grammys 2017

2017 Grammy Nominations: It’ll Be Beyoncé Versus Adele

It’s the Beyoncé-Adele Super Bowl you’ve been waiting for. Photo: Getty Images

Albums can drop from the sky at any time in the middle of the night, but luckily, knowing when to expect how they’ll be criticized by music’s overlords isn’t half as much of a surprise. Judgement Day has arrived: The nominations for the 2017 Grammys are here! Just as we predicted, it’s set up to be a Beyoncé versus Adele matchup, with both artists up for the big categories, including Album of the Year. Drake, Justin Bieber, and Sturgill Simpson also round out the Album of the Year nominees. Beyoncé leads the noms with nine, followed by Drake, Rihanna, and Kanye West at eight. James Corden will host the 59th Annual Grammy Awards on February 12 on CBS. Vulture will have our analysis of the nominations shortly; for now, see all the major contenders below and get the full list of nominees here.

Album of the Year
Adele, 25
Beyoncé, Lemonade
Justin Bieber, Purpose
Drake, Views
Sturgill Simpson, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth

Song of the Year
Beyoncé, “Formation”
Adele, “Hello”
Mike Posner, “I Took a Pill in Ibiza”
Justin Bieber, “Love Yourself”
Lukas Graham, “7 Years”

Record of the Year
Adele, “Hello”
Beyoncé, “Formation”
Lukas Graham, “7 years”
Rihanna feat. Drake, “Work”
Twenty One Pilots, “Stressed Out”

Best New Artist
Kelsea Ballerini
Chance the Rapper
Maren Morris
The Chainsmokers
Anderson .Paak

Best Pop Solo Performance
Adele, “Hello”
Beyoncé, “Hold Up”
Justin Bieber, “Love Yourself”
Kelly Clarkson, “Piece by Piece” (Idol Version)
Ariana Grande, “Dangerous Woman”

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey, “Closer”
Lukas Graham, “7 years”
Rihanna feat. Drake, “Work”
Sia feat. Sean Paul, “Cheap Thrills”
Twenty One Pilots, “Stressed Out”

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Andrea Bocelli, Cinema
Bob Dylan, Fallen Angels
Josh Groban, Stages Live
Willie Nelson, Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin
Barbra Streisand, Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway

Best Pop Vocal Album
Adele, 25
Justin Bieber, Purpose
Ariana Grande, Dangerous Woman
Demi Lovato, Confident
Sia, This Is Acting

Best Dance Recording
Bob Moses, “Tearing Me Up”
The Chainsmokers feat. Daya, “Don’t Let Me Down”
Flume feat. Kai, “Never Be Like You”
Riton feat. Kah-Lo, “Rinse & Repeat”
Sofi Tukker, “Drinkee”

Best Dance/Electronic Album
Flume, Skin
Jean-Michael Jarre, Electronica 1: The Time Machine
Tycho, Epoch
Underworld, Barbara, Barbara, We Face a Shining Future
Louie Vega, Louie Vega Starring…XXVIII

Best Rap Performance
Chance the Rapper featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz, “No Problem” 
Desiigner, “Panda”
Drake featuring The Throne, “Pop Style”
Fat Joe & Remy Ma feat. French Montana & Infared, “All the Way Up”
ScHoolboy Q feat. Kanye West, “That Part”

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Beyonce feat. Kendrick Lamar, “Freedom”
Drake, “Hotline Bling”
D.R.A.M. feat. Lil Yachty, “Broccoli”
Kanye West feat. Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream, “Ultralight Beam”
Kanye West feat. Rihanna, “Famous”

Best Rap Song
Joseph Cartagena, Edward Davadi, Shandel Green, Karim Kharbouch, Andre Christopher Lyon, Reminisce Mackie & Marcello Valenzano, songwriters (Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared), “All the Way Up”

Chancelor Bennett, Ross Birchard, Ernest Brown, Andrew Dawson, Kasseem Dean, Mike Dean, Noah Goldstein, Kejuan Muchita, Patrick Reynolds, Kanye West & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West featuring Rihanna), “Famous”

Aubrey Graham & Paul Jefferies, songwriters (Drake), “Hotline Bling”

Chancelor Bennett, Dwayne Carter & Tauheed Epps, songwriters (Chance The Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz), “No Problem”

Chancelor Bennett, Kasseem Dean, Mike Dean, Kirk Franklin, Noah Goldstein, Samuel Griesemer, Terius Nash, Jerome Potter, Kelly Price, Nico “Donnie Trumpet” Segal, Derek Watkins, Kanye West & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream), “Ultralight Beam”

Best Rap Album
Chance the Rapper, Coloring Book
De La Soul, And the Anonymous Nobody
DJ Khaled, Major Key
Drake, Views
ScHoolboy Q, Blank Face LP
Kanye West, The Life of Pablo

Best Country Solo Performance
Brandy Clark, “Love Can Go to Hell”
Miranda Lambert, “Vice”
Maren Morris, “My Church”
Carrie Underwood, “Church Bells”
Keith Urban, “Blue Ain’t Your Color”

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Dierks Bentley feat. Elle King, “Different for Girls”
Brothers Osborne, “21 Summer”
Kenny Chesney & P!nk, “Setting the World on Fire”
Pentatonix feat. Dolly Parton, “Jolene”
Chris Young with Cassadee Pope, “Think of You”

Best Country Song
Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey & Steven Lee Olsen, songwriters (Keith Urban), “Blue Ain’t Your Color”
Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett & Joe Spargur, songwriters (Thomas Rhett), “Die a Happy Man”
Lori McKenna, songwriter (Tim McGraw), “Humble and Kind”
busbee & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris), “My Church”
Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Miranda Lambert), “Vice”

Best Country Album
Brandy Clark, Big Day in a Small Town
Loretta Lynn, Full Circle
Maren Morris, Hero
Sturgill Simpson, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth
Keith Urban, Ripcord

Best Rock Performance
Alabama Shakes, “Joe (Live From Austin City Limits)”
Beyoncé feat. Jack White, “Don’t Hurt Yourself”
David Bowie, “Blackstar”
Disturbed, “The Sound of Silence (Live on Conan)” 
Twenty One Pilots, “Heathens”

Best Metal Performance
Baroness, “Shock Me”
Gojira, “Silvera”
Korn, “Rotting in Vain”
Megadeth, “Dystopia”
Periphery, “The Price Is Wrong”

Best Rock Song
David Bowie, songwriter (David Bowie), “Blackstar”
Radiohead songwriters (Radiohead), “Burn the Witch”
James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich, songwriters (Metallica), “Hardwired”
Tyler Joseph, songwriter (Twenty One Pilots), “Heathens”
Rich Meyer, Ryan Meyer & Johnny Stevens, songwriters (Highly Suspect), “My Name Is Human”

Best Rock Album
Blink-182, California
Cage the Elephant, Tell Me I’m Pretty
Gojira, Magma
Panic! at the Disco, Death of a Bachelor
Weezer, Weezer

Best Alternative Music Album
Bon Iver, 22, A Million
David Bowie, Blackstar
PJ Harvey, The Hope Six Demolition Project 
Iggy Pop, Post Pop Depression
Radiohead, A Moon Shaped Pool

Best R&B Performance
BJ the Chicago Kid, “Turnin’ Me Up”
Ro James, “Permission”
Musiq Soulchild, “I Do”
Rihanna, “Needed Me”
Solange, “Cranes in the Sky”

Best Traditional R&B Performance
William Bell, “The Three of Me”
BJ the Chicago Kid, “Woman’s World”
Fantasia, “Sleeping With the One I Love”
Lalah Hathaway, “Angel”
Jill Scott, “Can’t Wait”

Best R&B Song
J. Brathwaite, Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib, songwriters (PartyNextDoor Featuring Drake)
Exchange by Michael Hernandez & Bryson Tiller, songwriters (Bryson Tiller), “Come See Me”
by Jeff Bhasker, Robyn Fenty, John-Nathan Glass & Natalia Noemi, songwriters (Rihanna), “Kiss It Better”
Hod David & Musze, songwriters (Maxwell), “Lake by the Ocean”
Magnus August Høiberg, Benjamin Levin & Daystar Peterson, songwriters (Tory Lanez), “Luv”

Best Urban Contemporary Album
Beyonce, Lemonade
Gallant, Ology
King, We Are King
Anderson .Paak, Malibu
Rihanna, Anti

Best R&B Album
BJ the Chicago Kid, In My Mind
Lalah Hathaway, Lalah Hathaway Live
Terrace Martin, Velvet Portraits
Mint Condition, Healing Season
Mya, Smoove Jones

Best Music Video
Beyonce, “Formation”
Leon Bridges, “River”
Coldplay, “Up & Up”
Jamie XX, “Gosh”
OK Go, “Upside Down & Inside Out”

Best Music Film
Steve Aoki; Justin Krook, video director; Brent Almond, Matt Colon, David Gelb, Ryan Kavanaugh, Happy Walters & Matthew Weaver, video producers, “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”
(The Beatles); Ron Howard, video director; Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Scott Pascucci & Nigel Sinclair, video producers, “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week The Touring Years”
Beyonce; Beyoncé Knowles Carter & Kahlil Joseph, video directors; Beyoncé Knowles Carter, video producer, “Lemonade”
Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble, Morgan Neville, video director; Caitrin Rogers, video producer, “The Music of Strangers”
(Various Artists); George J. Flanigen IV, video director; John Burke & Lindsey Clark, video producers, “American Saturday Night: Live from the Grand Old Opry”

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Various Artists, Amy
Miles Davis & Various Artists, Miles Ahead
Various Artists, Straight Outta Compton 
Various Artists, Suicide Squad (Collector’s Edition) 
Various Artists, Vinyl: The Essentials Season 1

Best Score/Soundtrack for Visual Media
Thimas Newman, composer, Bridge of Spies
Ennio Morricone, composer, Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight
Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto, composers, The Revenant
John Williams, Composer, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, composers, Stranger Things Volume 1
Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, composers, Stranger Things Volume 2

Best Song Written for Visual Media
Max Martin, Shellback & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, James Corden, Zooey Deschanel, Walt Dohrn, Ron Funches, Caroline Hjelt, Aino Jawo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse & Kunal Nayyar), “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
Tyler Joseph, songwriter (Twenty One Pilots), “Heathens”
Oscar Holter, Max Martin, P!nk & Shellback, songwriters (P!nk), “Just Like Fire”
Shamann Cooke, Sonny Moore & William Roberts, songwriters (Skrillex & Rick Ross), “Purple Lamborghini”
Mikkel S. Eriksen, Sia Furler & Tor Erik Hermansen, songwriters (Shakira), “Try Everything”
Peter Gabriel, songwriter (Peter Gabriel), “The Veil”

Best Spoken Word Album
Amy Schumer, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo
Carol Burnett, In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox
Patti Smith, M Train
Tom DeSavia, John Doe, Scott Sherratt & Dan Zitt, producers, Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk (Joe Doe with Tom DeSavia)
Elvis Costello, Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink

Best Comedy Album
David Cross, ...America…Great…
Margaret Cho, Maerican Myth
Tig Notaro, Boyish Girl Interrupted
Amy Schumer, Live at the Apollo
Patton Oswalt, Talking Over Clapping

Best Musical Theater Album
Carmen Cusack, principal soloist; Jay Alix, Peter Asher & Una Jackman, producers; Steve Martin, composer; Edie Brickell, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast), Bright Star
Cynthia Erivo & Jennifer Hudson, principal soloists; Stephen Bray, Van Dean, Frank Filipetti, Roy Furman, Scott Sanders & Jhett Tolentino, producers (Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell & Allee Willis, composers/lyricists) (New Broadway Cast), The Color Purple
Danny Burstein, principal soloist; Louise Gund, David Lai & Ted Sperling, producers (Jerry Bock, composer; Sheldon Harnick, lyricist) (2016 Broadway Cast), Fiddler on the Roof
Killian Donnelly & Matt Henry, principal soloists; Sammy James, Jr., Cyndi Lauper, Stephen Oremus & William Wittman, producers (Cyndi Lauper, composer & lyricist) (Original West End Cast), Kinky Boots 
Jessie Mueller, principal soloist; Neal Avron, Sara Bareilles & Nadia DiGiallonardo, producers; Sara Bareilles, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast), Waitress

Here are the 2017 Grammy Nominees