Sam Smith, Taylor Swift up for record of the year Grammy
Singer Taylor Swift poses for photographers upon arrival at the Victoria's Secret fashion show in London, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014. (Photo by Jonathan Short/Invision/AP)
By Mesfin Fekadu: The Associated Press
| Dec. 8, 2014, 1:18 p.m.
| Updated: Aug. 3, 2017, 5:17 p.m.
New York • Sam Smith will battle the ladies at the Grammys: "Stay With Me" is nominated for record of the year against hits like "Fancy," "Shake It Off" and "All About That Bass."
Sia's "Chandelier" is also up for record of the year, one of the top four awards, and will compete with Taylor Swift, Iggy Azalea, Meghan Trainor and Smith. Pharrell and Ed Sheeran announced the nominees in four categories Friday morning on CBS.
Smith also is nominated for best pop vocal album for his debut, "In the Lonely Hour." He'll battle albums from Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry and Coldplay.
Smith was the early leader with three nominations — which The Recording Academy was announcing throughout the day in new fashion. Ryan Seacrest announced the nominees for best pop solo performance, which includes Smith's "Stay With Me." It pits the British singer against "Chandelier," "Shake It Off" and live versions of Pharrell's "Happy" and John Legend's "All of Me."
Both "Happy" and "All of Me," which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, were released before Grammy eligibility, so the singers submitted live renditions of the songs so they could be considered for awards.
Pharrell earned another nomination for best urban contemporary album for "G I R L." His competition includes Beyonce's self-titled fifth album, Chris Brown and newcomers Mali Music and Jhene Aiko.
For best country album, the nominees include Dierks Bentley, Brandy Clark, Eric Church, Lee Ann Womack and Miranda Lambert, whose "Platinum" won album of the year at the Country Music Association Awards.
The Recording Academy will announce more nominees for its 57th annual awards later Friday on Twitter. The top award, album of the year, will be announced when the TV special "A Very GRAMMY Christmas" airs at 8 p.m. on CBS. The other top awards are best new artist and song of the year.
Smith, whose hits include "Stay With Me" and "I'm Not the Only One," said in an interview Thursday night that he was nervous about the nominations.
"I'm scared. It's like Christmas Eve right now for me," Smith said. "I'd love my album to get that platform so I don't know. Fingers crossed."
Smith's "In the Lonely Hour" is one of the year's top-selling albums. Other big efforts this year include the "Frozen" soundtrack, Beyonce's self-titled album, Coldplay's "Ghost Stories" and Sheeran's "X," the most streamed album on Spotify this year.
The Grammys will air live Feb. 8 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. "A Very GRAMMY Christmas," a taped special, will feature performances by Pharrell, Smith, Grande, Maroon 5 and more.
Singer Taylor Swift performs at the Victoria's Secret fashion show in London, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2014, file photo, Beyonce performs on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Will the Grammys be Drunk In Love with Beyonce or will they fall for the sad, but soulful sound of Sam Smith? The Recording Academy will announce the nominees for the 57th annual Grammy Awards on Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 23, 2014, file photo, Sam Smith performs on stage at the 42nd annual American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles. Will the Grammys be Drunk In Love with Beyonce or will they fall for the sad, but soulful sound of Sam Smith? The Recording Academy will announce the nominees for the 57th annual Grammy Awards on Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2014 file photo, Taylor Swift performs at the Victoria's Secret fashion show in London. Sam Smith will battle the ladies at the Grammys: Stay With Me is nominated for record of the year against hits like Fancy, Shake It Off and All About That Bass. Sias Chandelier is also up for record of the year, one of the four top awards, and will compete with Taylor Swift, Iggy Azalea, Meghan Trainor and Smith. Pharrell and Ed Sheeran announced the nominees in four categories Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
Singer Ariana Grande performs at the Victoria's Secret fashion show in London, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
Singer Ed Sheeran performs at the Victoria's Secret fashion show in London, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, file photo, Iggy Azalea performs on stage at the 42nd annual American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The Recording Academy will announce the nominees for the 57th annual Grammy Awards on Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. While Ariana Grande and Azalea both have a strong chance to earn a nomination for best new artist, they could cancel each other when it comes to song and record of the year. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)
In this Sept. 19, 2014 file photo, Miley Cyrus performs in concert during her Bangerz Tour in Mexico City. In a bizarre and emotionally transparent performance, Cyrus mocked her own music, opened up about her dark year and belted some Led Zeppelin. And she smoked pot onstage, too. Wearing a silver metallic Cleopatra wig and bright turquoise eye-shadow, Cyrus kicked off the poolside show at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach singing a duet of Super Freak with a topless woman. The performance was one of the top billers during the star-studded week of the prestigious Art Basel Miami Beach. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)