The 17-year-old pop sensation Billie Eilish has become the youngest artist to be nominated in all four of the most prestigious Grammy award categories: record, album and song of the year, and best new artist.
Her gothic, innovative single Bad Guy, which topped the US charts, is nominated in the song and record categories, while her similarly chart-topping album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? is nominated for the album prize. She completed a sweep of the top categories with a best new artist nomination, and has six nominations in all. Her album engineers got a nod in the best engineered album category, including her brother and collaborator Finneas, who received three nominations.
The most nominations were for Lizzo, who received eight, including in the top four categories. The powerhouse Minneapolis singer, known for her vociferous support of body positivity as well as her showboating flute solos, has been a slow-burn success, first releasing music in 2013 but scoring breakthrough hits this year with Juice, Tempo and US No 1 hit Truth Hurts.
Lil Nas X received six nominations, including three in the top categories, predominantly for his song Old Town Road. It is indisputably one of the most successful songs of the year, breaking a US chart record with its 19 consecutive weeks at No 1 – Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s duet One Sweet Day had held the honour since 1996. All three of Eilish, Lizzo and Lil Nas X have never received a Grammy nomination before.
R&B singer HER scored five nominations, including record, album and song of the year, with Ariana Grande also earning five, including record and album of the year – her first appearances in the major categories. Wisconsin singer-songwriter Bon Iver was nominated four times, including record and album of the year, while Beyoncé – in a relatively minor year with no solo album release – still managed to secure four nominations, for her Lion King soundtrack work as well as her Coachella concert film, Homecoming.
While recent years have seen Grammy success for the likes of Ed Sheeran and Adele, British artists were mostly shut out of the top four categories. Lewis Capaldi received a nomination for song of the year for his ballad Someone You Loved, which has topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Bristol country-soul singer Yola was nominated for best new artist, and received three further nominations in American roots categories.
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke earned three nominations in specialist categories, with Chemical Brothers scoring three, and two for R&B singer Ella Mai. Other nominated Brits include the 1975, Bring Me the Horizon, James Blake and Elvis Costello. A surprise inclusion was Bones UK, a Camden rock band who, despite their low profile, secured a nomination for best rock performance with their song Pretty Waste.
Lil Nas X also crops up in the rap categories, this time with his single Panini in the running for rap/sung performance. The genre’s biggest prize, best rap performance, features a posthumous nomination for Nipsey Hussle, the LA star who was shot dead in April.
Snubs include to Taylor Swift, who might have expected more than just one nomination in major categories – song of the year for Lover, the only song in the category to feature a single songwriter – and Ed Sheeran, whose collaborative album No 6 Collaborations Project only generated one nomination, for pop vocal album. Sam Smith received no nominations for their major US hit Dancing With a Stranger, nor did Halsey, whose single Without Me spent 29 weeks in the US Top 10 and went five times platinum.
The total lack of nominations for Solange’s acclaimed album When I Get Home, or Bruce Springsteen’s Western Stars, is also surprising – the Guardian has asked their record labels if their albums were put forward for nomination.
Grammy nominations 2020: the major categories
Album of the year
Bon Iver – i, i
Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell!
Billie Eilish – When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
HER – I Used to Know Her
Lil Nas X – 7
Lizzo – Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)
Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride
Record of the year
Bon Iver – Hey, Ma
Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
HER – Hard Place
Khalid – Talk
Lil Nas X ft Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road
Lizzo – Truth Hurts
Post Malone & Swae Lee – Sunflower
Song of the year
Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Lori McKenna, songwriters (Lady Gaga) – Always Remember Us This Way
Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish) – Bad Guy
Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker) – Bring My Flowers Now
Ruby Amanfu, Sam Ashworth, D. Arcelious Harris. H.E.R. & Rodney Jerkins, songwriters (HER) – Hard Place
Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift) – Lover
Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey, songwriters (Lana Del Rey) – Norman Fucking Rockwell
Tom Barnes, Lewis Capaldi, Pere Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn & Sam Roman, songwriters (Lewis Capaldi) – Someone You Loved
Steven Cheung, Eric Frederic, Melissa Jefferson & Jesse Saint John, songwriters (Lizzo) – Truth Hurts
Best new artist
Black Pumas
Billie Eilish
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Maggie Rogers
Rosalía
Tank and the Bangas
Yola
Best pop album
Beyoncé – The Lion King: The Gift
Billie Eilish – When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
Ed Sheeran – No 6 Collaborations Project
Taylor Swift – Lover
Best rock album
Bring Me the Horizon – Amo
Cage the Elephant – Social Cues
The Cranberries – In the End
I Prevail – Trauma
Rival Sons – Feral Roots
Best alternative music album
Big Thief – UFOF
James Blake – Assume Form
Bon Iver – i, i
Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride
Thom Yorke – Anima
Best urban contemporary album
Steve Lacy – Apollo XXI
Lizzo – Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)
Georgia Anne Muldrow – Overload
Nao – Saturn
Jessie Reyez – Being Human In Public
Best rap album
Dreamville – Revenge of the Dreamers III
Meek Mill – Championships
21 Savage – I Am > I Was
Tyler, the Creator – Igor
YBN Cordae – The Lost Boy
Best R&B album
BJ the Chicago Kid – 1123
Lucky Daye – Painted
Ella Mai — Ella Mai
PJ Morton – Paul
Anderson .Paak – Ventura
Best dance/electronic album
Apparat – LP5
Chemical Brothers – No Geography
Flume – Hi This Is Flume (Mixtape)
Rüfüs Du Sol – Solace
Tycho – Weather
Best country album
Eric Church – Desperate Man
Reba McEntire – Stronger Than the Truth
Pistol Annies – Interstate Gospel
Thomas Rhett – Center Point Road
Tanya Tucker – While I’m Livin’
Best Americana album
Calexico and Iron & Wine – Years to Burn
Madison Cunningham – Who Are You Now
Keb’ Mo’ – Oklahoma
JS Ondara – Tales of America
Yola – Walk Through Fire
Best Latin pop album
Luis Fonsi – Vida
Maluma – 11:11
Ricardo Montaner – Montaner
Alejandro Sanz – #ELDISCO
Sebastian Yatra – Fantasía
Best gospel album
Kirk Franklin – Long Live Love
Donald Lawrence Presents the Tri-City Singers – Goshen
Gene Moore – Tunnel Vision
William Murphy – Settle Here
CeCe Winans – Something’s Happening! A Christmas Album
Best pop solo performance
Beyoncé – Spirit
Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
Ariana Grande – 7 Rings
Lizzo – Truth Hurts
Taylor Swift – You Need to Calm Down
Best pop duo/group performance
Ariana Grande and Social House – Boyfriend
Jonas Brothers – Sucker
Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road
Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello – Señorita
Best traditional pop vocal album
Andrea Bocelli – Sì
Michael Bublé – Love (Deluxe Edition)
Elvis Costello and the Imposters – Look Now
John Legend – A Legendary Christmas
Barbra Streisand – Walls
Best rap performance
J Cole – Middle Child
DaBaby – Suge
Dreamville ft JID, Bas, J.Cole, Earthgang and& Young Nudy – Down Bad
Nipsey Hussle ft Roddy Ricch and Hit-boy – Racks in the Middle
Offset ft Cardi B – Clout
Best traditional R&B performance
BJ the Chicago Kid – Time Today
India.Arie – Steady Love
“Jerome” — Lizzo
“Real Games” — Lucky Daye
“Built For Love” — PJ Morton & Jazmine Sullivan
Best rap/sung performance
DJ Khaled ft Nipsey Hussle & John Legend – Higher
Lil Baby and Funna – Drip Too Hard
Lil Nas X – Panini
Mustard ft Roddy Ricch – Ballin
Young Thug ft J Cole & Travis Scott – The London
Best rap song
Chancelor Bennett, Cordae Dunston, Uforo Ebong and Daniel Hackett, songwriters (Ybn Cordae ft Chance the Rapper) – Bad Idea
Noel Cadastre, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Khristopher Riddick-tynes, William Leonard Roberts Ii, Joshua Quinton Scruggs, Leon Thomas Iii and Ozan Yildirim, songwriters (Rick Ross ft Drake) – Gold Roses
Jermaine Cole, Dacoury Natche, 21 Savage & Anthony White, songwriters (21 Savage ft J Cole) – A Lot
Ermias Asghedom, Dustin James Corbett, Greg Allen Davis, Chauncey Hollis Jr and Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Nipsey Hussle ft. Roddy Ricch and Hit-boy) – Racks in the Middle
DaBaby, Jetsonmade and Pooh Beatz, songwriters (DaBaby) – Suge
Best R&B song
Dernst Emile Ii, David “Swagg R’celious” Harris, HER and Hue “Soundzfire” Strother, Songwriters (H.E.R. Ft. Bryson Tiller) – Could’ve Been
Emily King and Jeremy Most, Songwriters (Emily King) – Look at Me Now
Chris Brown, Tyler James Bryant, Nija Charles, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Michee Patrick Lebrun, Joshua Lewis, Noah Shebib and Teddy Walton, songwriters (Chris Brown ft Drake) – No Guidance
David Brown, Dernst Emile Ii & Peter Lee Johnson, Songwriters (Lucky Daye) – Roll Some Mo
PJ Morton, Songwriter (PJ Morton ft Jojo) – Say So
Best rock performance
Bones UK – Pretty Waste
Gary Clark Jr – This Land
Brittany Howard – History Repeats
Karen O and Danger Mouse – Woman
Rival Sons – Too Bad
Best metal performance
Candlemass ft. Tony Iommi – Astorolus: The Great Octopus
Death Angel – Humanicide
I Prevail – Bow Down
Killswitch Engage – Unleashed
Tool – 7empest
Best country solo performance
Tyler Childers – All Your’n
Ashley McBryde – Girl Goin’ Nowhere
Willie Nelson – Ride Me Back Home
Blake Shelton – God’s Country
Tanya Tucker – Bring My Flowers Now
Best country duo/group performance
Brooks and Dunn with Luke Combs – Brand New Man
Brothers Osborne – I Don’t Remember Me (Before You)
Dan and Shay – Speechless
Little Big Town – The Daughters
Maren Morris ft Brandi Carlile – Common
Best country song
Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth and Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker) – Bring My Flowers Now
Jeremy Bussey & Ashley Mcbryde, songwriters (Ashley McBryde)– Girl Goin’ Nowhere
Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori Mckenna and Liz Rose, Songwriters (Miranda Lambert) – It All Comes Out in the Wash
Eric Church, Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde & Bobby Pinson, Songwriters (Eric Church) –Some of It
Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers and Laura Veltz, songwriters (Dan and Shay) – Speechless
Best rock song
Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, Adam Jones and Maynard James Keenan, songwriters (Tool) – Fear Inoculum
George Daniel, Adam Hann, Matthew Healy & Ross MacDonald, songwriters (The 1975) – Give Yourself a Try
Ezra Koenig, songwriter (Vampire Weekend) – Harmony Hall
Brittany Howard, Songwriter (Brittany Howard) – History Repeats
Gary Clark Jr., Songwriter (Gary Clark Jr) – This Land
Producer of the year, non-classical
Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
John Hill
Finneas
Ricky Reed
Best compilation soundtrack for visual media
Various artists – The Lion King: The Songs
Various artists – Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Taron Egerton – Rocketman
Various artists – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born
• This article was amended on 21 November 2019 because an earlier version named Someone Like You as the Lewis Capaldi song nominated for a Grammy.
