# 58th Annual Grammy Awards

The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 2015. The "pre-telecast" ceremony, officially known as the Premiere Ceremony, in which the majority of awards were presented, was held at the nearby Microsoft Theater. It was the 16th Grammy ceremony to be held at the Staples Center, tying the Shrine Auditorium, also in Los Angeles, for hosting the most Grammy ceremonies. It also marks the latest date for a Grammy ceremony since 2003, which was held on February 23.
Unlike previous years, where it was held on a Sunday, the 2016 edition was held on a Monday for the first time to take advantage of the U.S. Presidents' Day long weekend. The ceremony was televised in the United States by CBS; for the first time, CBS affiliates in the West Coast and United States territories outside the continental region, including Hawaii and Alaska, had the option of broadcasting the Grammys live from the East Coast feed, in addition to an encore in local primetime.
Nominations for the 58th Grammy Awards ceremony were announced on December 7, 2015, returning to the traditional format of an immediate press conference/release reveal of all nominees rather than the "all-day event" unveiling attempted by The Recording Academy and CBS over the previous few years. Kendrick Lamar received the most nominations with 11, and became the rapper with the most nominations in a single night, and second overall behind Michael Jackson (12 nominations in 1984). Taylor Swift and The Weeknd received seven nominations each. Producer Max Martin received the most nominations for a non-performing artist, with six. LL Cool J hosted for the fifth consecutive year. As part of a commercial break on the U.S. broadcast paid for by Target, Gwen Stefani also presented a live music video for her new single "Make Me Like You".
Kendrick Lamar led the winners with five trophies, including Best Rap Album for To Pimp a Butterfly. Taylor Swift won three awards, including Album of the Year for 1989, becoming the first female artist to win Album of the Year twice as main credited artist. Alabama Shakes also won three including Best Alternative Music Album for Sound & Color. Ed Sheeran won two including Song of the Year for "Thinking Out Loud". Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk" won for Record of the Year and Meghan Trainor won for Best New Artist.

## Performers

| Artist(s) | Song(s) |
| Taylor Swift | "Out of the Woods" |
| Carrie Underwood Sam Hunt | "Take Your Time" "Heartbeat" |
| The Weeknd | "Can't Feel My Face" "In the Night" |
| Ellie Goulding Andra Day | "Love Me like You Do" "Rise Up" |
| John Legend Demi Lovato Luke Bryan Meghan Trainor Tyrese Gibson Lionel Richie | Tribute to Lionel Richie "Easy" "Hello" "Penny Lover" "You Are" "Brick House" "All Night Long (All Night)" |
| Little Big Town | "Girl Crush" |
| Stevie Wonder Pentatonix | Tribute to Maurice White "That's the Way of the World" |
| Eagles Bernie Leadon Jackson Browne | Tribute to Glenn Frey "Take It Easy" |
| Tori Kelly James Bay | "Hollow" "Let It Go" |
| The cast of Hamilton | "Alexander Hamilton" (Live from the Richard Rodgers Theatre) |
| Kendrick Lamar | "The Blacker the Berry" "Alright" "King Kunta" | 09.21.2014" |
| Miguel Greg Phillinganes | Tribute to Michael Jackson "She's Out of My Life" |
| Adele | "All I Ask" |
| Justin Bieber Diplo Skrillex | "Love Yourself" "Where Are Ü Now" |
| Lady Gaga Nile Rodgers | Tribute to David Bowie "Space Oddity" "Changes" "Ziggy Stardust" "Suffragette City" "Rebel Rebel" "Fashion" "Fame" "Under Pressure" "Let's Dance" "Heroes" |
| Chris Stapleton Gary Clark Jr. Bonnie Raitt | Tribute to B.B. King "The Thrill Is Gone" |
| Alabama Shakes | "Don't Wanna Fight" |
| The Hollywood Vampires | Tribute to Lemmy "As Bad as I Am" "Ace of Spades" |
| Joey Alexander | Piano solo |
| Pitbull Sofía Vergara Robin Thicke Travis Barker Joe Perry | "El Taxi" "Bad Man" |

## Presenters

* Ice Cube and O'Shea Jackson Jr. – presented Best Rap Album
* Anquan Boldin and Von Miller – introduced Sam Hunt and Carrie Underwood
* Ariana Grande – introduced the Weeknd
* Selena Gomez – introduced Andra Day and Ellie Goulding
* Cam and Gary Sinise – presented Best Country Album
* James Corden and LL Cool J – introduced Luke Bryan, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Meghan Trainor, and Tyrese
* Ryan Seacrest – introduced Little Big Town
* Pentatonix and Stevie Wonder – presented Song of the Year
* Anna Kendrick – introduced James Bay and Tori Kelly
* Stephen Colbert – introduced Hamilton and presented Best Musical Theater Album award to the cast
* Don Cheadle – introduced Kendrick Lamar
* Seth MacFarlane – presented Best Musical Theater Album
* Miguel – presented Best Rock Performance
* Bruno Mars – introduced Adele
* Kaley Cuoco – introduced Justin Bieber, Diplo, and Skrillex
* Sam Smith presented Best New Artist
* Ed Sheeran – introduced Lady Gaga
* Bonnie Raitt – introduced Gary Clark, Jr. and Chris Stapleton
* LL Cool J – introduced Alabama Shakes
* Dave Grohl – introduced Hollywood Vampires
* Common and Neil Portnow – introduced Joey Alexander and In Memoriam and spoke about music streaming and various NARAS initiatives
* Earth, Wind & Fire – presented Album of the Year
* Beyoncé – presented Record of the Year

## Nominees and winners

Note: Winners are listed in bold.

### General

Record of the Year
* "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
** Jeff Bhasker, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars & Mark Ronson, producers; Josh Blair, Riccardo Damian, Serban Ghenea, Wayne Gordon, John Hanes, Inaam Haq, Boo Mitchell, Charles Moniz & Mark Ronson, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer
* "Really Love" – D'Angelo and the Vanguard
** D'Angelo & Brent Fischer, producers; Russell Elevado, Ben Kane & Rafa Sardina, engineers/mixers; Dave Collins, mastering engineer
* "Thinking Out Loud" – Ed Sheeran
** Jake Gosling, producer; Jake Gosling, Mark 'Spike' Stent & Geoff Swan, engineers/mixers; Stuart Hawkes, mastering engineer
* "Blank Space" – Taylor Swift
** Max Martin & Shellback, producers; Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, Sam Holland & Michael Ilbert, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer
* "Can't Feel My Face" – The Weeknd
** Max Martin & Ali Payami, producers; Serban Ghenea, John Hanes & Sam Holland, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer
Album of the Year
* 1989 – Taylor Swift
** Jack Antonoff, Nathan Chapman, Imogen Heap, Max Martin, Mattman & Robin, Ali Payami, Shellback, Taylor Swift, Ryan Tedder & Noel Zancanella, producers; Jack Antonoff, Mattias Bylund, Smith Carlson, Nathan Chapman, Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, Imogen Heap, Sam Holland, Michael Ilbert, Brendan Morawski, Laura Sisk & Ryan Tedder, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer
* Sound & Color – Alabama Shakes
** Alabama Shakes & Blake Mills, producers; Shawn Everett, engineer/mixer; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer
* To Pimp a Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar
** Bilal, George Clinton, James Fauntleroy, Ronald Isley, Rapsody, Snoop Dogg, Thundercat & Anna Wise, featured artists; Taz Arnold, Boi-1Da, Ronald Colson, Larrance Dopson, Flying Lotus, Fredrik "Tommy Black" Halldin, Knxwledge, Koz, Lovedragon, Terrace Martin, Rahki, Sounwave, Tae Beast, Thundercat, Whoarei & Pharrell Williams, producers; Derek "Mixedbyali" Ali, Thomas Burns, Andrew Coleman, Hart Gunther, James "The White Black Man" Hunt, Mike Larson, 9th Wonder & Matt Schaeffer, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
* Traveller – Chris Stapleton
** Dave Cobb & Chris Stapleton, producers; Vance Powell, engineer/mixer; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer
* Beauty Behind the Madness – The Weeknd
** Lana Del Rey, Labrinth & Ed Sheeran, featured artists; DannyBoyStyles, Mike Dean, Ben Diehl, Labrinth, Mano, Max Martin, Stephan Moccio, Carlo Montagnese, Ali Payami, The Pope, Jason Quenneville, Peter Svensson, Abel Tesfaye & Kanye West, producers; Jay Paul Bicknell, Mattias Bylund, Serban Ghenea, Noah Goldstein, John Hanes, Sam Holland, Jean Marie Horvat, Carlo Montagnese, Jason Quenneville & Dave Reitzas, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne & Dave Kutch, mastering engineers
Song of the Year
* "Thinking Out Loud"
** Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge, songwriters (Ed Sheeran)
* "Alright"
** Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Anthony Spears & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
* "Blank Space"
** Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
* "Girl Crush"
** Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters (Little Big Town)
* "See You Again"
** Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charlie Puth & Cameron Thomaz, songwriters (Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth)
Best New Artist
* Meghan Trainor
* Courtney Barnett
* James Bay
* Sam Hunt
* Tori Kelly

### Pop
#### Best Pop Solo Performance

* "Thinking Out Loud" – Ed Sheeran
* "Heartbeat Song" – Kelly Clarkson
* "Love Me Like You Do" – Ellie Goulding
* "Blank Space" – Taylor Swift
* "Can't Feel My Face" – The Weeknd

#### Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

* "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
* "Ship to Wreck" – Florence + The Machine
* "Sugar" – Maroon 5
* "Bad Blood" – Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
* "See You Again" – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth

#### Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

* The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern – Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap
* Shadows in the Night – Bob Dylan
* Stages – Josh Groban
* No One Ever Tells You – Seth MacFarlane
* My Dream Duets – Barry Manilow (& Various Artists)

#### Best Pop Vocal Album

* 1989 – Taylor Swift
* Piece by Piece – Kelly Clarkson
* How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful – Florence and the Machine
* Before This World – James Taylor
* Uptown Special – Mark Ronson

### Dance/Electronic

Best Dance Recording
* "Where Are Ü Now" – Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber
** Sonny Moore & Thomas Pentz, producers; Sonny Moore & Thomas Pentz, mixers
* "We're All We Need" – Above & Beyond featuring Zoë Johnston
** Andrew Bayer, Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness & Paavo Siljamäki, producers; Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness & Paavo Siljamäki, mixers
* "Go" – The Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip
** Tom Rowlands & Ed Simons, producers; Steve Dub Jones & Tom Rowlands, mixers
* "Never Catch Me" – Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar
** Steven Ellison, producer; Kevin Marques Moo, mixer
* "Runaway (U & I)" – Galantis
** Linus Eklöw, Christian Karlsson & Svidden, producers; Linus Eklöw, Niklas Flyckt & Christian Karlsson, mixers
Best Dance/Electronic Album
* Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü – Skrillex and Diplo
* Our Love – Caribou
* Born in the Echoes – The Chemical Brothers
* Caracal – Disclosure
* In Colour – Jamie xx

### Contemporary Instrumental

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
* Sylva – Snarky Puppy & Metropole Orkest
* Guitar in the Space Age! – Bill Frisell
* Love Language – Wouter Kellerman
* Afrodeezia – Marcus Miller
* The Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter IV – Kirk Whalum

### Rock

Best Rock Performance
* "Don't Wanna Fight" – Alabama Shakes
* "What Kind of Man" – Florence + The Machine
* "Something from Nothing" – Foo Fighters
* "Ex's & Oh's" – Elle King
* "Moaning Lisa Smile" – Wolf Alice

#### Best Metal Performance

* "Cirice" – Ghost
* "Identity" – August Burns Red
* "512" – Lamb of God
* "Thank You" – Sevendust
* "Custer" – Slipknot
Best Rock Song
* "Don't Wanna Fight"
** Alabama Shakes, songwriters (Alabama Shakes)
* "Ex's & Oh's"
** Dave Bassett & Elle King, songwriters (Elle King)
* "Hold Back the River"
** Iain Archer & James Bay, songwriters (James Bay)
* "Lydia"
** Richard Meyer, Ryan Meyer & Johnny Stevens, songwriters (Highly Suspect)
* "What Kind of Man"
** John Hill, Tom Hull & Florence Welch, songwriters (Florence + The Machine)
Best Rock Album
* Drones – Muse
* Chaos and the Calm – James Bay
* Kintsugi – Death Cab for Cutie
* Mister Asylum – Highly Suspect
* .5: The Gray Chapter – Slipknot

### Alternative

Best Alternative Music Album
* Sound & Color – Alabama Shakes
* Vulnicura – Björk
* The Waterfall – My Morning Jacket
* Currents – Tame Impala
* Star Wars – Wilco

### R&B

Best R&B Performance
* "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)" – The Weeknd
* "If I Don't Have You" – Tamar Braxton
* "Rise Up" – Andra Day
* "Breathing Underwater" – Hiatus Kaiyote
* "Planez" – Jeremih featuring J. Cole
Best Traditional R&B Performance
* "Little Ghetto Boy" – Lalah Hathaway
* "He Is" – Faith Evans
* "Let It Burn" – Jazmine Sullivan
* "Shame" – Tyrese
* "My Favorite Part of You" – Charlie Wilson
Best R&B Song
* "Really Love"
** D'Angelo, Gina Figueroa & Kendra Foster, songwriters (D'Angelo and The Vanguard)
* "Coffee"
** Brook Davis & Miguel Pimentel, songwriters (Miguel)
* "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)"
** Ahmad Balshe, Stephan Moccio, Jason Quenneville & Abel Tesfaye, songwriters (The Weeknd)
* "Let It Burn"
** Kenny B. Edmonds, Jazmine Sullivan & Dwane M. Weir II, songwriters (Jazmine Sullivan)
* "Shame"
** Warryn Campbell, Tyrese Gibson & D.J. Rogers Jr, songwriters (Tyrese)
Best Urban Contemporary Album
* Beauty Behind the Madness – The Weeknd
* Ego Death – The Internet
* You Should Be Here – Kehlani
* Blood – Lianne La Havas
* Wildheart – Miguel
Best R&B Album
* Black Messiah – D'Angelo and The Vanguard
* Coming Home – Leon Bridges
* Cheers to the Fall – Andra Day
* Reality Show – Jazmine Sullivan
* Forever Charlie – Charlie Wilson

### Rap

Best Rap Performance
* "Alright" – Kendrick Lamar
* "Apparently" – J. Cole
* "Back to Back" – Drake
* "Trap Queen" – Fetty Wap
* "Truffle Butter" – Nicki Minaj featuring Drake & Lil Wayne
* "All Day" – Kanye West featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
* "These Walls" – Kendrick Lamar featuring Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat
* "One Man Can Change The World" – Big Sean featuring Kanye West & John Legend
* "Glory" – Common & John Legend
* "Classic Man" – Jidenna featuring Roman GianArthur
* "Only" – Nicki Minaj featuring Drake, Lil Wayne & Chris Brown
Best Rap Song
* "Alright"
** Kendrick Duckworth, Kawan Prather, Mark Anthony Spears & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
* "All Day"
** Ernest Brown, Tyler Bryant, Sean Combs, Mike Dean, Rennard East, Noah Goldstein, Malik Yusef Jones, Karim Kharbouch, Allan Kyariga, Kendrick Lamar, Paul McCartney, Victor Mensah, Charles Njapa, Che Pope, Patrick Reynolds, Allen Ritter, Kanye West, Mario Winans & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney)
* "Energy"
** Richard Dorfmeister, A. Graham, Markus Kienzl, M. O'Brien, M. Samuels & Phillip Thomas, songwriters (Drake)
* "Glory"
** Lonnie Lynn, Che Smith & John Stephens, songwriters (Common & John Legend)
* "Trap Queen"
** Tony Fadd & Willie J. Maxwell, songwriters (Fetty Wap)
Best Rap Album
* To Pimp a Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar
* 2014 Forest Hills Drive – J. Cole
* Compton – Dr. Dre
* If You're Reading This It's Too Late – Drake
* The Pinkprint – Nicki Minaj

### Country

Best Country Solo Performance
* "Traveller" – Chris Stapleton
* "Burning House" – Cam
* "Little Toy Guns" – Carrie Underwood
* "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" – Keith Urban
* "Chances Are" – Lee Ann Womack
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
* "Girl Crush" – Little Big Town
* "Stay a Little Longer" – Brothers Osborne
* "If I Needed You" – Joey + Rory
* "The Driver" – Charles Kelley featuring Dierks Bentley & Eric Paslay
* "Lonely Tonight" – Blake Shelton featuring Ashley Monroe
Best Country Song
* "Girl Crush"
** Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters (Little Big Town)
* "Chances Are"
** Hayes Carll, songwriters (Lee Ann Womack)
* "Diamond Rings and Old Barstools"
** Barry Dean, Luke Laird & Jonathan Singleton, songwriters (Tim McGraw)
* "Hold My Hand"
** Brandy Clark & Mark Stephen Jones, songwriters (Brandy Clark)
* "Traveller"
** Chris Stapleton, songwriter (Chris Stapleton)
Best Country Album
* Traveller – Chris Stapleton
* Montevallo – Sam Hunt
* Pain Killer – Little Big Town
* The Blade – Ashley Monroe
* Pageant Material – Kacey Musgraves

### New Age

Best New Age Album
* Grace – Paul Avgerinos
* Bhakti without Borders – Madi Das
* Voyager – Catherine Duc
* Love – Peter Kater
* Asia Beauty – Ron Korb

### Jazz

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
* "Cherokee" – Christian McBride, soloist
* "Giant Steps" – Joey Alexander, soloist
* "Arbiters of Evolution" – Donny McCaslin, soloist
* "Friend or Foe" – Joshua Redman, soloist
* "Past Present" – John Scofield, soloist
Best Jazz Vocal Album
* For One to Love – Cécile McLorin Salvant
* Many a New Day: Karrin Allyson Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein – Karrin Allyson
* Find a Heart – Denise Donatelli
* Flirting with Disaster – Lorraine Feather
* Jamison – Jamison Ross
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
* Past Present – John Scofield
* My Favorite Things – Joey Alexander
* Breathless – Terence Blanchard featuring The E-Collective
* Covered: Recorded Live at Capitol Studios – Robert Glasper & The Robert Glasper Trio
* Beautiful Life – Jimmy Greene
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
* The Thompson Fields – Maria Schneider Orchestra
* Lines of Color – Gil Evans Project
* Köln – Marshall Gilkes and WDR Big Band
* Cuba: The Conversation Continues – Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
* Home Suite Home – Patrick Williams
Best Latin Jazz Album
* Made in Brazil – Eliane Elias
* Impromptu – The Rodriguez Brothers
* Suite Caminos – Gonzalo Rubalcaba
* Intercambio – Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet
* Identities are Changeable – Miguel Zenón

### Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music

Best Gospel Performance/Song
* "Wanna Be Happy?" – Kirk Franklin
** Kirk Franklin, songwriter
* "Worth [Live]" – Anthony Brown & Group Therapy
** Anthony Brown, songwriter
* "Intentional" – Travis Greene
** Travis Greene, songwriter
* "How Awesome Is Our God [Live]" – Israel & Newbreed featuring Yolanda Adams
** Neville Diedericks, Israel Houghton & Meleasa Houghton, songwriters
* "Worth Fighting For [Live]" – Brian Courtney Wilson
** Aaron Lindsey & Brian Courtney Wilson, songwriters
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
* "Holy Spirit" – Francesca Battistelli
** Bryan Torwalt & Katie Torwalt, songwriters
* "Lift Your Head Weary Sinner (Chains)" – Crowder
** Ed Cash, David Crowder & Seth Philpott, songwriters
* "Because He Lives (Amen)" – Matt Maher
** Daniel Carson, Ed Cash, Jason Ingram, Matt Maher & Chris Tomlin, songwriters
* "Soul on Fire" – Third Day featuring All Sons & Daughters
** Tai Anderson, Brenton Brown, David Carr, Mark Lee, Matt Maher & Mac Powell, songwriters
* "Feel It" – TobyMac featuring Mr. Talkbox
** Cary Barlowe, David Arthur Garcia & Toby McKeehan, songwriters
Best Gospel Album
* Covered: Alive in Asia [Live] (Deluxe) – Israel & Newbreed
* Destined to Win [Live] – Karen Clark Sheard
* Living It – Dorinda Clark-Cole
* One Place Live – Tasha Cobbs
* Life Music: Stage Two – Jonathan McReynolds
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
* This Is Not a Test – TobyMac
* Whatever the Road – Jason Crabb
* How Can It Be – Lauren Daigle
* Saints and Sinners – Matt Maher
* Love Ran Red – Chris Tomlin
Best Roots Gospel Album
* Still Rockin' My Soul – The Fairfield Four
* Pray Now – Karen Peck and New River
* Directions Home (Songs We Love, Songs You Know) – Point of Grace

### Latin

Best Latin Pop Album
* A Quien Quiera Escuchar (Deluxe Edition) – Ricky Martin
* Terral – Pablo Alborán
* Healer – Alex Cuba
* Sirope – Alejandro Sanz
* Algo Sucede – Julieta Venegas
Best Latin Rock Urban or Alternative Album
* Dale – Pitbull
* Hasta la Raíz – Natalia Lafourcade
* Amanecer – Bomba Estéreo
* Mondongo – La Cuneta Son Machín
* Caja de Música – Monsieur Periné
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
* Realidades – Deluxe Edition – Los Tigres del Norte
* Mi Vicio Más Grande – Banda El Recodo De Don Cruz Lizárraga
* Ya Dime Adiós – La Maquinaria Norteña
* Zapateando – Los Cojolites
* Tradición, Arte y Pasión – Mariachi Los Camperos De Nati Cano
Best Tropical Latin Album
* Son de Panamá – Rubén Blades with Roberto Delgado & Orquesta
* Tributo a Los Compadres: No Quiero Llanto – José Alberto "El Canario" & Septeto Santiaguero
* Presente Continuo – Guaco
* Todo Tiene Su Hora – Juan Luis Guerra 4.40
* Que Suenen los Tambores – Victor Manuelle

### American Roots

Best American Roots Performance
* "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" – Mavis Staples
* "And Am I Born to Die" – Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
* "Born to Play Guitar" – Buddy Guy
* "City of Our Lady" – The Milk Carton Kids
* "Julep" – Punch Brothers
Best American Roots Song
* "24 Frames"
** Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell)
* "All Night Long"
** Raul Malo, songwriter (The Mavericks)
* "The Cost of Living"
** Don Henley & Stan Lynch, songwriters (Don Henley & Merle Haggard)
* "Julep"
** Chris Eldridge, Paul Kowert, Noam Pikelny, Chris Thile & Gabe Witcher, songwriters (Punch Brothers)
* "The Traveling Kind"
** Cory Chisel, Rodney Crowell & Emmylou Harris, songwriters (Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell)
Best Americana Album
* Something More Than Free – Jason Isbell
* The Firewatcher's Daughter – Brandi Carlile
* The Traveling Kind – Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
* Mono – The Mavericks
* The Phosphorescent Blues – Punch Brothers
Best Bluegrass Album
* The Muscle Shoals Recordings – The SteelDrivers
* Pocket Full of Keys – Dale Ann Bradley
* Before the Sun Goes Down – Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley
* In Session – Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
* Man of Constant Sorrow – Ralph Stanley and friends
Best Blues Album
* Born to Play Guitar – Buddy Guy
* Descendants of Hill Country – Cedric Burnside Project
* Outskirts of Love – Shemekia Copeland
* Worthy – Bettye LaVette
* Muddy Waters 100 – John Primer and various artists
Best Folk Album
* Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn – Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn
* Wood, Wire & Words – Norman Blake
* Tomorrow Is My Turn – Rhiannon Giddens
* Servant of Love – Patty Griffin
* Didn't He Ramble – Glen Hansard
Best Regional Music Album
* Go Go Juice – Jon Cleary
* La La La La – Natalie Ai Kamauu
* Kawaiokalena – Kealiʻi Reichel
* Get Ready – The Revelers
* Generations – Windwalker and the MCW

### Reggae

Best Reggae Album
* Strictly Roots – Morgan Heritage
* Branches of the Same Tree – Rocky Dawuni
* The Cure – Jah Cure
* Acousticalevy – Barrington Levy
* Zion Awake – Luciano

### World Music

Best World Music Album
* Sings – Angélique Kidjo
* Gilbertos Samba Ao Vivo – Gilberto Gil
* Music from Inala – Ladysmith Black Mambazo with Ella Spira and The Inala Ensemble
* Home – Anoushka Shankar
* I Have No Everything Here – Zomba Prison Project

### Children's

Best Children's Album
* Home – Tim Kubart
* ¡Come Bien! Eat Right! – José-Luis Orozco
* Dark Pie Concerns – Gustafer Yellowgold
* How Great Can This Day Be – Lori Henriques
* Trees – Molly Ledford & Billy Kelly

### Spoken Word

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books and Storytelling)
* A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety – Jimmy Carter
* Blood on Snow (Jo Nesbø) – Patti Smith
* Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks – Dick Cavett
* Patience and Sarah (Isabel Miller) – Janis Ian & Jean Smart
* Yes Please – Amy Poehler (& Various Artists)

### Comedy

Best Comedy Album
* Live at Madison Square Garden – Louis C.K.
* Back to the Drawing Board – Lisa Lampanelli
* Brooklyn – Wyatt Cenac
* Happy. And a Lot. – Jay Mohr
* Just Being Honest – Craig Ferguson

### Musical Theatre

Best Musical Theater Album
* Hamilton – Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom, Jr., Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos & Phillipa Soo, principal soloists; Alex Lacamoire, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bill Sherman, Ahmir Thompson & Tariq Trotter, producers; Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)
* An American In Paris – Leanne Cope, Max Von Essen, Robert Fairchild, Jill Paice & Brandon Uranowitz, principal soloists; Rob Fisher & Scott Lehrer, producers (George Gershwin, composer; Ira Gershwin, lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)
* Fun Home – Michael Cerveris, Judy Kuhn, Sydney Lucas, Beth Malone & Emily Skeggs, principal soloists; Philip Chaffin & Tommy Krasker, producers (Jeanine Tesori, composer; Lisa Kron, lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)
* The King and I – Ruthie Ann Miles, Kelli O'Hara, Ashley Park, Conrad Ricamora & Ken Watanabe, principal soloists; David Caddick, David Lai & Ted Sperling, producers (Richard Rodgers, composer; Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist) (2015 Broadway Cast)
* Something Rotten! – Heidi Blickenstaff, Christian Borle, John Cariani, Brian d'Arcy James, Brad Oscar & Kate Reinders, principal soloists; Kurt Deutsch, Karey Kirkpatrick, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Lawrence Manchester, Kevin McCollum & Phil Reno, producers; Karey Kirkpatrick & Wayne Kirkpatrick, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)

### Music for Visual Media

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
* Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me – various artists
** Julian Raymond, compilation producer
* Empire: Season 1 – various artists
** Timbaland & Jim Beanz, compilation producers
* Fifty Shades of Grey – various artists
** Mike Knobloch & Dana Sano, compilation producers
* Pitch Perfect 2 – various artists
** Julianne Jordan, Harvey Mason Jr. & Julia Michels, compilation producers
* Selma – various artists
** Ava DuVernay, compilation producer
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
* Birdman – Antonio Sánchez, composer
* The Imitation Game – Alexandre Desplat, composer
* Interstellar – Hans Zimmer, composer
* The Theory of Everything – Jóhann Jóhannsson, composer
* Whiplash – Justin Hurwitz, composer
Best Song Written for Visual Media
* "Glory" (from Selma) – Lonnie Lynn, Che Smith & John Stephens, songwriters (Common & John Legend)
* "Earned It" (from Fifty Shades of Grey) – Ahmad Balshe, Jason Quenneville, Stephan Moccio & Abel Tesfaye, songwriters (The Weeknd)
* "Love Me like You Do" (from Fifty Shades of Grey) – Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Tove Nilsson, Ali Payami, & Ilya Salmanzadeh, songwriters (Ellie Goulding)
* "See You Again" (from Furious 7) – Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth & Cameron Thomaz, songwriters (Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth)
* "Til It Happens to You" (from The Hunting Ground) – Lady Gaga & Diane Warren, songwriters (Lady Gaga)

### Composing

Best Instrumental Composition
* "The Afro Latin Jazz Suite"
** Arturo O'Farrill, composer (Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra featuring Rudresh Mahanthappa)
* "Civil War"
** Bob Mintzer, composer (Bob Mintzer Big Band)
* "Confetti Man"
** David Balakrishnan, composer (Turtle Island Quartet)
* "Neil"
** Rich DeRosa, composer (University of North Texas College of Music, One O'Clock Lab Band)
* "Vesper"
** Marshall Gilkes, composer (Marshall Gilkes & WDR Big Band)

### Arranging

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
* "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"
** Ben Bram, Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Avi Kaplan, Kirstie Maldonado and Kevin Olusola, arrangers (Pentatonix)
* "Bruno Mars"
** Paul Allen, Troy Hayes, Evin Martin & J Moss, arrangers (Vocally Challenged)
* "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
** Armand Hutton, arranger (Committed)
* "Ghost of a Chance"
** Bob James, arranger (Bob James & Nathan East)
* "You and the Night and the Music"
** John Fedchock, arranger (John Fedchock New York Big Band)
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
* "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)"
** Maria Schneider, arranger (David Bowie)
* "Be My Muse"
** Shelly Berg, arranger (Lorraine Feather)
* "52nd & Broadway"
** Patrick Williams, arranger (Patrick Williams featuring Patti Austin)
* "Garota de Ipanema"
** Otmaro Ruiz, arranger (Catina DeLuna featuring Otmaro Ruiz)
* "When I Come Home"
** Jimmy Greene, arranger (Jimmy Greene with Javier Colon)

### Packaging

Best Recording Package
* Still the King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
** Sarah Dodds, Shauna Dodds & Dick Reeves, art directors (Asleep at the Wheel)
* Alagoas
** Alex Trochut, art director (Alagoas)
* Bush
** Anita Marisa Boriboon & Phi Hollinger, art directors (Snoop Dogg)
* How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (Deluxe Edition)
** Brian Roettinger, art director (Florence + The Machine)
* My Happiness
** Nathanio Strimpopulos & Jack White, art directors (Elvis Presley)
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
* The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records, Volume Two (1928–32)
** Susan Archie, Dean Blackwood & Jack White, art directors (Various Artists)
* Beneath the Skin (Deluxe Box Set)
** Leif Podhajsky, art director (Of Monsters and Men)
* I Love You, Honeybear (Limited Edition Deluxe Vinyl)
** Sasha Barr & Josh Tillman, art directors (Father John Misty)
* Sticky Fingers (Super Deluxe Edition)
** Stephen Kennedy & James Tilley, art directors (The Rolling Stones)
* 30 Trips Around the Sun
** Doran Tyson & Steve Vance, art directors (Grateful Dead)
* What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World (Deluxe Box Set)
** Carson Ellis, Jeri Heiden & Glen Nakasako, art directors (The Decemberists)