Sam Smith, Beyonce lead Grammy nominations

Newcomer Sam Smith and Beyonce on Friday led nominations for the Grammy Awards, with the music industry's annual picks weighted toward female vocalists and R&B influences.

Smith - the British blue-eyed soul singer who emerged in force this year with "Stay With Me," a ballad about a one-night stand - was tied with Beyonce for nominations in five categories at music's biggest awards.

Beyonce, who won six Grammys in 2010 in one of the awards' biggest-ever hauls, was nominated this time in five categories over her latest, self-titled album, which includes the hit "Drunk In Love," sung with her husband Jay Z.

The Grammy winners will be announced at a gala ceremony in Los Angeles on 8 February. Nominations were announced on US television and in a steady drip on Twitter, with names for the most prestigious Album of the Year award to be revealed late Friday.

Smith was the only male artist tapped for Record of the Year. Other nominees included fellow new artists Meghan Trainor for "All About That Bass" and Australian rapper Iggy Azalea for "Fancy," which features British singer Charli XCX.

Sia, another Australian influenced by R&B, scored a nomination for "Chandelier." It was the biggest nomination in her more than two-decade career, although she previously was in contention two years ago in a rap category.

Country-turned-pop superstar Taylor Swift got a nod for Record of the Year with "Shake it Off" from her chart-topping album "1989."

U2, already the most nominated group in Grammy history, received another nod for Best Rock Album for "Songs of Innocence." Their competitors in the category are Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Beck, The Black Keys and Ryan Adams.

Beyonce, who was not nominated for Record of the Year, was also in contention for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Others in the category included Pharrell Williams, Pharrell Williams, Chris Brown, Jhene Aiko and Mali Music.

Women also took three of the five nominations for Country Album, despite the dominance of male-dominated "bro-country" on the radio.

Best Country Album nominates Brandy Clark for "12 Stories," which was released on a Dallas label after Nashville would not touch it, with established stars Miranda Lambert and Lee Ann Womack also in the running.

Clark was separately nominated in the closely watched Best New Artist category, along with Azalea and Smith. Also in the category were Haim, the Fleetwood Mac-inspired California band featuring three sisters, and British rockers Bastille.

Azalea was also nominated for Best Rap Album along with veteran Eminem, who recently threatened her in a song. Others in the category are the successful actor and poet Common, marijuana-loving soloist Wiz Khalifa and television star Childish Gambino, as well as Schoolboy Q, who released his major label debut.

These are some of the popular categories:

RECORD OF THE YEAR

‘‘Fancy,’’ Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX; ‘‘Chandelier,’’ Sia; ‘‘Stay With Me,’’ Sam Smith; ‘‘Shake It Off,’’ Taylor Swift; ‘‘All About That Bass,’’ Meghan Trainor.

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

‘‘Riser,’’ Dierks Bentley; ‘‘The Outsiders,’’ Eric Church; ‘‘12 Stories,’’ Brandy Clark; ‘‘Platinum,’’ Miranda Lambert; ‘‘The Way I’m Livin’,’’ Lee Ann Womack.

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM

‘‘Ghost Stories,’’ Coldplay; ‘‘Bangerz,’’ Miley Cyrus; ‘‘My Everything,’’ Ariana Grande; ‘‘Prism,’’ Katy Perry; ‘‘X,’’ Ed Sheeran; ‘‘In the Lonely Hour,’’ Sam Smith.

BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM

‘‘Sail Out,’’ Jhene Aiko; ‘‘Beyonce,’’ Beyonce; ‘‘X,’’ Chris Brown; ‘‘Mali Is,’’ Mali Music; ‘‘G I R L,’’ Pharrell.

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE

John Legend; Sia; Sam Smith; Taylor Swift; Pharrell

BEST ROCK SONG

“Ain’t it Fun,” Paramore; “Blue Moon,” Beck; “Fever,” (The Black Keys); “Gimme something Good,” Ryan Adams; “Lazaretto,” Jack White.

BEST REGGAE ALBUM

“Fly Rasta,” Ziggy Marley; “Back on the Controls,” Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry; “Full Frequency,” Sean Paul; “Out of Many, One Music,” Shaggy; “The Reggae Power,” Sly & Robbie & Spicy Chocolate; “Amid the Noise and the Haste,” SOJA

BEST AMERICANA ALBUM

“The River & The Thread,” Rosanne Cash; “Terms of My Surrender,” John Hiatt; “BluesAmericana,” Keb’ Mo’; “A Dotted Line,” Nickel Creek; “Metamodern Sounds In Country Music,” Sturgill Simpson