Indie Group Fun. Scoops Grammy Nominations
It was all fun. Wednesday as the New York indie pop band with the oddly-spelled name picked up no fewer than six Grammy nominations in its breakout year.
During a gala nomination ceremony in country music's hometown of Nashville, fun. found itself in the running for best album ("Some Nights") and best record (the morose hipster drinking anthem "We Are Young").
It also picked up nominations for best song, best new artist, best pop duo/group performance and best pop vocal album ahead of the February 10 awards presentation in Los Angeles.
Asked in a livestreamed backstage interview how they'd celebrate, the trio fronted by Nate Ruess -- which earlier played "We Are Young" for the Bridgestone Arena crowd -- gave a jovial one-word response: "Drink."
Rap artist Frank Ocean scored four nominations, for best album (the critically acclaimed "Channel Orange"), record of the year ("Thinkin Bout You"), best new artist and best urban contemporary album.
Ocean caused a stir in the macho and sometimes homophobic realm of hip hop when he revealed in a Tumblr blog prior to the release of "Channel Orange" that he had been involved in a gay relationship.
The Grammys are the premier music industry awards in the United States, with no fewer than 81 categories ranging from pop and country to jazz, gospel, Latino and world music.
Winners are determined by voting among members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Also vying for best album are three-time Grammy winners The Black Keys for "El Camino," British rock-folk group Mumford & Sons for "Babel" and rocker Jack White for "Blunderbuss."
Record of the year contenders also include the Black Keys' "Lonely Boy," Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" and Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."
Swift co-hosted the nominations -- televised live on CBS -- alongside hip-hop statesman LL Cool J. Passing mention was given late in the broadcast to the death earlier in the day of jazz maestro Dave Brubeck, of "Take Five" fame.
Last year's Grammys were dominated by British soul songstress Adele, who collected six awards, including album of the year for "21" -- only the second woman in Grammy history to collect so many awards in a single go.
Nominated for best song this year were British balladeer Ed Sheeran's "The A Team," Miguel's "Adorn," Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" and Clarkson's "Stronger," alongside "We Are Young."
Both Gotye, born in Belgium and based in Australia, and Jepsen, from Canada, were fixtures on American pop radio this summer, with their singles enjoying heavy rotation along with fun. and Maroon 5.
Failing to get any nominations in major Grammy categories were veterans Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Lionel Richie, R & B diva Rihanna, teen idol Justin Bieber and Brit boy band One Dimension.
Nominees for best world music album included Mali's Amadou & Mariam for "Folila," South Africa's Hugh Masekela for "Jabulani" and Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar for "The Living Room Sessions Part One."
Up for best Latin pop album were "Independiente" by Ricardo Arjona, "Ilusion" from Fonseca, Kany Garcia's self-titled outing, Jesse Y Joy's "Con Quien Se Queda El Perro?" and Juanes' "MTV Unplugged Deluxe Edition."
Source: Agence France Presse
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