Mars – “That’s What I Like”

Best New Artist
Alessia Cara
Lil Uzi Vert
Khalid
Julia Michaels
SZA

 

Best Pop Solo Performance
Kelly Clarkson – “Love So Soft”
Kesha – “Praying”
Lady Gaga – “Million Reasons”
P!nk – “What About Us”
Ed Sheeran – “Shape Of You”

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – “Something Just Like This”
Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber – “Despacito”
Imagine Dragons – “Thunder”
Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
Zedd & Alessia Cara – “Stay”

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Michael Bublé – Nobody But Me (Deluxe Version)
Bob Dylan – Triplicate
Seth MacFarlane – In Full Swing
Sarah McLachlan – Wonderland
Various Artists – Tony Bennett Celebrates 90

Best Pop Vocal Album
Coldplay – Kaleidoscope EP
Lana Del Rey – Lust For Life
Imagine Dragons – Evolve
Kesha – Rainbow
Lady Gaga – Joanne
Ed Sheeran – ÷ (Divide)

Best Latin Pop Album
Alex Cuba – Lo Único Constante
Juanes – Mis Planes Son Amarte
La Santa Cecilia – Amar Y Vivir En Vivo Desde La Ciudad De México, 2017
Natalia Lafourcade – Musas (Un Homenaje Al Folclore Latinoamericano En Manos De Los Macorinos)
Shakira – El Dorado

Best Country Song
Little Big Town – “Better Man”
Sam Hunt – “Body Like A Back Road”
Chris Stapleton – “Broken Halos”
Midland – “Drinkin’ Problem”
Miranda Lambert – “Tin Man”

Best Country Album
Kenny Chesney – Cosmic Hallelujah
Lady Antebellum – Heart Break
Little Big Town – The Breaker
Thomas Rhett – Life Changes
Chris Stapleton – From A Room: Volume 1

Best Americana Album
Gregg Allman – Southern Blood
Brent Cobb – Shine On Rainy Day
Iron & Wine – Beast Epic
Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
The Mavericks – Brand New Day

Best Dance Recording
Bonobo feat. Innov Gnawa – “Bambro Koyo Ganda”
Mike Di Scala, Elderbrook & David Whelan – “Cola, Camelphat & Elderbrook”
Gorillaz feat. DRAM – “Andromeda”
LCD Soundsystem – “Tonite”
Odesza feat. featuring WYNNE & Mansionair – “Line Of Sight”

Best Dance/Electronic Album
Bonobo – Migration
Kraftwerk – 3-D The Catalogue
Mura Masa – Mura Masa
Odesza – A Moment Apart
Sylvan Esso – What Now

 

Best Remixed Recording
Louie Vega – “Can’t Let You Go (Louie Vega Roots Mix)
SMLE – “Funk O’ De Funk (SMLE Remix)”
Leighton James & Christian Srigley – “Undercover (Adventure Club Remix)”
The XX – “A Violent Noise (Four Tet Remix)”
Dennis White – “You Move (Latroit Remix)

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
Calvin Harris
Greg Kurstin
Blake Mills
No I.D.
The Stereotypes

Best American Roots Performance
Alabama Shakes – “Killer Diller Blues”
Blind Boys Of Alabama – “Let My Mother Live”
Glen Campbell – “Arkansas Farmboy”
Leonard Cohen – “Steer Your Way”
Alison Krauss – “I Never Cared For You”

Best Bluegrass Album
Michael Cleveland – Fiddler’s Dream
The Infamous Stringdusters – Laws Of Gravity
Bobby Osborne – Original
Noam Pikelny – Universal Favorite
Rhonda Vincent And The Rage – All The Rage – In Concert Volume One [Live]

Best Folk Album
Aimee Mann – Mental Illness
Laura Marling – Semper Femina
Offa Rex – The Queen Of Hearts
The Secret Sisters – You Don’t Own Me Anymore
Yusuf / Cat Stevens – The Laughing Apple

Best World Music Album
Vicente Amigo – Memoria De Los Sentidos
Buika – Para Mi
Anat Cohen & Trio Brasileiro – Rosa Dos Ventos
Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30th Anniversary Celebration
Tinariwen – Elwan

Best Instrumental Composition
Le Boeuf Brothers & JACK Quartet – “Alkaline”
Vince Mendoza & WDR Big Band Cologne – “Choros #3”
Nate Smith – “Home Free (For Peter Joe)”
Arturo O’Farrill & Chucho Valdés – “Three Revolutions”
Chuck Owen And The Jazz Surge – “Warped Cowboy”

Best Historical Album
Various Artists – Bobo Yeye: Belle Epoque In Upper Volta
Glenn Gould – The Goldberg Variations – The Complete Unreleased Recording Sessions June 1955
Leonard Bernstein – The Composer
Various Artists – Sweet As Broken Dates: Lost Somali Tapes From The Horn Of Africa
Washington Phillips – Washington Phillips And His Manzarene Dreams

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
Various Artists – Baby Driver
Various Artists – Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2
Various Artists – Hidden Figures: The Album
Various Artists – La La Land
Various Artists – Moana: The Songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNSv85cg8as

 

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
Arrival by Jóhann Jóhannsson
Dunkirk by Hans Zimmer
Game Of Thrones: Season 7 by Ramin Djawadi
Hidden Figures by Benjamin Wallfisch, Pharrell Williams & Hans Zimmer
La La Land by Justin Hurwitz

Best Song Written For Visual Media
Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone – “City Of Stars” from La La Land
Auli’i Cravalho – “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana: The Songs
ZAYN & Taylor Swift – “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)” from Fifty Shades Darker
Sia – “Never Give Up” from Lion
Andra Day Featuring Common – “Stand Up For Something” from Marshall

Best Jazz Vocal Album
The Baylor Project – The Journey
Jazzmeia Horn – A Social Call
Raul Midón – Bad Ass And Blind
Randy Porter Trio With Nancy King – Porter Plays Porter
Cécile McLorin Salvant – Dreams And Daggers

Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Bill Charlap Trio – Uptown, Downtown
Billy Childs – Rebirth
Joey DeFrancesco & The People – Project Freedom
Fred Hersch – Open Book
Chris Potter – The Dreamer Is The Dream

Best Comedy Album
Dave Chappelle – The Age Of Spin & Deep In The Heart Of Texas
Jim Gaffigan – Cinco
Jerry Seinfeld – Jerry Before Seinfeld
Sarah Silverman – A Speck Of Dust
Kevin Hart – What Now?

Best Spoken Word Album
Neil Degrasse Tyson – Astrophysics For People In A Hurry
Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run
Shelly Peiken – Confessions Of A Serial Songwriter
Bernie Sanders And Mark Ruffalo – Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In (Bernie Sanders)
Carrie Fisher – The Princess Diarist

Best Orchestral Performance
Concertos For Orchestra by Louis Langrée, conductor (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
Copland: Symphony No. 3; Three Latin American Sketches by Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
Debussy: Images; Jeux & La Plus Que Lente by Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 by Osmo Vänskä, conductor (Minnesota Orchestra)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Barber: Adagio by Manfred Honeck, conductor (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

 

For the complete list of nominees from all 84 categories, visit the Grammy website.

• Tag: 2018, 60th, Grammy, music, nominations, Nominees