NEWS RELEASE JAY Z LEADS NOMINATIONS WITH NINE; KENDRICK LAMAR, MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, AND PHARRELL WILLIAMS EACH EARN SEVEN; DRAKE AND BOB LUDWIG EACH GARNER FIVE SARA BAREILLES, DAFT PUNK, KENDRICK LAMAR, MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS, AND TAYLOR SWIFT VIE FOR ALBUM OF THE YEAR AT THE 56TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS® JAN. 26, 2014, LIVE ON CBS LOS ANGELES (Dec. 06, 2013) — Nominations for the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards® were announced tonight by The Recording Academy® and reflected one of the most diverse years with the Album Of The Year category alone representing the rap, pop, country and dance/electronica genres, as determined by the voting members of The Academy. Once again, nominations in select categories for the annual GRAMMY Awards were announced on primetime television as part of "The GRAMMY® Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night®," a one-hour CBS entertainment special broadcast live from Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE. The 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on "GRAMMY Sunday," Jan. 26, 2014, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook. For a complete nominations list, please visit www.grammy.com. Jay Z tops the nominations with nine; Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Justin Timberlake, and Pharrell Williams each garner seven nods; Drake and mastering engineer Bob Ludwig are up for five awards. "This year's nominations reflect the talented community of music makers who represent some of the highest levels of excellence and artistry of the year in their respective fields," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "Once again, The Academy's awards process and its voting membership have produced an impressive list of nominations across various genres promising music fans a spectacular show filled with stellar performances and unique 'GRAMMY Moments.' We are off to a great start and look forward to GRAMMY Sunday as Music's Biggest Night takes the stage." Following is a sampling of nominations in 82 categories from the GRAMMY Awards' 30 Fields: GENERAL FIELD Album Of The Year: The Blessed Unrest — Sara Bareilles Random Access Memories — Daft Punk Good Kid, M.A.A.D City — Kendrick Lamar The Heist — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Red — Taylor Swift Record Of The Year: "Get Lucky" — Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams "Radioactive" — Imagine Dragons "Royals" — Lorde "Locked Out Of Heaven" — Bruno Mars "Blurred Lines" — Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams Song Of The Year: "Just Give Me A Reason" — Jeff Bhasker, Pink & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Pink Featuring Nate Ruess) "Locked Out Of Heaven" — Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Bruno Mars) "Roar" — Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry & Henry Walter, songwriters (Katy Perry) "Royals" — Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor, songwriters (Lorde) "Same Love" — Ben Haggerty, Mary Lambert & Ryan Lewis, songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert) Best New Artist: James Blake Kendrick Lamar Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Kacey Musgraves Ed Sheeran POP FIELD Best Pop Solo Performance: "Brave" — Sara Bareilles "Royals" — Lorde "When I Was Your Man" — Bruno Mars "Roar" — Katy Perry "Mirrors" — Justin Timberlake Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: "Get Lucky" — Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams "Just Give Me A Reason" — Pink Featuring Nate Ruess "Stay" — Rihanna Featuring Mikky Ekko "Blurred Lines" — Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams "Suit & Tie" — Justin Timberlake & Jay Z DANCE FIELD Best Dance/Electronica Album: Random Access Memories — Daft Punk Settle — Disclosure 18 Months — Calvin Harris Atmosphere — Kaskade A Color Map Of The Sun — Pretty Lights ROCK FIELD Best Rock Performance: "Always Alright" — Alabama Shakes "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" — David Bowie "Radioactive" — Imagine Dragons "Kashmir" (Live) — Led Zeppelin "My God Is The Sun" — Queens Of The Stone Age "I'm Shakin'" — Jack White Best Rock Album: 13 — Black Sabbath The Next Day — David Bowie Mechanical Bull — Kings Of Leon Celebration Day — Led Zeppelin …Like Clockwork — Queens Of The Stone Age Psychedelic Pill — Neil Young With Crazy Horse ALTERNATIVE FIELD Best Alternative Music Album: The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You — Neko Case Trouble Will Find Me — The National Hesitation Marks — Nine Inch Nails Lonerism — Tame Impala Modern Vampires Of The City — Vampire Weekend R&B FIELD Best R&B Performance: "Love And War" — Tamar Braxton "Best Of Me" — Anthony Hamilton "Nakamarra" — Hiatus Kaiyote Featuring Q-Tip "How Many Drinks?" — Miguel Featuring Kendrick Lamar "Something" — Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway Best Urban Contemporary Album: Love And War — Tamar Braxton Side Effects Of You — Fantasia One: In The Chamber — Salaam Remi Unapologetic — Rihanna New York: A Love Story — Mack Wilds Best R&B Album: R&B Divas — Faith Evans Girl On Fire — Alicia Keys Love In The Future — John Legend Better — Chrisette Michele Three Kings — TGT RAP FIELD Best Rap Performance: "Started From The Bottom" — Drake "Berzerk" — Eminem "Tom Ford" — Jay Z "Swimming Pools (Drank)" — Kendrick Lamar "Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: "Power Trip" — J.Cole Featuring Miguel "Part II (On The Run)" — Jay Z Featuring Beyoncé "Holy Grail" — Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake "Now Or Never" — Kendrick Lamar Featuring Mary J. Blige "Remember You" — Wiz Khalifa Featuring The Weeknd Best Rap Album: Nothing Was The Same — Drake Magna Carta…Holy Grail — Jay Z Good Kid, M.A.A.D City — Kendrick Lamar The Heist — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Yeezus — Kanye West COUNTRY FIELD Best Country Solo Performance: "I Drive Your Truck" — Lee Brice "I Want Crazy" — Hunter Hayes "Mama's Broken Heart" — Miranda Lambert "Wagon Wheel" — Darius Rucker "Mine Would Be You" — Blake Shelton Best Country Album: Night Train — Jason Aldean Two Lanes Of Freedom — Tim McGraw Same Trailer Different Park — Kacey Musgraves Based On A True Story — Blake Shelton Red — Taylor Swift JAZZ FIELD Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Guided Tour — The New Gary Burton Quartet Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue — Terri Lyne Carrington Life Forum — Gerald Clayton Pushing The World Away — Kenny Garrett Out Here — Christian McBride Trio GOSPEL/CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC FIELD Best Gospel Album: Grace (Live) — Tasha Cobbs Best For Last: 20 Year Celebration Vol. 1 — Donald Lawrence Best Days Yet — Bishop Paul S. Morton God Chaser (Live) — William Murphy Greater Than (Live) — Tye Tribbett LATIN FIELD Best Tropical Latin Album: 3.0 — Marc Anthony Como Te Voy A Olvidar — Los Angeles Azules Pacific Mambo Orchestra — Pacific Mambo Orchestra Sergio George Presents Salsa Giants — Various Artists Corazón Profundo — Carlos Vives AMERICAN ROOTS FIELD Best Americana Album: Old Yellow Moon — Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell Love Has Come For You — Steve Martin & Edie Brickell Buddy And Jim — Buddy Miller And Jim Lauderdale One True Vine — Mavis Staples Songbook — Allen Toussaint COMEDY FIELD Best Comedy Album: Calm Down Gurrl — Kathy Griffin I'm Here To Help — Craig Ferguson A Little Unprofessional — Ron White Live — Tig Notaro That's What I'm Talkin' About — Bob Saget This year's Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical nominations go to Rob Cavallo, Dr. Luke, Ariel Rechtshaid, Jeff Tweedy, and Pharrell Williams. This year's GRAMMY Awards process registered more than 22,000 submissions over a 12-month eligibility period (Oct. 1, 2012 – Sept. 30, 2013). GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 11 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 8, 2014, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the 56th GRAMMY telecast. The 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, and Louis J. Horvitz is director. "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night," hosted by two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J featured the announcement of nominations in several categories as well as performances by Lorde; Macklemore & Ryan Lewis; Miguel and Keith Urban; Katy Perry; Taylor Swift; and Robin Thicke with T.I and members of Earth, Wind, & Fire. Presenters included Melissa Etheridge, Arsenio Hall, Enrique Iglesias, Pauley Perrette, Kelly Rowland, and Ed Sheeran. News from The Recording Academy.