2020 GRAMMY Awards nominees announced

The Nominees for the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards have just been announced.

Gary Clark Jr.'s 'This Land' has
earned several nominations.
Photo: Kelly A. Swift

The high-profile artists who appear to be front runners in the high-profile categories include Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Bon Iver, Tanya Tucker, Brandi Carlile, Ariana Grande, and H.E.R. 

I have long been less than thrilled with the myriad of categories and overall ignoring truly-deserving artists from a number of genres by the Recording Academy. That said, a number of my favorite artists are being recognized this year, with nominees representing rock, blues, Americana, country and other genres in the mix.

I was especially happy to see The Cranberries' final album In The End nominated for Best Rock Album, and Keb' Mo's Oklahoma nominated in the Best Americana Album category. I was also pleased to see Elvis Costello and The Imposters received a well-deserved nomination for Look Now. That album (read my review here) was truly one of the best albums of 2018.

One category that is very exciting is for Best Contemporary Blues Album. I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite here, but it is sure great to see Gary Clark Jr. (This Land), Larkin Poe (Venom & Faith), and Southern Avenue (Keep On); Clark's This Land was also nominated in the Best Rock Performance category.

Other artists I'm rooting for when the trophies are handed out in 2020 include Bobby Rush, Thom Yorke, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Tycho, Sara Bareilles and Tool. 

The official media release I received in my inbox this morning is below:

RECORDING ACADEMY® ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR THE 62ND ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS® FIRST-TIME NOMINEES LIZZO, BILLIE EILISH AND LIL NAS X ARE THIS YEAR'S MOST NOMINATED ARTISTS

Larkin Poe's 'Venom & Faith' has deceived a well- deserved nomination. Tanya Tucker has been nominated for 4 GRAMMY Awards. Bobby Rush has picked up a well-deserved nod for his 'Sitting on Top of the Blues' album. SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (NOV. 20, 2019)—Recording Academy® President/CEO Deborah Dugan alongside Academy Chair of the Board of Trustees and renowned record producer Harvey Mason Jr., as well as GRAMMY Awards® host Alicia Keys and past two-time GRAMMY® nominee Bebe Rexha, today revealed nominees for the 62nd GRAMMY Awards in select categories. This year's nominees reflect a melting pot of artistic innovation that defined the year in music, showcasing the unparalleled craftsmanship of established artists and the industry-shifting impact of rising music creators. Leading nominees Lizzo (8), Billie Eilish (6) and Lil Nas X (6) not only topped the charts but ignited a cultural conversation around their genre-bending hits. As the only peer-selected music award, the GRAMMY Awards are voted on by the Recording Academy's membership body of music makers, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers and engineers. "I am in complete awe of the inspiring nominees who have poured their hearts and souls into their craft, and in turn, have provided fans worldwide a year of music that changed us, stirred our emotions and inspired us to do more," said Dugan. "Today's announcement reflects a new era for the Recording Academy—an army of engaged members that welcomes diversity, embraces creativity and champions young musicians on the rise. It's shaping up to be a year of firsts, and I can promise that the 62nd GRAMMY Awards will pack the same punch as this year's nominees. I am proud to march forward alongside our members and nominated artists." This year's nominees were selected from more than 20,000 submissions across 84 categories, and reflect the wide range of artistic innovation that defined the year in music (Oct. 1, 2018–Aug. 31, 2019). The final round of GRAMMY voting is Dec. 9, 2019–Jan. 3, 2020. The Recording Academy will present the GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, live from Los Angeles' STAPLES Center and broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 8:00–11:30 p.m. ET/5:00–8:30 p.m. PT. The following is a sampling of nominations from the GRAMMY Awards' 30 Fields and 84 Categories. For a complete nominations list, visit www.grammy.com. For media assets, please visit the Recording Academy press room here. Click here to download our social media toolkit. Record Of The Year: "Hey, Ma" — Bon Iver "Bad Guy" — Billie Eilish "7 Rings" — Ariana Grande "Hard Place" — H.E.R. "Talk" — Khalid "Old Town Road" — Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus "Truth Hurts" — Lizzo "Sunflower" — Post Malone & Swae Lee Album Of The Year: i,i — Bon Iver Norman F***ing Rockwell! — Lana Del Rey When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? — Billie Eilish thank u, next — Ariana Grande I Used To Know Her — H.E.R. 7 — Lil Nas X Cuz I Love You (Deluxe) — Lizzo Father Of The Bride — Vampire Weekend Song Of The Year: "Always Remember Us This Way" — Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Lori McKenna, songwriters (Lady Gaga) "Bad Guy" — Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish) "Bring My Flowers Now" — Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker) "Hard Place" — Ruby Amanfu, Sam Ashworth, D. Arcelious Harris, H.E.R. & Rodney Jerkins, songwriters (H.E.R.) "Lover" — Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift) "Norman F***ing Rockwell" — Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey, songwriters (Lana Del Rey) "Someone You Loved" — Tom Barnes, Lewis Capaldi, Pete Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn & Sam Roman, songwriters (Lewis Capaldi) "Truth Hurts" — Steven Cheung, Eric Frederic, Melissa Jefferson & Jesse Saint John, songwriters (Lizzo) Best New Artist: Black Pumas Billie Eilish Lil Nas X Lizzo Maggie Rogers Rosalía Tank And The Bangas Yola Best Pop Solo Performance: "Spirit" — Beyoncé  "Bad Guy" — Billie Eilish "7 Rings" — Ariana Grande "Truth Hurts" — Lizzo "You Need To Calm Down" — Taylor Swift Best Pop Vocal Album: The Lion King: The Gift — Beyoncé When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? — Billie Eilish thank u, next — Ariana Grande No. 6 Collaborations Project — Ed Sheeran Lover  — Taylor Swift Best Dance Recording: "Linked" — Bonobo "Got To Keep On" — The Chemical Brothers "Piece Of Your Heart" — Meduza Featuring Goodboys "Underwater" — RÜFÜS DU SOL "Midnight Hour" — Skrillex & Boys Noize Featuring Ty Dolla $ign Best Rock Album: Amo — Bring Me The Horizon Social Cues — Cage The Elephant In The End — The Cranberries Trauma — I Prevail Feral Roots — Rival Sons Best R&B Performance: "Love Again" — Daniel Caesar & Brandy "Could've Been" — H.E.R. Featuring Bryson Tiller "Exactly How I Feel" — Lizzo Featuring Gucci Mane "Roll Some Mo"  — Lucky Daye "Come Home" — Anderson .Paak Featuring André 3000 Best Rap Album: Revenge Of The Dreamers III — Dreamville Championships — Meek Mill I Am > I Was — 21 Savage Igor — Tyler, The Creator The Lost Boy — YBN Cordae Best Country Song: "Bring My Flowers Now" — Brandie Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker) "Girl Goin' Nowhere" — Jeremy Bussey & Ashley McBryde, songwriters (Ashley McBryde) "It All Comes Out In The Wash" — Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters (Miranda Lambert) "Some Of It" — Eric Church, Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde & Bobby Pinson, songwriters (Eric Church) "Speechless" — Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers & Laura Veltz, songwriters (Dan + Shay) Best Jazz Vocal Album: Thirsty Ghost — Sara Gazarek Love & Liberation — Jazzmeia Horn Alone Together — Catherine Russell 12 Little Spells — Esperanza Spalding Screenplay — The Tierney Sutton Band Best Gospel Album: Long Live Love — Kirk Franklin Goshen — Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers Tunnel Vision — Gene Moore Settle Here — William Murphy Something's Happening! A Christmas Album — CeCe Winans Best Latin Rock, Urban Or Alternative Album: X 100PRE — Bad Bunny Oasis — J Balvin & Bad Bunny Indestructible — Flor De Toloache Almadura — iLe El Mal Querer — Rosalía Best Americana Album: Years To Burn — Calexico And Iron & Wine Who Are You Now — Madison Cunningham Oklahoma — Keb' Mo' Tales Of America — J.S. Ondara Walk Through Fire — Yola Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling): Beastie Boys Book — (Various Artists) Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Scott Sherratt & Dan Zitt, producers Becoming — Michelle Obama I.V. Catatonia: 20 Years As A Two-Time Cancer Survivor — Eric Alexandrakis Mr. Know-It-All — John Waters Sekou Andrews & The String Theory — Sekou Andrews & The String Theory Best Song Written For Visual Media: "The Ballad Of The Lonesome Cowboy" — Randy Newman, songwriter (Chris Stapleton), Track from: Toy Story 4 "Girl In The Movies" — Dolly Parton & Linda Perry, songwriters (Dolly Parton), Track from: Dumplin' "I'll Never Love Again" (Film Version) — Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Aaron Raitiere songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper), Track from: A Star Is Born "Spirit" — Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Timothy McKenzie & Ilya Salmanzadeh, songwriters (Beyoncé), Track from: The Lion King "Suspirium" — Thom Yorke, songwriter (Thom Yorke), Track from: Suspiria Best Music Film: Homecoming — Beyoncé Remember My Name — David Crosby Birth Of The Cool — (Miles Davis) Shangri-La — (Various Artists) Anima — Thom Yorke

ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music's history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum®, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares®, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards—music's only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world's leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators. For more information about the Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on Twitter, "like" Recording Academy on Facebook, and join the Recording Academy's social communities on Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.