Frank Ocean, fun., Kanye West Among Top Grammy Nominees

Frank Ocean is one of five artists with six nominations, a group that also includes Kanye West, Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys

Youth will prevail this year at the Grammy Awards, where newer acts including Frank Ocean, fun. and Mumford & Sons led the pack of nominees, announced Wednesday night at a special concert in Nashville.

L.L. Cool J and Taylor Swift hosted the event, which featured a tribute to country legend Johnny Cash and performances by Ne-Yo, left, Maroon 5 and fun.

fun., a New York-based rock group best known for the catchy single “We Are Young,” earned six nominations including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year (“Some Nights”).

Also earning six nods were Jay-Z, Kanye West, Mumford & Sons, Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and Ocean.

The 2013 Grammy Awards will take place Feb. 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and be broadcast on CBS. Last year, the death of music icon Whitney Houston cast a shadow on the show, not only prompting special tributes but heightened attention. The telecast lured 39.9 million viewers, the largest TV audience for the awards show since 1984.

Though acts oft-nominated such as Bruce Springsteen will contend for major awards this year, many of the top nominees are relative newcomers.

Ocean, a singer-songwriter, has earned high praise for his first studio album, “Channel Orange.” Though an R&B artist (or Urban Contemporary in Grammy parlance), he is a member of hip-hop collective Odd Future.

Ocean earned a nomination for Best New Artist, where he was joined by the Lumineers, fun., Hunter Hayes and rockers Alabama Shakes.

The Shakes will also be up for some rock awards, a genre led this year by fun. and The Black Keys. Hailing from Akron, Ohio, the Black Keys won three Grammys for their last album, “Brothers,” and picked up five nominations this year as a group. This is the first time they wil compete for Record, Song or Album of the year.

Auerbach, whose tally stands at six because a Producer of the Year nomination, is the elder statesman of the “Record of the Year” at the venerable age of 33.  Also competing are Kelly Clarkson, fun., Ocean, Gotye and Swift.

Swift, who has who 6 Grammys, just released “Red,” her fourth studio album. It debuted in first place and now sits at second behind Rihanna’s “Unapologetic.” 

Though a recipient of three nominations, Swift released her album too late to compete for "Album of the Year," which the Keys, fun., Ocean, Jack White and Mumford & Sons will vie for.

The Grammys served as a springbord for Mumford & Sons in 2011, when the British band played alongside Bob Dylan. Aside from the general nominations (Record, Album and Song), Mumford will compete in both the rock and americana categories.

Like Swift, West and Jay-Z are on the outside looking in for Album of the Year, but each rapper earned six nominations apiece thanks to solo work and their collaborative album, “Watch the Throne."

See the nominees in some of the major categories below:

 

Album Of The Year:

"El Camino" — The Black Keys 
"Some Nights" — fun. 
"Babel" — Mumford & Sons 
"Channel Orange" — Frank Ocean 
"Blunderbuss" — Jack White

Record Of The Year:

"Lonely Boy" — The Black Keys 
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" — Kelly Clarkson 
"We Are Young" — fun. featuring Janelle Monáe 
"Somebody That I Used To Know" — Gotye Featuring Kimbra 
"Thinkin Bout You" — Frank Ocean 
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" — Taylor Swift

Song Of The Year:

"The A Team" — Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran) 
"Adorn" — Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel) 
"Call Me Maybe" — Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen) 
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" — Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi,  songwriters (Kelly Clarkson) 
"We Are Young" — Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (FUN. Featuring  Janelle Monáe)

Best New Artist:

Alabama Shakes 
fun. 
Hunter Hayes 
The Lumineers 
Frank Ocean

Best Pop Solo Performance:

"Set Fire To The Rain (Live)" — Adele  
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" — Kelly Clarkson  
"Call Me Maybe" — Carly Rae Jepsen  
"Wide Awake" — Katy Perry 
"Where Have You Been" — Rihanna

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

"Shake It Out" — Florence & The Machine 
"We Are Young" — fun. featuring Janelle Monáe 
"Somebody That I Used To Know" — Gotye Featuring Kimbra 
"Sexy And I Know It" — LMFAO  
"Payphone" — Maroon 5 & Wiz Khalifa

Best Dance Recording:

“Levels” — Avicii

“Let's Go” — Calvin Harris Featuring Ne-Yo

“Bangarang” — Skrillex Featuring Sirah

“Don't You Worry Child” — Swedish House Mafia Featuring John Martin

“I Can't Live Without You” — Al Walser

Best Dance/Electronica Album:

"Wonderland" –Steve Aoki

"Don't Think" –The Chemical Brothers

"> Album Title Goes Here <" –Deadmau5

"Fire & Ice" –Kaskade

"Bangarang" — Skrillex

Best Rock Performance:

"Hold On" — Alabama Shakes 
"Lonely Boy" — The Black Keys 
"Charlie Brown" — Coldplay 
"I Will Wait" — Mumford & Sons 
"We Take Care Of Our Own" — Bruce Springsteen

Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance:

"I'm Alive" — Anthrax 
"Love Bites (So Do I)" — Halestorm 
"Blood Brothers" — Iron Maiden 
"Ghost Walking" — Lamb Of God 
"No Reflection" — Marilyn Manson 
"Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)" — Megadeth

Best Rock Album:

"El Camino" — The Black Keys 
"Mylo Xyloto" — Coldplay 
"The 2nd Law" — Muse 
"Wrecking Ball" — Bruce Springsteen 
"Blunderbuss" — Jack White

Best Rock Song:

"Freedom at 21" — Jack White 
"I Will Wait" — Mumford & Sons 
"Lonely Boy" — The Black Keys 
"Madness" — Muse 
"We Take Care of Our Own" — Bruce Springsteen

Best Alternative Music Album

"The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do" — Fiona Apple 
"Biophilia" — Björk 
"Making Mirrors" — Gotye 
"Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" — M83 
"Bad As Me" — Tom Waits

Best R&B Performance:

"Thank You" — Estelle 
"Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.)" — Robert Glasper Experiment Featuring Ledisi
"I Want You" — Luke James 
"Adorn" — Miguel 
"Climax" — Usher

Best Urban Contemporary Album:

"Fortune" — Chris Brown 
"Kaleidoscope Dream" — Miguel 
"Channel Orange" — Frank Ocean

Best R&B Album:

"Black Radio" — Robert Glasper Experiment 
"Back To Love" — Anthony Hamilton 
Write Me Back" — R. Kelly 
Beautiful Surprise" — Tamia 
Open Invitation" — Tyrese

Best R&B Song:

"Adorn" — Miguel 
"Beautiful Surprise" — Tamia 
"Heart Attack" — Trey Songz 
"Pray for Me" — Anthony Hamilton 
"Refill" — Elle Varner

Best Rap Performance:

"HYFR (Hell Ya F***ing Right)" — Drake Featuring Lil Wayne 
"N****s In Paris" — Jay–Z & Kanye West 
"Daughters" — Nas 
"Mercy" — Kanye West Featuring Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz 
"I Do" — Young Jeezy Featuring Jay–Z & André 3000

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration:

"Wild Ones" — Flo Rida Featuring Sia  
"No Church In The Wild" — Jay–Z & Kanye West Featuring Frank Ocean & The–Dream 
"Tonight (Best You Ever Had)" — John Legend Featuring Ludacris 
"Cherry Wine" — Nas Featuring Amy Winehouse 
"Talk That Talk" — Rihanna Feautring Jay–Z

Best Rap Song

“Daughters” — Nasir Jones & Ernest Wilson, songwriters (Patrick Adams, Gary DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer & Paul Leka, songwriters) (Nas)

“Lotus Flower Bomb” — Olubowale Akintimehin, S. Joseph Dew, Jerrin Howard, Walker Johnson & Miguel Jontel Pimentel, songwriters (Wale Featuring Miguel)

“Mercy” –Sean Anderson, Tauheed Epps, Stephan Taft, James Thomas, Terrence Thornton & Kanye West, songwriters (Denzie Beagle, Winston Riley & Reggie Williams, songwriters) (Kanye West Featuring Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz)

“The Motto” — Dwayne Carter, Aubrey Graham & Tyler Williams, songwriters (Drake Featuring Lil'Wayne)

“N****s In Paris” — Shawn Carter, Mike Dean, Chauncey Hollis & Kanye West, songwriters (W.A. Donaldson, songwriter) (Jay-Z & Kanye West)

“Young, Wild & Free” — Calvin Broadus, Chris Brody Brown, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Peter Hernandez

& Cameron Thomaz, songwriters (T. Bluechel, M. Borrow, T. Griffin, K. Jackson, N. Lee & M. Newman, songwriters) (Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa Featuring Bruno Mars)

Best Rap Album:

"Take Care" — Drake 
"Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1" — Lupe Fiasco 
"Life Is Good" — Nas 
"Undun" — The Roots 
"God Forgives, I Don't" — Rick Ross 
"Based On A T.R.U. Story" — 2 Chainz

Best Rap Song:

"Daughers" — Nas 
"Lotus Flower Bomb" — Wale featuring Miguel 
"Mercy" — Kanye West Featuring Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz 
"The Motto" — Drake Featuring Lil Wayne 
"N****s in Paris" — Jay-Z & Kanye West 
"Young, Wild & Free" — Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa Featuring Bruno Mars

Best Latin Pop Album:

"Independiente" — Ricard Arjona 
"Ilusion" — Fonseca 
"Kany Garcia" — Kany Garcia 
"Con Quien Se Queda El Perro?" — Jesse Y Joy 
"MTV Unplugged" — Juanes

Best Country Solo Performance:

"Home" — Dierks Bentley 

"Springsteen" — Eric Church     

"Cost Of Livin'" — Ronnie Dunn 

"Wanted" — Hunter Hayes 

"Over" — Blake Shelton 

"Blown Away" — Carrie Underwood

Best Country Duo Performance:

"Even if It Breaks Your Heart" — Eli Young Band 
"Pontoon" — Little Big Town 
"Safe & Sound" — Taylor Swift & the Civil Wars 
"On the Outskirts of Town" — The Time Jumpers 
"I Just Come Here for the Music" — Don Williams Featuring Alison Krauss

Best Country Album:

"Uncaged" — Zac Brown Band 
"Hunter Hayes" — Hunter Hayes 
"Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran" — Jamey Johnson 
"Four The Record" — Miranda Lambert 
"The Time Jumpers" — The Time Jumpers

Best Americana Album:

"The Carpenter" — The Avett Brothers 
"From The Ground Up" — John Fullbright 
"The Lumineers" — The Lumineers 
"Babel" — Mumford & Sons 
"Slipstream" — Bonnie Raitt

Best Blues Album:

"33 1/3" — Shemekia Copeland 
"Locked Down" — Dr. John 
"Let It Burn" — Ruthie Foster 
"And Still I Rise" — Heritage Blues Orchestra 
"Bring It On Home" — Joan Osborne

Best Spoken Word Album:

"American Grown" (Michelle Obama) — Scott Creswell & Dan Zitt, producers (Various Artists) 
"Back To Work: Why We Need Smart Government For A Strong Economy" — Bill Clinton 
"Drift: The Unmooring Of American Military Power" — Rachel Maddow 
"Seriously…I'm Kidding" — Ellen DeGeneres 
"Society's Child: My Autobiography" — Janis Ian

Best Comedy Album:

"Blow Your Pants Off" — Jimmy Fallon 
"Cho Dependent (Live In Concert)" — Margaret Cho 
"In God We Rust" — Lewis Black 
"Kathy Griffin: Seaman 1st Class" — Kathy Griffin 
"Mr. Universe" — Jim Gaffigan 
"Rize Of The Fenix" — Tenacious D

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