GRAMMY AWARDS:BEYOUNCE LEADS THE NOMINATIONS

 
Beyounce leads the nominations for the 59th annual Grammys, announced on Tuesday, with nine nods for her album “Lemonade.” But in each of the three top categories she will square off against Adele, who was nominated five times.

 With enormous commercial success and the adoration of fellow musicians, those stars represent the very best of how the music industry sees itself, which should make their competition tight. “Lemonade” and “25” are both nominated for album of the year, and Beyoncé’s track “Formation” will go up against Adele’s “Hello” for both record and song of the year.
 This year’s Grammys, on Feb. 12 in Los Angeles, will mostly hew to the biggest pop hits of the moment — itself a notable development for a show that has often celebrated aging stars at the expense of vital young talent.

The other leading nominees include Drake and Rihanna, each with eight nods, and Chance the Rapper, who climbed the charts as an independent and had seven nominations in five categories, including best new artist.

Yet every list of Grammy nominations comes with surprises.

For album of the year, “Lemonade” and “25” will compete against Drake’s “Views,” a monster streaming hit; “Purpose,” Justin Bieber’s comeback vehicle; and, in what might be the year’s wild card, “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth,” by the country singer Sturgill Simpson, a critical favorite but modest seller.

For record of the year, an award for the performer and producers of a single track, “Formation” and “Hello” face off against “7 Years,” a mellow hit by the Danish group Lukas Graham; “Stressed Out,” by the genre-mixing pop duo Twenty One Pilots; and Rihanna’s “Work,” which features Drake. (“Formation,” “Hello” and “7 Years” are also up for song of the year, which recognizes songwriters.).

Kanye West, whose album “The Life of Pablo” and related tour also drew wide attention, received eight nominations in five categories; like Drake and Chance, he is up for all four rap awards. But members of the Recording Academy, the organization that presents the Grammys, did not choose Mr. West — a frequent Grammy critic — in any of the top categories for his own work. He is, however, one of the 20 credited producers on Drake’s “Views.”

On the other hand, Beyoncé was nominated for seemingly every award possible. Besides the top fields, she is up for awards in the pop category (“Hold Up,” pop solo performance), rock (“Don’t Hurt Yourself,” with Jack White, for rock performance), R&B (“Lemonade,” for urban contemporary album) and rap (“Freedom,” with Kendrick Lamar, for best rap/sung performance). “Lemonade” was also nominated for best music film, and “Formation” for best music video.