The Grammys nominations for 2014 have arrived.
Jay Z earned nine nominations at "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!" television event, including nods for Best Rap Song, Best Rap Album and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. That gives Jay Z the most nominations headed into the 56th annual Grammy Awards. He's followed by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake, all with seven nominations.
Album of the Year nominees included "The Blessed Unrest" by Sara Bareilles, "Random Access Memories" by Daft Punk, "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" by Kendrick Lamar, "The Heist" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and "Red" by Taylor Swift. Kanye West's "Yeezus," Bruno Mars' "Unorthodox Jukebox" and Jay Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" were among big albums that failed to score Album of the Year nods, as had been expected.
Song of the Year nominees included Pink for "Just Give Me A Reason," Bruno Mars for "Locked Out Of Heaven," Katy Perry for "Roar," Lorde for "Royals" and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for "Same Love."
James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kasey Musgraves and Ed Sheeran were nominated for Best New Artist, leaving Lorde, an expected favorite in the category, on the list of high-profile Grammy snubs.
Pop Duo/Group Performance nominees included Daft Punk & Pharrell for "Get Lucky," Pink and Nate Ruess for "Give Me a Reason," Rihanna and Mikky Ekko for "Stay," Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell for "Blurred Lines" and Justin Timberlake and Jay Z for "Suit and Tie."
"Night Train" by Jason Aldean, "Two Lanes of Freedom" by Tim McGraw, "Same Trailer Different Park" by Kasey Musgraves, "Based on a True Story" by Blake Shelton and "Red" by Taylor Swift were nominated for Best Country Album.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis kicked off "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!" television special, live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, with a performance of their hit song "Thrift Shop." Host for the evening was LL Cool J, who acted as emcee for the broadcast last year as well.
The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences hand out the Grammy Awards as "a peer honor, awarded by and to artists and technical professionals for artistic or technical achievement, not sales or chart positions."
Last year, big winners at the Grammys included Gotye, fun. and Mumford & Sons.
The Grammys awards ceremony will air on CBS on Jan. 26, 2014. The full Grammy nominations list is available at the show's website. A partial list of nominees is below.
RECORD OF THE YEAR
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
SONG OF THE YEAR
BEST NEW ARTIST
BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
BEST DANCE RECORDING
BEST DANCE/ELECTRONICA ALBUM
BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
BEST METAL PERFORMANCE
BEST ROCK SONG
BEST ROCK ALBUM
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE
BEST R&B SONG
BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
BEST R&B ALBUM
BEST RAP PERFORMANCE
BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
BEST RAP SONG
BEST RAP ALBUM
BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
BEST COUNTRY SONG
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
BEST NEW AGE ALBUM
BEST IMPROVISED JAZZ SOLO
BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM