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The 2018 Grammy Awards are almost here. And while this year’s ceremony may not promise the drama of 2017’s match of the titans, Adele versus Beyoncé (if you’re still not over Lemonade walking away with nothing but Best Urban Album, raise your hand), there are still a few races that will be interesting to watch play out.
Album of the Year promises to be a close race, with Jay-Z’s 4:44 facing off against Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN., Bruno Mars’s 24K Magic, Lorde’s Melodrama, and Childish Gambino’s “Awaken, My Love!”
The record-breaking song of summer 2017 — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee's “Despacito” remix, featuring Justin Bieber — is officially in the running to win Song of the Year, and Record of the Year as well. (It’s a confusing distinction.)
In the Song of the Year category, "Despacito" will be facing off against Jay-Z's "4:44," Bruno Mars's "That's What I Like," Julia Michaels's "Issues," and Logic's "1-800-273-8255" featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid.
For Record of the Year, “Despacito” will compete against Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble,” Bruno Mars’s “24K Magic,” and Jay-Z’s “The Story of O.J.” “Despacito” is the only song to appear in both categories.
Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Bruno Mars are this year’s most-nominated artists. Jay-Z landed eight nominations for 4:44, including Album, Record, and Song of the Year. Kendrick Lamar earned seven nominations for DAMN., including one for Album of the Year, and Bruno Mars landed eight for 24K Magic, including Album, Record, and Song of the Year.
Here is a listening guide to the nominees in all of the categories expected to be televised at this year’s ceremony; visit the Grammys website for the full list of nominees, which spans over 80 categories in total. The winners will be announced at the 60th annual Grammys ceremony in New York on January 28.
Record Of The Year
“Redbone” — Childish Gambino
“Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
“The Story Of O.J.” — Jay-Z
“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar
“24K Magic” — Bruno Mars
Album Of The Year
“Awaken, My Love!” — Childish Gambino
4:44 — Jay-Z
DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar
Melodrama — Lorde
24K Magic — Bruno Mars
Song Of The Year
“Despacito” — Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber)
“4:44” — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (Jay-Z)
“Issues” — Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels)
“1-800-273-8255” — Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury, Khalid Robinson, songwriters (Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid)
“That's What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
Best New Artist
Best Pop Solo Performance
“Love So Soft” — Kelly Clarkson
“Praying” — Kesha
“Million Reasons” — Lady Gaga
“What About Us” — P!nk
“Shape Of You” — Ed Sheeran
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Something Just Like This” — The Chainsmokers & Coldplay
“Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
“Thunder” — Imagine Dragons
“Feel It Still” — Portugal. The Man
“Stay” — Zedd & Alessia Cara
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Nobody But Me (Deluxe Version) — Michael Bublé
Triplicate — Bob Dylan
In Full Swing — Seth MacFarlane
Wonderland — Sarah McLachlan
Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 — (Various Artists) Dae Bennett, Producer
Best Pop Vocal Album
Kaleidoscope EP — Coldplay
Lust For Life — Lana Del Rey
Evolve — Imagine Dragons
Rainbow — Kesha
Joanne — Lady Gaga
÷ (Divide) — Ed Sheeran
Best Dance Recording
“Bambro Koyo Ganda” — Bonobo Featuring Innov Gnawa
“Cola” — Camelphat & Elderbrook
“Andromeda” — Gorillaz Featuring DRAM
“Tonite” — LCD Soundsystem
“Line Of Sight” — Odesza Featuring WYNNE & Mansionair
Best Dance/Electronic Album
Migration — Bonobo
3-D The Catalogue — Kraftwerk
Mura Masa — Mura Masa
A Moment Apart — Odesza
What Now — Sylvan Esso
Best Rock Performance
“You Want It Darker” — Leonard Cohen
“The Promise” — Chris Cornell
“Run” — Foo Fighters
“No Good” — Kaleo
“Go To War” — Nothing More
Best Metal Performance
“Invisible Enemy” — August Burns Red
“Black Hoodie” — Body Count
“Forever” — Code Orange
“Sultan’s Curse” — Mastodon
“Clockworks” — Meshuggah
Best Rock Song
“Atlas, Rise!” — James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich, songwriters (Metallica)
“Blood In The Cut” — JT Daly & Kristine Flaherty, songwriters (K.Flay)
“Go To War” — Ben Anderson, Jonny Hawkins, Will Hoffman, Daniel Oliver, David Pramik & Mark Vollelunga, songwriters (Nothing More)
“Run” — Foo Fighters, songwriters (Foo Fighters)
“The Stage” — Zachary Baker, Brian Haner, Matthew Sanders, Jonathan Seward & Brooks Wackerman, songwriters (Avenged Sevenfold)
Best Rock Album
Emperor Of Sand — Mastodon
Hardwired…To Self-Destruct — Metallica
The Stories We Tell Ourselves — Nothing More
Villains — Queens Of The Stone Age
A Deeper Understanding — The War On Drugs
Best Alternative Music Album
Everything Now — Arcade Fire
Humanz — Gorillaz
American Dream — LCD Soundsystem
Pure Comedy — Father John Misty
Sleep Well Beast — The National
Best R&B Performance
“Get You” — Daniel Caesar Featuring Kali Uchis
“Distraction” — Kehlani
“High” — Ledisi
“That's What I Like” — Bruno Mars
“The Weekend” — SZA
Best Traditional R&B Performance
“Laugh And Move On” — The Baylor Project
“Redbone” — Childish Gambino
“What I’m Feelin’” — Anthony Hamilton Featuring The Hamiltones
“All The Way” — Ledisi
“Still” — Mali Music
Best R&B Song
“First Began” — PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton)
“Location” — Alfredo Gonzalez, Olatunji Ige, Samuel David Jiminez, Christopher McClenney, Khalid Robinson & Joshua Scruggs, songwriters (Khalid)
“Redbone” — Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)
“Supermodel” — Tyran Donaldson, Terrence Henderson, Greg Landfair Jr., Solana Rowe & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (SZA)
“That's What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Free 6LACK — 6LACK
"Awaken, My Love!" — Childish Gambino
American Teen — Khalid
Ctrl — SZA
Starboy — The Weeknd
Best R&B Album
Freudian — Daniel Caesar
Let Love Rule — Ledisi
24K Magic — Bruno Mars
Gumbo — PJ Morton
Feel The Real — Musiq Soulchild
Best Rap Performance
“Bounce Back” — Big Sean
“Bodak Yellow” — Cardi B
“4:44” — Jay-Z
“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar
“Bad And Boujee” — Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert
Best Rap/Sung Performance
“PRBLMS” — 6LACK
“Crew” — Goldlink Featuring Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy
“Family Feud” — Jay-Z Featuring Beyoncé
“LOYALTY.” — Kendrick Lamar Featuring Rihanna
“Love Galore” — SZA Featuring Travis Scott
Best Rap Song
“Bodak Yellow” — Dieuson Octave, Klenord Raphael, Shaftizm, Jordan Thorpe, Washpoppin & J White, songwriters (Cardi B)
“Chase Me” — Judah Bauer, Brian Burton, Hector Delgado, Jaime Meline, Antwan Patton, Michael Render, Russell Simins & Jon Spencer, songwriters (Danger Mouse Featuring Run The Jewels & Big Boi)
“HUMBLE.” — Duckworth, Asheton Hogan & M. Williams II, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
“Sassy” — Gabouer & M. Evans, songwriters (Rapsody)
“The Story Of O.J.” — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (Jay-Z)
Best Rap Album
4:44 — Jay-Z
DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar
Culture — Migos
Laila’s Wisdom — Rapsody
Flower Boy — Tyler, The Creator
Best Country Solo Performance
“Body Like A Back Road” — Sam Hunt
“Losing You” — Alison Krauss
“Tin Man” — Miranda Lambert
“I Could Use A Love Song” — Maren Morris
“Either Way” — Chris Stapleton
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“It Ain’t My Fault” — Brothers Osborne
“My Old Man” — Zac Brown Band
“You Look Good” — Lady Antebellum
“Better Man” — Little Big Town
“Drinkin’ Problem” — Midland
Best Country Song
“Better Man” — Taylor Swift, songwriter (Little Big Town)
“Body Like A Back Road” — Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Sam Hunt)
“Broken Halos” — Mike Henderson & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton)
“Drinkin’ Problem” — Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne & Mark Wystrach, songwriters (Midland)
“Tin Man” — Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert & Jon Randall, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
Best Country Album
Cosmic Hallelujah — Kenny Chesney
Heart Break — Lady Antebellum
The Breaker — Little Big Town
Life Changes — Thomas Rhett
From A Room: Volume 1 — Chris Stapleton
Best Song Written For Visual Media
“City Of Stars” — Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, songwriters (Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone), from La La Land
“How Far I’ll Go” — Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Auli’i Cravalho), from Moana
“I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (‘Fifty Shades Darker’)” — Jack Antonoff, Sam Dew & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Zayn & Taylor Swift), from Fifty Shades Darker
“Never Give Up” — Sia Furler & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Sia), from Lion
“Stand Up For Something” — Common & Diane Warren, songwriters (Andra Day Featuring Common), from Marshall
Best Music Video
“Up All Night” — Beck
“Makeba” — Jain
“The Story Of O.J.” — Jay-Z
“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar
“1-800-273-8255” — Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid