Grammy Awards 2017: Beyoncé slays the nominations

With Rihanna, Drake and Kanye not far behind

The nominees for Grammy Awards 2017 were announced on Tuesday, 6 December, and guess who’s received nine nods, making her the most nominated female artist in history? We don’t call her Queen B for nothing, yep it’s Beyoncé.

Bey has been nominated 62 times in her career, and has already won 20 awards. If she wins a minimum of eight awards at this year's awards ceremony, she’ll surpass Alison Krauss as the most-honoured woman in Grammy history.

Lemonade, Bey’s ground-breaking visual album which was released in April of this year, dominates the awards with nine nominations, including album, song and record of the year. In each of these three top categories she will square off against Adele, who has been nominated five times.

The competition will be tight between these incredible female vocalists, as Lemonade goes up against Adele’s album 25 (which sold more than 10 million copies in under a year), and Formation is pitted against Adele’s Hello for both record and song of the year.

Taking place on February 12 in Los Angeles, other noteworthy nominees for the 59th annual Grammy Awards include Rihanna, Kanye West and Drake, with eight nods each. Of course, with 84 categories in all, the Grammys are always about far more than just the biggest names. Check out the Grammy Awards 2017 nominees in the top categories below:

Album of the year: 25 — Adele Lemonade — Beyoncé Purpose — Justin Bieber Views — Drake A Sailor's Guide to Earth — Sturgill Simpson

Record of the year: Hello — Adele Formation — Beyoncé 7 Years — Lukas Graham Work — Rihanna featuring Drake Stressed Out — Twenty One Pilots

Song of the year: Formation — Beyoncé Hello — Adele I Took a Pill In Ibiza — Mike Posner Love Yourself — Justin Bieber 7 Years — Lukas Graham

Best new artist: Kelsea Ballerini The Chainsmokers Chance the Rapper Maren Morris Anderson .Paak

Best pop vocal album: 25 — Adele Purpose — Justin Bieber Dangerous Woman — Ariana Grande Confident Demi Lovato This Is Acting — Sia

Best pop solo performance: Hello — Adele Hold Up — Beyoncé Love Yourself — Justin Bieber Piece by Piece — Kelly Clarkson Dangerous Woman — Ariana Grande

Best rock album: California — Blink-182 Tell Me I'm Pretty — Cage the Elephant Magma — Gojira Death of a Bachelor — Panic! at the Disco Weezer — Weezer

Best alternative music album: 22, a Million — Bon Iver Blackstar — David Bowie The Hope Six Demolition Project — PJ Harvey Post Pop Depression — Iggy Pop A Moon Shaped Pool — Radiohead

Best urban contemporary album: Lemonade — Beyoncé Ology — Gallant We Are King — King Malibu — Anderson .Paak Anti — Rihanna

Best rap performance: No Problem — Chance the Rapper featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz Panda — Desiigner Pop Style — Drake Featuring the Throne All the Way Up — Fat Joe & Remy Ma featuring French Montana & Infared That Part — Schoolboy Q featuring Kanye West

Best country solo performance: Love Can Go to Hell — Brandy Clark Vice — Miranda Lambert My Church — Maren Morris Church Bells — Carrie Underwood Blue Ain't Your Color — Keith Urban

Best spoken word album (includes poetry, audio books & storytelling): The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo — Amy Schumer In Such Good Company: Eleven Years Of Laughter, Mayhem, And Fun In the Sandbox — Carol Burnett M Train — Patti Smith Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History Of L.A. Punk (John Doe With Tom DeSavia) — (Various Artists) Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink — Elvis Costello

Best song written for visual media: Can't Stop the Feeling! — Trolls Heathens — Suicide Squad Just Like Fire — Alice Through the Looking Glass Purple Lamborghini — Suicide Squad Try Everything — Zootopia The Veil — Snowden

Best music video: Formation — Beyoncé River — Leon Bridges Up & Up — Coldplay Gosh — Jamie XX Upside Down & Inside Out — OK Go

Best pop duo/group performance: Closer — The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey 7 Years — Lukas Graham Work — Rihanna featuring Drake Cheap Thrills — Sia Featuring Sean Paul Stressed Out — Twenty One Pilots Culcha Vulcha — Snarky Puppy

Best rock performance: Joe (Live From Austin City Limits) — Alabama Shakes Don't Hurt Yourself — Beyoncé featuring Jack White Blackstar — David Bowie The Sound of Silence (Live On Conan) — Disturbed Heathens — Twenty One Pilots

Best rock song: Blackstar — David Bowie Burn the Witch — Radiohead Hardwired — Metallica Heathens — Twenty One Pilots My Name Is Human — Highly Suspect

Best rock album: California — Blink-182 Tell Me I'm Pretty — Cage the Elephant Magma — Gojira Death of a Bachelor — Panic! at the Disco Weezer — Weezer

Best alternative music album: 22, a Million — Bon Iver Blackstar — David Bowie The Hope Six Demolition Project — PJ Harvey Post Pop Depression — Iggy Pop A Moon Shaped Pool — Radiohead

Best R&B performance: Turnin' Me Up — BJ the Chicago Kid Permission — Ro James I Do — Musiq Soulchild Needed Me — Rihanna Cranes In the Sky — Solange

Best R&B song: Come See Me — PartyNextDoor featuring Drake Exchange — Bryson Tiller Kiss It Better — Rihanna Lake by the Ocean — Maxwell Luv — Tory Lanez

Best urban contemporary album: Lemonade — Beyoncé Ology — Gallant We Are King — King Malibu — Anderson .Paak Anti — Rihanna

Best rap song: All the Way Up — Fat Joe & Remy Ma featuring French Montana & Infrared Famous — Kanye West featuring Rihanna Hotline Bling — Drake No Problem — Chance the Rapper featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz Ultralight Beam — Kanye West featuring Chance the Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & the-Dream

Best rap album: Coloring Book — Chance the Rapper And the Anonymous Nobody — De La Soul Major Key — DJ Khaled Views — Drake Blank Face LP — Schoolboy Q The Life of Pablo — Kanye West

Best country song: Blue Ain't Your Color — Keith Urban Die a Happy Man — Thomas Rhett Humble and Kind — Tim McGraw My Church — Maren Morris Vice — Miranda Lambert

Best country album: Big Day In a Small Town — Brandy Clark Full Circle — Loretta Lynn Hero — Maren Morris A Sailor's Guide to Earth — Sturgill Simpson Ripcord — Keith Urban

Best comedy album: … America … Great … — David Cross American Myth— Margaret Cho Boyish Girl Interrupted — Tig Notaro Live at the Apollo — Amy Schumer Talking For Clapping — Patton Oswalt

Best music video: Formation — Beyoncé River — Leon Bridges Up & Up — Coldplay Gosh — Jamie XX Upside Down & Inside Out — OK Go

Best music film: I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: Steve Aoki — Justin Krook The Beatles: Eight Days a Week the Touring Years — Ron Howard Lemonade — Beyoncé Knowles Carter & Kahlil Joseph The Music of Strangers — Yo-Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble Morgan Neville American Saturday Night: Live From the Grand Ole Opry — George J. Flanigen IV