Kanye West, Adele, Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars will be the ones to watch at the 54th annual Grammy Awards after each landing a slew of top nominations.
The 'Stronger' rapper leads the way with seven nods - his star-studded collaboration 'All of the Lights' is up for Song of the Year and Best Rap Song, while he also earns a nod in the latter category for his Jay-Z duet Otis. The hip-hop stars' Watch The Throne album will also go head-to-head with West's solo disc, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy for Best Rap Album.
Adele is in the running for six honours and her critically-acclaimed project 21 will fight for the prestigious titles of Record of the Year and Album of the Year, while 'Rolling in the Deep' will compete for Song of the Year.
Rockers Foo Fighters and R&B singer Mars are also six-time nominees, while Lil Wayne, dubstep DJ Skrillex and Lady Gaga earned multiple mentions too.
The contenders for the 2012 ceremony were announced on Wednesday during the specially-televised Grammy Nominations Concert Live, which was hosted by LL Cool J from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
Performance highlights from the Grammy Nominations Concert Live came from R&B star Usher, who remembered late songwriters Nickolas Ashford and Jerry Leiber with a medley of their hits, while Common, Lupe Fiasco and LL Cool J hit the stage to pay tribute to rap icon Grandmaster Flash with a rousing rendition of hip-hop anthem 'The Message' with the legend himself and his longtime collaborator Melle Mel to mark the recording's recent addition to the 2012 Grammy Hall of Fame.
There were also two unlikely country collaborations - Jason Aldean and rapper Ludacris teamed up for the singer's track 'Dirt Road Anthem', and Lady Gaga, who opened the event wearing skeletal face paint to sing 'Marry The Night', was joined by Sugarland to close the show with the pop superstar's hit single 'You and I'.
The 54th annual Grammy Awards will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on 12 February.
The main list of nominees is as follows:
Record of the Year:
Adele - Rolling in the Deep
Bon Iver - Holocene
Bruno Mars - Grenade
Mumford & Sons - The Cave
Katy Perry - Firework
Song Of The Year:
Kanye West - 'All of the Lights'
Mumford & Sons - 'The Cave'
Bruno Mars - 'Grenade'
Bon Iver - 'Holocene'
Adele - 'Rolling in the Deep'
Best New Artist:
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex
Album Of The Year:
Adele - 21
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Rihanna - Loud
Best Pop Solo Performance:
Adele - 'Someone Like You'
Lady Gaga - 'You And I'
Bruno Mars - 'Grenade'
Katy Perry - 'Firework'
Pink -' F**kin' Perfect'
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse - 'Body and Soul'
The Black Keys - 'Dearest'
Coldplay - 'Paradise'
Foster The People - 'Pumped Up Kicks'
Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera - 'Moves Like Jagger'
Best Pop Vocal Album:
Adele - 21
Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Rihanna - Loud
Best Rock Song:
Mumford & Sons - 'The Cave'
The King Is Dead - 'Down By The Water'
Coldplay - 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall'
The King of Limbs - 'Lotus Flower'
Foo Fighters - 'Walk'
Best Rock Album:
Jeff Beck - Rock 'n' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown
Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You
Wilco - The Whole Love
Best R&B Song:
Marsha Ambrosius - 'Far Away'
Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona - 'Fool For You'
Kelly Price & Stokley - 'Not My Daddy'
Ledisi - 'Pieces of Me'
Charlie Wilson - 'You Are'
Best R&B Album:
Chris Brown - F.A.M.E.
El DeBarge - Second Chance
R. Kelly - Love Letter
Ledisi - Pieces of Me
Kelly Price - Kelly
Best Rap Song:
Kanye West - 'All of the Lights'
Wiz Khalifa - 'Black and Yellow'
Dr. Dre, Eminem & Skylar Grey -' I Need A Doctor'
Chris Brown, Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes - 'Look At Me Now'
Jay-Z & Kanye West -' Otis'
Lupe Fiasco - 'The Show Goes On'
Best Rap Album:
Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV
Lupe Fiasco - Lasers
Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Best Country Song:
Thompson Square - 'Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not'
Blake Shelton - 'God Gave Me You'
Trace Adkins - 'Just Fishin''
Taylor Swift - 'Mean'
Vince Gill - 'Threaten Me With Heaven'
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter - 'You And Tequila'
Best Country Album:
Jason Aldean - My Kinda Party
Eric Church - Chief
Lady Antebellum - Own The Night
Blake Shelton - Red River Blue
George Strait - Here For A Good Time
Taylor Swift - Speak Now
WENN.com