Nominees for 54th Grammy Awards

With the prestigious Grammy Awards taking place this upcoming weekend, there is little doubt that Adele will be walking off with a number of the coveted awards. With six Grammy nominations – Records of the Year; Album of the Year; Song of the Year; Best Pop Solo Performance; Best Pop Vocal Album; and Best Short Form Music Video - Adele appears set to become one of the most successful British singers in history. Producers Paul Epworth (Rolling in the Deep and I'll be Waiting) and Ryan Tedder (Rumor Has It) have both been nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical.

Having notched up sales of more than six million albums, 21 has Album of the Year in the bag. Other contenders for this title are Foo Fighters with Wasting Light; Lady Gaga with Born This Way; Bruno Mars with Doo-Wops & Hooligans and Rihanna with Loud. Critics have noted that the competition for Record of the Year is between Mumford & Sons (The Cave) and Adele (Rolling in the Deep). Other nominees for this category include Bon Iver (Holocene); Bruno Mars (Grenade); and Katy Perry (Firework). Pop Vocal Performance nominees are Adele (Someone Like You); Lady Gaga (You and I); Bruno Mars (Grenade); Katy Perry (Firework); and Pink (Perfect).

Other Grammy Award categories include Best Pop Duo/Group Performance; Best Pop Instrumental Album; Best Pop Vocal Album; Best Dance Recording; Best Dance/Electronica Album; Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album; Best Rock Performance; Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance; Best Rock Song; Best Rock Album; Best R&B Performance; Best R&B Album; Best Rap Song; and Best Rap Performance.

With three Grammy nominations for his album F*A*M*E, Chris Brown will be entertaining the crowds at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. There has been a mixed response to this news, as Brown makes every effort to get his career back on track following his probation and community service sentence for assaulting Rihanna in 2009, who was his girlfriend at the time. With four trophies from the BET Awards, and performances at the MTV Music Awards, Dancing With the Stars and the American Music Awards, it appears he is succeeding. Rihanna will also be performing at the Awards and has been nominated for five Grammys.

Features

Ne-Yo Takes on Challenge to "Revitalize" Motown

The legendary music label Motown Records has announced that American R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo has been appointed as the new Senior Vice President of A&R – Artists and Repertoire – at the Universal Music Group. Currently signed with Def Jam Recordings, the singer will move his work over to Motown, bringing his New-York based imprint Compound Entertainment with him. His new position will include talent-seeking and mentoring Motown label's artists. He will also continue with his own successful music career, with his fifth album due out this year.

Features

Adele Leads 2011 Top Sellers

According to data released by music sales tracking service Nielsen SoundScan, Adele's album 21 and her single from the album Rolling in the Deep were the number one sellers in the United States for 2011. The album reportedly sold 5.82 million copies, with the single hitting 5.81 million downloads. As the singer-songwriter's second album, 21 is the biggest selling album since Usher's album Confessions sold 7.98 million in 2004. Judging by the initial sales of 21 when it was released in March 2011, it was no surprise to fans that Adele's album took top honors. The album sold 352,000 copies in its first week and has remained in the Billboard 200 chart's top 10 for 44 weeks and counting.

Features