Bruno Mars sweeps the 60th Annual Grammy Awards

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Bruno Mars was the biggest winner at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards hosted this year at Madison Square Garden in New York City winning in all six categories he contended.
He swept the general field categories with "24K Magic" winning album of the year, "That's What I like" taking song of the year with his album's title track claiming record of the year. He won three awards at the premiere ceremony before the main telecast- best R&B album for "24K Magic" and R&B performance and R&B song for "That's What I Like."

"24K Magic" also won the best engineered album, non-classical award (but Mars was not a credited engineer on the album).

Another big winner was Kendrick Lamar claiming five out of seven of his races. He won three prizes at the premiere ceremony  for rap song, rap performance and music video, all for "HUMBLE." His collaboration with Rihanna, "LOYALTY." won best rap/sung performance and his "DAMN." won best rap album on the main telecast.

Country star Chris Stapleton swept the country categories by taking album ("From a Room: Volume 1"), song ("Broken Halos") and solo performance ("Either Way"). Little Big Town collected the country genre's only other award for duo/group performance.

Other notable multiple winners include Ed Sheeran who picked up Grammys in the only two categories he was nominated: pop solo performance ("Shape of You") and pop vocal album ("Divide"). Double winners were seen at the premiere ceremony across the many genre fields including CeCe Winans in the gospel field, Jason Isbell in the american roots categories, Jennifer Hidgon in classical and Justin Hurwitz in visual media.

Jay-Z led with eight nominations this year, but was shutout completely

Album Of The Year
Awaken, My Love! — Childish Gambino

4:44 — JAY-Z

DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar

Melodrama — Lorde

24K Magic — Bruno Mars

Record Of The Year

“Redbone” — Childish Gambino

“Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber

“The Story Of O.J.” — JAY-Z

“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar

“24K Magic” — Bruno Mars

Song Of The Year
“Despacito” — Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber)

“4:44” — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (JAY-Z)

“Issues” — Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels)

“1-800-273-8255” — Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury, Khalid Robinson, songwriters (Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid)

“That’s What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)

Best New Artist

Alessia Cara

Khalid

Lil Uzi Vert

Julia Michaels

SZA

58th Annual Grammy Nominations

Album of the Year
Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes
Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd
1989, Taylor Swift
Traveller, Chris Stapleton
To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar

Record of the Year
"Blank Space," Taylor Swift
"I Can't Feel My Face," The Weeknd
"Really Love," D'angelo and the Vanguard
"Thinking Out Loud," Ed Sheeran
"Uptown Funk," Mark Ronson f/ Bruno Mars

Song of the Year
"Blank Space" (Taylor Swift)
"Alright" (Kendrick Lamar)
"Girl Crush" (Little Big Town)
"See You Again" (Wiz Khalifa f/ Charlie Puth)
"Thinking Out Loud"" (Ed Sheeran)

Best New Artist
Courtney Barnett
James Bay
Sam Hunt
Tori Kelly
Meghan Trainor

Best Pop Solo Performance
"Blank Space," Taylor Swift
"Can't Feel my Face," The Weeknd
"Heartbreak Song," Kelly Clarkson
"Love me Like you do," Ellie Goulding
"Thinking out Loud," Ed Sheeran

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
"Ship To Wreck,"  Florence + The Machine
"Sugar,  Maroon 5
"Uptown Funk," Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars
"Bad Blood," Taylor Swift Featuring Kendrick Lamar
"See You Again," Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth

Best Pop Album
1989, Taylor Swift
Before This World, James Taylor
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, Florence + The Machine
Piece by Piece, Kelly Clarkson
Uptown Special, Mark Ronson

CBS This Morning to kick off 58th Grammy Nominations announcement

The Recording Academy announced Wednesday morning specifics on how nominees will be announced for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

On Dec. 7, the nominees in the general field categories (record of the year, album of the year, song of the year and best new artist) will be announced live on CBS This Morning at 8:15, with the nominees in 79 categories to be announced through a press release at 8:30 and on Grammy.com.

This year's announcement will be far quicker than last year's, where it was an all day affair starting in the morning, with sporadic announcements made through the afternoon. The album of the year nominations were announced live that night, with a complete list of nominees announced soon after.

Over 21,000 submissions were received for the annual kudos fest honoring the best in music for the calendar year running from Oct. 1, 2014 to Sept. 31, 2015.

The 58th Annual Grammy Awards airs live on CBS on Feb. 15, 2016.

Beck Upsets to Win Top Prize at Grammys, Sam Smith Wins Four

In the biggest upset of the night, Beck's "Morning Phase" took the award for album of the year at the 57th Grammy Awards.

The rocker's set defeated front-runners like Beyonce's self-titled set and Sam Smith's "In the Lonely Hour".

"Morning Phase" also won best rock album and engineered album, non-classical at the award show. Nominated for four awards, Beck lost in the rock song and rock performance categories.

Beyoncé did end up with a trio of awards to bring her overall haul to 20; R&B song and R&B performance for "Drunk in Love" and surround sound album for "Beyoncé". 

English crooner Smith won three of his general field bids: best new artist and song and record of the year for "Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)". Smith also won pop vocal album.

While Pharrell Williams was nominated three times for album of the year — for his album "GIRL" and producing "Beyoncé" and Ed Sheeran's "X" — he missed out in this race but won must video for "Happy" and pop solo performance for a live version of the track, the first male to win the latter category. "GIRL" edged out "Beyoncé" in the urban contemporary album race.

Sam Smith, Beyonce, Pharrell Lead Nominations for 57th Annual Grammy Awards

Eonline.com

Beyonce, Pharrell Williams and Sam Smith lead the pack with six nominations each for the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

English singer-songwriter Smith earned nominations in all four categories in the general field. His freshmen set In The Lonely Hour earned nominations for album of the year and best pop album, with record and song of the year nominations for his breakout song "Stay With Me (Darkchild version)" and a pop solo performance nod as well.

The crooner also earned a best new artist nomination.

When nominations start to be announced in about 20 of the 82 categories from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST,  Beyonce only heard her name announced once, for best urban contemporary album for her self-titled set Beyonce. But when the full list came out at 2 p.m., she earned four more nods: best R&B performance and R&B song for "Drunk In Love", best surround sound album for Beyonce and best music film for "Beyonce & Jay-Z: On The Run Tour".

When album of the year was announced during the Grammy Christmas concert on CBS that night, she earned her sixth nomination of the year in that category. This is her second nomination in the category for her own work after I am... Sasha Fierce in 2010 - she was nominated the year after as a featured artist on Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster.

After this year's slate of nominations, Beyonce is now the most nominated women ever in Grammy history with 52 individual nods. Dolly Parton now has the second most with 46.

Williams, who was nominated for seven Grammys last year, winning four, earned three nominations for album of the year - as a featured artist on Beyonce and Ed Sheeran's X, and for his solo album Girl. He contends for urban contemporary album for his set, and also pop solo performance and music video for "Happy (Live)".

Aside from Smith's In The Lonely Hour, the only other album of the year nominee Williams didn't contribute to is Beck's Morning Phase. Williams won this category last year as a featured artist on Daft Punk's Random Access Memories.

Coming up quick in the nominations tally is another best new artist nominee, Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea. She earned two nominations for her hit song "Fancy": record of the year and best pop duo/group performance. Her album The New Classic earned a nomination for best rap album.

Upper Darby Student Headed Back to the Grammys

Immanuel Wilkins

An Upper Darby High School senior will be headed to the Grammys for a second year in a row.

Immanuel Wilkins was selected yet again to play the alto sax with the Grammy Foundation’s Grammy Camp- Jazz Session band, a program that selects over 30 student jazz musicians from across the country to perform and learn with each other and prolific musicians for the week leading up to the 57^th Annual Grammy Awards.

Among the perks that come with the program include attending the biggest night in music as guests of the Recording Academy on Feb. 8.

Wilkins, 17, is the only student from Pennsylvania to be selected for this year’s camp, and one of only four from last year to be selected again.

Final 2015 Grammy Nomination Predictions

Here are my final predictions in a select group of categories. Nominations will be announced on the morning of Dec. 5 for all categories except album of the year, which will be announced later that night during A Very Grammy Christmas Special on CBS at 9 p.m.

Album of the Year
Beyonce, Beyonce
Frozen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Various Artists
Lazaretto, Jack White
Platinum, Miranda Lambert
St. Vincent, St. Vincent

Alternates:
1000 Forms of Fear, Sia
In The Lonely Hour, Sam Smith


Record of the Year
"Am I Wrong," Nico & Vinz
"Chandelier," Sia
"Happy," Pharrell Williams
"Let it Go," Idina Menzel
"Stay With Me," Sam Smith

Alternates:
"Drunk in Love," Beyonce f/ Jay-Z
"Fancy," Iggy Azalea


Song of the Year
"Chandelier," Songwriters: Sia Furler, Jesse Shatkin
"Happy," Songwriter: Pharrell Williams
"Let It Go," Songwriters: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez
"Sing," Songwriter: Ed Sheeran
"Stay With Me," Songwriters: Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips

Best New Artist
Aloe Blacc
Ariana Grande
Bastille
Sam Smith
Sia

Final 2014 Grammy Nominations Predictions

Here are my final predictions in a select group of categories.

Personally, 2013 was one of the worst years in music in recent years. So many songs received notoriety for their scandalous videos ("Blurred Lines" and "Wrecking Ball") or just because another pop princess was back (Gaga's "Applause" and Katy Perry's "Roar'). Through all of the crap there will still be five nominees each in the Grammy's top four categories, but who?

Official nominees will be announced on December 6.

Album of the Year
The 20/20 Experience, Justin Timberlake
The Heist, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
Random Access Memories, Daft Punk
Red, Taylor Swift
Unorthodox Jukebox, Bruno Mars

Alternates:
Girl on Fire, Alicia Keys
Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, Kendrick Lamar

Some Grammy 2014 Submissions!

 

I have already written about what I think the Grammy nominees will be in a good chunk of categories come December 6, just guessing on what could be submitted. In a partially leaked submission list posted at www.carriefans.com, some of my guesses have been more or less confirmed.

Of the surprise guesses I made that could be true (based on this list) include rap duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis submitting "Same Love" for song of the year over "Thrift Shop" (submitted for record of the year) or "Can't Hold Us." The number one song of the summer, "Blurred Lines," was not listed as potential submissions for record or song of the year. Did it not submit at all? Furthermore, Burno Mars did not, allegedly, submit "When I Was Your Man" or "Locked Out of Heaven," for song of the year, but submitted the latter for record of the year.

Katy and Gaga are 'Roar'ing with unnecessary 'Applause.'

The two new titans of pop music released their new singles this weekend after being leaked online.

Katy Perry's "Roar" and Lady Gaga's "Applause" made their official launch on radio airwaves and iTunes as the first singles from their upcoming albums due out this fall. "Applause's" release came a week early because of the leak.

Their new albums, Perry's Prism and Gaga's ARTPOP, are due out on October 22 and November 11, respectively.

If these new singles are a taste of things to come, I'm not sure we can hold our breaths for anything spectacular on the albums, especially from Perry. Gaga seems to be pretty comfortable playing with genres and sounds that we may be able to take yet another album from her.

"Roar" is another inspirational track that sounds like Complete Confection leftovers. Lyrically and vocally weak, Perry's strain to sound like she is brand new is nothing refreshing or surprising. Sounding like she's still using her failed marriage to Russell Brand as material for her album, Perry could be slowly morphing into a pop (a second pop?) Taylor Swift. Both artists are weak singers and songwriters, and use relationships for songs. Perry, stick to the crappy bubble gum pop you're used to, even though that's not any better than what you're releasing now.



Gaga, on the other hand, has an OK single that, like Perry's, is lyrically weak. A rushing throwback to the '80s, "Applause" still seems to ride on Madonna's coattails, this new Madonna crap not the fun Madonna ("Give Me All Your Loving," anyone?). This track is like gum, the first minute is bursting with flavor and then you keep on chewing it hoping it gets better. Nope.



If Perry and Gaga are looking to prove themselves as good artists, they're new albums better be great. With the way things are going, they'll be received luke-warmly and get overblown Grammy nods for album of the year.

"Roar" and "Applause" will both be performed at the MTV VMAs on August 25.

Early Grammy Nominations (2012/2013)

With only a month-and-half left in the 2012-2013 Grammy eligibility window, the amount of Grammy-worthy (or at least some overly popular Grammy fare) is really starting to emerge. Taylor Swift's "Red" and Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" just to name a couple. What other late-2012, 2013 releases could grab Grammy's attention before year's end?

Final Grammy Predictions 2013

Edited on Nov. 27
Edited on Dec. 3

This is going to be my final set of predictions before the nominations tomorrow night. I've also include generalized numbers on how many, and in which categories, some singers will get. Most of this is speculation, but I'm more than confident in most of my picks.

Anywho, look below to see how I think will be certain Grammy nominees on Dec. 5

An update look at potential Grammy nominees.

Now that the eligibility window has closed in the 2011-2012 Grammy year, let's preview some potential nominees in the music academy's top categories before they're revealed in December!

Last week I started off with some rough predictions based on album sales and critical acclaim (sometimes they mean Grammy, sometimes they don't). Since then, Mumford & Sons sophomore album opened up to over 600,000 sales and so-so reviews. No Doubt and Green Day's latest efforts sold well but weren't clamoring to be the critics best. Could this play a factor for Grammy nods?

An early look at potential Grammy nominees

With only one month left in the 2011-2012 Grammy eligibility window, let's preview some potential nominees in the music academy's top categories before they're revealed in December!

Album of the Year
Babel, Mumford & Sons
Ceremonials, Florence + The Machine
Channel Orange, Frank Ocean
Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay
Wrecking Ball, Bruce Springsteen

Honestly, it's a pretty wide open field so far. With Adele's album of the year winner 21 as the best selling album again this year, there aren't a lot of runaway bestsellers to consider. With four of last year's nominees being pop albums, there seems to be very little to consider this year. Of the pop fare you could consider Gotye's Making Mirrors (if it's not already considered an alternative album), One Direction's Up All Night, and maybe Justin Bieber's Believe. Could any of these be nominated here? Maybe Gotye.

Screw it, let's throw 21 back into the race because it's already outsold the next best selling album of this year three times over.

This year could be packed with alternative picks, including Florence + The Machine, Coldplay, and Mumford & Sons highly anticipated sophomore album Babel. Like most years, there is usually a rap/hip-hop/r&b album nominated, so why not the breakout rap star Frank Ocean? Bruce Springsteen could steal the fifth slot with his rock entry, Wrecking Ball.

Best New Artist
fun.
Gotye
Frank Ocean
Emile Sandé
Sia

Considering fun. and Gotye had breakout hit singles one right after another this year, why wouldn't they be nominated? Fun. is the alternative/rock group that is interesting, and Gotye is his own genre of pop/alternative. With the way out of left field inclusion of Skrillex in this race last year, the academy has opened the doors for more electronic/dance artists like Sia. Garnering loads of success this year on Flo Rida's Wild Ones and David Guetta's Titanium, Sia has proven her worth. But watch out, Calvin Harris' chart-topping success with Rihanna late last year could help fill that slot. Scottish songbird Emile Sandé could be riding on the coattails of former winner, and newfound Grammy darling, Adele with a possible nod. Frank Ocean will fill the last slot.

Record of the Year
Payphone, Maroon 5 f/ Wiz Khalifa
Somebody That I Used Know, Gotye f/ Kimbra
Spectrum (Say My Name), Florence + The Machine
We Are Young, fun. f/ Janelle Monae
We Found Love, Rihanna f/ Calvin Harris

I think this is a pretty diverse selection, with some pretty obvious choices. The one thing that amazes me is the number of songs that could be nominated that all have featured artists. Maybe it was just a killer year for collaborations. I'm throwing F+TM in here as the 'wtf?' choice which is common sometimes. BUT, could the Grammys still want to shower Adele with love and nominate Set Fire to the Rain or Rumour Has It? Also, my blood boils at the thought of Call Me Maybe possibly getting nominated.

Song of the Year
Somebody That I Used Know, Songwriter: Gotye
We Are Young, Songwriters: fun. and Jeff Bhasker

There's usually a strong overlap between record and song of the year, but I'm not sure how many of the record contenders have award-winning lyrics (which this category recognizes). For now, I'm just leaving these two.