Oh, Lorde? More of Macklemore? Could it be the year newcomers dominated Grammy nominations?

CP26309327
FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2013 file photo, musician Ben Haggerty, also known as Macklemore, left and Ryan Lewis perform on stage at the Good Morning America Concert Series at Central Park\'s Rumsey Playfield in New York City. Not a lot of fans knew who Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Lorde were when last we gathered a year ago to celebrate music with the Grammy Awards nominations. Yet thanks to a series of inescapable and smart hits, these upstarts could very well muscle Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and other Grammy favorites out of the way when nominees are announced Friday night, Dec. 6, 2013, in a television special broadcast live on CBS. (Photo by Brad Barket/Invision/AP, File)

Not a lot of fans knew who Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Lorde were when we gathered a year ago to celebrate music with the Grammy Awards nominations.

Yet thanks to a series of inescapable and smart hits, these upstarts could very well muscle Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and other Grammy favourites out of the way when nominees are announced Friday night in a televised special airing live from Los Angeles on CBS.

Lorde’s hit “Royals” and Macklemore’s run of “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love” dominated all but a few songs for attention this year, and each carried a progressive message in a pop music world obsessed with swag and navel gazing — something The Recording Academy’s voters tend to award.

The Grammy Awards will be presented Jan. 26.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles