Beyonce leads field with nine Grammy nods, Bieber leads Canadian nominations

LOS ANGELES – Justin Bieber is coming out on top as the leading Canadian nominee at the Grammys.

The Stratford, Ont.-raised pop superstar picked up four nominations this year, including best pop vocal album for “Changes,” pop solo performance for “Yummy” and pop duo for “Intentions,” a song he sings with rapper Quavo.

He also shared a nomination for best country duo or group performance with Nashville act Dan + Shay for their hit single “10,000 Hours.”

Bieber was followed closely behind by Kaytranada, the Montreal producer who picked up three nods, including one in the banner category best new artist.

Toronto rapper Drake scored three nominations, including two for “Laugh Now, Cry Later” for best rap song and best melodic rap performance.

Beyonce is bringing her black parade to the Grammys.

The pop star’s anthem about Black pride scored multiple nominations Tuesday, making her the leading contender with nine.

Beyonce picked up song and record of the year bids with “Black Parade,” which she released on Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free.

The song, which reached the Top 40 on the pop charts, is also nominated for best R&B song and best R&B performance.

Beyonce’s “Black Is King” film that highlighted Black art, music, history and fashion is up for best music film while “Brown Skin Girl,” a song dedicated to dark- and brown-skinned women, is nominated for best music video.

The singer also earned three nominations for her slick guest appearance on Megan Thee Stallion’s No. 1 hit “Savage,” including record of the year, best rap performance and best rap song.

A winner of 24 Grammys, Beyonce becomes the second-most nominated act in the history of the awards show with 79 nominations.

She is tied with Paul McCartney, who earned a nomination this year for best boxed or special limited edition package.

Beyonce is only behind her husband Jay-Z and Quincy Jones, who have both earned 80 nominations each.

Jay-Z picked up three nominations this year for his contributions to Beyonce’s songs: He co-wrote “Black Parade” and “Savage,” thus earning nominations for song of the year, best R&B song and best rap song.

Beyonce’s domination this year came as a surprise since the singer did not release a new album.

Other surprises — or snubs — include Canadian pop star the Weeknd being completely shut out and earning zero nominations despite having a No. 1 album, multiple hit singles and winning the coveted Super Bowl halftime performance slot.

Luke Combs, who dominated the country charts and set records on streaming services this year, was also surprisingly shut out of
nominations.

Songs and albums released between September 1st, 2019 and August 31st, 2020 were eligible for nominations this year.

The 63rd Grammy Awards air Jan. 31. on CBS and Citytv.

-With files from The Canadian Press