Entertainment
Major 2015 Grammy Nomination Surprises, From Miley Cyrus to Meghan Trainor
Nominations for the 57th Annual Grammy Awards were announced on Friday morning, and there were a number of surprises! As with any award show, accurately predicting the Grammy nominees has more to do with luck than anything else, but this year, the Academy’s voting members really made things difficult. One thing’s for sure: Some artists are having the best morning ever! Remember: The Album of the Year nominees will be announced on Friday evening during a one-hour holiday special called A Very Grammy Christmas on CBS.
Let’s take a look at the most surprising nominees for the 2015 Grammys...
Miley Cyrus, 'Bangerz' — Best Pop Vocal Album
It was definitely a little unexpected to see Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz LP among the nominees for Best Pop Vocal Album on Friday morning. Though the album launched two hit singles (“We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball”), I was thinking that some of its material might not be “taken seriously” by Academy voters. I was wrong!
Cyrus famously skipped the last Grammys ceremony, opting instead to stay home and play Guitar Hero. Looks like she’ll have to be in attendance in 2015!
Meghan Trainor, "All About That Bass" — Record of the Year
True, “All About That Bass” is one of the biggest hits of 2014 (and I predicted that it would be nominated in this category), but I was still a little concerned that newcomer Meghan Trainor would either be “too new” to be on the Academy’s radar or unfairly dismissed as a one-hit wonder. Thankfully, neither of those things happened.
Pharrell, "Happy (Live Version)" — Best Pop Solo Performance
Pharrell’s “Happy” was actually submitted for consideration for the 2014 Grammys ceremony, before it became a monster hit. Sadly, it wasn’t nominated. He’s competing with a live version of the track this time around. I wasn’t sure that this tactic would work, but apparently, “Happy” is a No. 1, Oscar-nominated song that Academy voters just couldn’t ignore!
John Legend, "All of Me (Live Version)" — Best Pop Solo Performance
John Legend employed the same strategy as Pharrell: since “All of Me” was overlooked when it was submitted for the 2014 Grammys, he decided to go with a live rendition of the song for 2015. It was a risk, but it paid off! Like “Happy,” “All of Me” is a No. 1 hit that voters just couldn’t pass up.
Brandy Clark — Best New Artist
You can usually count on an unexpected name or two to pop up in the Best New Artist category (remember when Esperanza Spalding beat out Justin Beiber in 2011?), and this time is no exception. If you’re not already familiar with Brandy Clark, she’s a talented country artist who got her start penning songs for famous acts like Miranda Lambert, The Band Perry, Reba McEntire, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, and more. Clark released her critically acclaimed debut album, 12 Stories , in 2013.
