57 fascinating facts about the Grammy Awards

1) Sam’s feat

Twenty-two-year-old Sam Smith is the second youngest artist to be nominated for each of the Big Four awards – album, record and song of the year, and best new artist – in the same year. Mariah Carey was just 20 when she was nominated for all four awards 24 years ago.

2) Girl power

Female artists – Meghan Trainor, Taylor Swift, Sia and Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX – account for four of the five record of the year nominees. It’s the first time in 16 years – and only the fourth time in Grammy history – that women have dominated the category to that degree.

3) Fancy schmancy

Fancy by Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX is just the second all-female collaboration to receive a nomination for record of the year. The first was The Boy Is Mine in 1998 by Brandy and Monica.

4) Swift return

Shake It Off is Taylor Swift’s third single to receive a record of the year nod. The catchy smash follows You Belong With Me (2009) and We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (2012).

5) Light up

Sia’s Chandelier is the year’s only song to be nominated for both record of the year and best music video.

6) Triple threat

Pharrell Williams is competing with himself for album of the year. He’s nominated for his own album, G I R L, and as a co-producer for both Beyonce’s Beyonce and Ed Sheeran’s X.

7) Beck on form

Beck, who is nominated for album of the year for Morning Phase, is the first artist to be nominated in this category in each decade from the 1990s through the 2010s. He was previously nominated for Odelay (1996) and Midnite Vultures (2000).

8) Girls run the world

Beyonce, who is nominated for album of the year for the second time for her self-titled album, has amassed 53 Grammy nods, more than any other female artist.

9) Short and sweet

Ed Sheeran’s sophomore album, X, has the shortest title of any album of the year finalist in Grammy history. The old record was held jointly by James Taylor’s JT, Peter Gabriel’s So and Adele’s 21.

10) X marks the spot

Chris Brown’s album, X, is nominated for best urban contemporary album. The rapper previously won the 2011 award for best RnB album for F.A.M.E.

11) Irish charm

Hozier, a song of the year finalist for Take Me To Church, was born in Bray County, Wicklow, Ireland. Other Irish songwriters that have been nominated in this category include Gilbert O’Sullivan and U2.

12) Back to bass-ics

Meghan Trainor’s All About That Bass, nominated both for record and song of the year, is not the first Grammy-nominated song to celebrate a woman’s “bass”. Sir Mix-A-Lot’s Baby Got Back won for best rap solo performance for 1992.

13) Unlucky 13?

Katy Perry, who is vying for best pop vocal album and best pop duo/group performance, has been nominated 13 times, but has yet to win.

14) Sisterly love

Haim, comprising sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, are the first sister trio to receive a best new artist nomination.

15) Female domination

Two all-female collaborations – Fancy by Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX and Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj – are competing for best pop duo/group performance. Either would become the first all-female act to win in the pop field since Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink’s 2001 hit, Lady Marmalade.

16) Class crooner

Tony Bennett is vying for his 12th award in the best traditional pop vocal album category, where he’s nominated for his collaboration with Lady Gaga, Cheek To Cheek. Tony is the most frequent winner in the category, with Michael Buble second with four wins.

17) Gaga’s gongs

With Cheek To Cheek, Lady Gaga is hoping to take best album honours in a third genre. She previously won for best electronic/dance album for The Fame in 2009 and best pop vocal album for The Fame Monster in 2010.

18) Age is just a number

Johnny Mathis, who’s up for best traditional pop vocal album for Sending You A Little Christmas, received his first Grammy nod in 1960, when his rendition of Misty was nominated for best vocal performance, male – single or track.

19) Family ties

Miley Cyrus received her first Grammy nomination for Bangerz, a finalist for best pop vocal album. Her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, received a 1992 nomination for best new artist.

20) No haunting ghosts

Coldplay, who are nominated for best pop vocal album for Ghost Stories, have won best alternative music album twice and best rock album once.

21) Sweet Brandy

Brandy Clark, who is nominated for best new artist and best country album, received her first Grammy nomination a year ago for best country song, where she was a co-writer – with Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves – of Miranda Lambert’s hit Mama’s Broken Heart.

22) Not mousy

Deadmau5 is nominated for best dance/electronic music album for the third time in the past four years. The Canadian musician is nominated for his seventh studio album, While (1<2).

23) Crossing lines

Mary J Blige, who is nominated for best dance recording as the featured artist on Disclosure’s F For You, has won nine Grammys in four distinct genres: RnB, rap, pop, and gospel.

24) Rocking out

Slipknot, nominees for best metal performance for The Negative One, won the 2005 award in this category with Before I Forget.

25) Touching tribute

Two tracks from a tribute album to the late Ronnie James Dio – Anthrax’s Neon Knights and Tenacious D’s The Last In Line – are nominated for best metal performance. The Heaven And Hell frontman died in 2010.

26) Unlocking doors

The Black Keys, whose album Turn Blue is up for best rock album, won in the same category two years ago with El Camino. Their previous album, Brothers, won the 2010 award for best alternative music album.

27) U2 who?

U2 have collected 46 Grammy nominations, more than any other group. All five of the band’s studio albums since 1994, including their 13th studio album, Songs Of Innocence, has been nominated for best rock album.

28) Winning White

If Jack White wins best alternative music album for his second solo album, Lazaretto, he’ll become the first four-time winner in the category’s history, following his three wins with the White Stripes.

29) A win for Vincent?

St Vincent is hoping to be the second female solo artist to win for best alternative music album. Sinead O’Connor won the first-ever gong in the category for her 1990 album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.

30) Child actor

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who rose to fame as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, is nominated for best traditional RnB performance as a featured artist on Robert Glasper Experiment’s Jesus Children.

31) Winning couple

Love, Marriage And Divorce by Toni Braxton and Babyface, which is nominated for best RnB album, could become the second collaboration to win in that category. Wake Up! by John Legend and the Roots took the 2010 award.

32) Double win

Robert Glasper Experiment are vying for best RnB album for Black Radio 2. Their initial Black Radio won the 2012 award in this category.

33) Rap god

With The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Eminem is hoping to win best rap album for the sixth time. His five previous wins make him the category leader, with Kanye West second with four wins.

34) Rule Britannia!

Rock group Bastille will surely be hoping they will be the first British act to take home the trophy for best new artist since Sade won the award in 1985.

35) Double act

Childish Gambino, nominated for best rap album for Because The Internet, is the musical persona of actor Donald Glover, best known for his role on the TV series Community.

36) Awards debut

Neil Patrick Harris received his first-ever Grammy nomination this year with a nod for best musical theatre album for Hedwig And The Angry Inch.

37) Country star

Best country solo performance nominee Keith Urban has amassed four Grammys for best male country vocal performance in a six-year span from 2005 through 2010.

38) All about Taylor

Taylor Swift is the only nominee who is the subject of a current exhibit at the Grammy Museum. Featuring personal photographs, handwritten lyrics, tour costumes, and more, The Taylor Swift Experience is on display through May 10.

39) A biggie for Iggy

If Iggy Azalea wins best rap album for The New Classic, she would become the first female solo artist to take home the award.

40) Lucky sixes

Meanwhile Back At Mama’s marks the sixth nomination for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill for vocal performance as a team.

41) Third time lucky

The Band Perry are hoping to be the third artist to win a Grammy for a recording of Gentle On My Mind. John Hartford, the song’s composer, and Glen Campbell both won Grammys in 1967 for recordings of the song.

42) Producing magic

Paul Epworth is hoping to win his second non-classical producer of the year award. He won three years ago for his work on Adele’s 21, and this year, his projects included work with Sir Paul McCartney, Foster The People and FKA Twigs.

43) Swede for a prize?

Swedish hit-maker Max Martin is nominated for non-classical producer of the year for the first time. He’s also nominated for both record and song of the year for his work on Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off.

44) Celebrating Dylan

Nominees Beck and Jack White are among the artists who will perform at the 2015 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute gala honouring Bob Dylan on February 6.

45) Aloe’s the man

Aloe Blacc, who received his first career nomination for best RnB album for Lift Your Spirit, will perform at Lean On Me: A Celebration Of Music And Philanthropy, the 17th annual Grammy Foundation Legacy Concert taking place on February 5.

46) Breaking hearts

Tom Petty’s nod for best rock album for Hypnotic Eye with the Heartbreakers is his 18th career nomination. He won his first Grammy for best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal in 1989 for Travelling Wilburys Volume One.

47) Special links

George Harrison, one of this year’s special merit awards recipients, featured on The Travelling Wilburys alongside Tom Petty.

48) Double trouble

Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Taylor York are up for best rock song for Ain’t It Fun, which marks the second time the two musicians have received a nomination in a songwriting category. They were previously nominated for Decode, which was a 2009 finalist for best song written for motion picture, television or other visual media.

49) Double collaboration

Eminem and Rihanna, who have been nominated for best rap/sung collaboration for The Monster, received a nomination in this category in 2010 for Love The Way You Lie.

50) About time

Gloria Gaynor – who’s up for best spoken word album with We Will Survive: True Stories Of Encouragement, Inspiration, And The Power Of Song – has the longest gap between nominations of any current nominee, at 35 years. Her last nominations were for 1979, including a win for best disco recording for I Will Survive.

51) Single letter

Kendrick Lamar’s I is the lone song with a one-letter title to be nominated this year. It’s up for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.

52) Pop idol

With six Grammy wins under her belt, Carrie Underwood has the most prizes by an American Idol alumnus. She’s up for two more this year: best country solo performance and best country duo/group performance.

53) Comedy capers

Weird Al Yankovic and Louis CK each received nominations for best comedy album. Each has previously won in the category: Yankovic for Poodle Hat in 2003 and Louis for Hilarious in 2011.

54) Fatherly love

Ziggy Marley and Anoushka Shankar are nominated for best reggae album and best world music album, respectively. Both artists’ fathers – Bob Marley and Ravi Shankar – are Grammy winners and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipients.

55) Leaving a legacy

Former US President Jimmy Carter is nominated for best spoken word album for A Call To Action. If he wins, he would become the third former or future president with two Grammy wins, joining Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

56) Amazing albums

What do Arcade Fire, Tony Bennett, Glen Campbell, Alison Krauss, Barbra Streisand, Taylor Swift and U2 have in common? Besides all being current nominees, they’ve all released albums that have won album of the year.

57) Passing on the torch

Schoolboy Q featured on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ The Heist, which won last year’s best rap album. This year, the Los Angeles rapper is nominated in that category with his own album, Oxymoron.