VOA常速英语:2013 Grammy Awards to Feature New Categories

The 55th Annual Grammy Awards will be presented on Sunday, February 10 in Los Angeles, California.  Here's a preview of the evening’s top contenders, live performers, and recipient of the MusicCares Person of the Year.

Don’t look now but there are three new categories for the 2013 Grammy Awards: Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Classical Compendium and Best Latin Jazz Album.  The nominees for Best Urban Contemporary Album are Chris Brown, Miguel, and New Orleans singer-songwriter Frank Ocean for his debut album Channel Orange.  The three new categories bring this year’s total to 81.

Ocean is in the running for six awards, tied with Kanye West, Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, and Fun with the most nominations.

Record, Album, Song of the Year

Fun, featuring singer Janelle Monae, scored one of the biggest hits of 2012 with “We Are Young,” one of six songs nominated for Record of the Year.  That category includes The Black Keys for “Lonely Boy,” Kelly Clarkson for “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” Gotye featuring Kimbra with “Somebody That I Used To Know,” Frank Ocean for “Thinkin Bout You,” and Taylor Swift for “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”

For Album of the Year, the nominees are Frank Ocean, Fun, Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys and Jack White.

There are five nominees for Song of the Year, including “The A Team” by Ed Sheeran, “Adorn” by Miguel, “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen, Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” and “We Are Young” by Fun.

Best New Artist

Fun is one of five nominees competing for Best New Artist, along with Alabama Shakes, Hunter Hayes, Frank Ocean, and The Lumineers.

The Colorado folk-rock trio The Lumineers also competes for Best Americana Album, on the strength of its self-titled debut disc. It contains the Top Three pop single “Ho Hey.”

The Lumineers joins an all-star lineup of pop, rock, R&B and country artists slated to perform during the Grammy ceremony.  The worldwide telecast from the Staples Center will feature The Black Keys, Britney Spears, Carrie Underwood, Justin Timberlake, Jack White, Taylor Swift, Mumford & Sons, Rihanna and others.  Rapper LL Cool J marks his second year as the evening’s host.

MusicCares Person of the Year

In conjunction with the Grammy Awards, rocker Bruce Springsteen will receive the 2013 MusicCares Person of the Year Award on February 8.  The award is presented annually by the National Recording Association of Arts & Sciences (NARAS) in recognition of an artist’s musical achievements and charitable work.

For a complete list of the nominees, visit  www.grammy.com.