GRAMMY Nominations

It's that time of year again. The best of the best singers of the year fight to claim the top prize for a musician- a Grammy. The nominations, hosted by country superstar Taylor Swift and rapper LL Cool J was a night to be remembered.

This year, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Frank Ocean, Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Mumford & Sons and fun. all are tied for the most nominations with a total of five each. For West and Jay, this is routine as they usually lead the pack, almost always receiving nods for best rapper, album and song. New indie rock group fun. was a surprise. "When you call your band fun. with a period at the end of the sentence, you set a very high standard for yourself and for fun itself," Swift notes. "Fortunately this band from New York has lived up to the name in the best possible way."

R&B singer Frank Ocean appeared on the scene when he admitted he had a same-sex relationship in the notes of his new album channel ORANGE. But, despite making headlines for what some call, the wrong news, Ocean has great vocals.

There were a few snubs, as always. British pop sensation One Direction failed to earn a nomination for New Artist, despite their huge success. Justin Bieber also didn't receive a nod for his new album. But besides a few surprises, most nominations were to be expected. Carly Rae Jepsen' "Call Me Maybe" was nominated for Song of the Year. Other songs in that category included Ed Sheeran's "The A Team," Miguel's "Adorn," Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" and fun.'s "We Are Young."

Record of the year nominees were "Lonely Boy" by The Black Keys, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by Clarkson, "We Are Young" by fun., "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra, "Think Bout You" by Ocean and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift.
 The 55th Annual Grammys will be held on Feb. 10, 2013.