The nominations for the 66th annual Grammy Awards dropped earlier today, with Taylor Swift breaking the record for most nominations in the Song of The Year category this year, with “Anti-Hero” being her seventh. The 33-year-old took the record from music industry legends Paul McCartney and Lionel Richie, with whom she previously held the record alongside, at six nominations.
It seems that Swift has won every award going in just over 15 years in the spotlight, but the pop superstar still falls short of becoming the most-lauded musician at music’s biggest night. Even with 46 nominations and 12 wins to her name, there’s still some way to go to break that record.
Who holds the record for most Grammy nominations?
Husband and wife Beyoncé and Jay-Z hold the joint record for most Grammy nominations, at 88 each – not a bad matching Mr. & Mrs. set! If you want to get really technical about it, thirteen of Beyoncé’s nominations are as part of her former girl group, Destiny’s Child, but they are still very much hers, as a named nominee, and one as part of “The Carters,” which is a group consisting of her and Jay-Z.
This technicality means that Jay-Z holds the record for most Grammy nominations as a solo artist, at 85 — as he also has three nominations as part of The Carters. However, most people would generally agree that nominations are nominations, whether solo or as part of a group effort.
As for most Grammy nominations for one ceremony, this is another shared title. Michael Jackson and Babyface, at the 1984 and 1997 Grammy Awards, respectively, had 12 nominations each – though Jackson won 8 of his that night. For bands, U2 holds this record, with 22 wins and 46 nominations to their name. In the world of music composition and scoring, John Williams comes out on top, with 75 nominations.
Who holds the record for most Grammy wins?
As for the title of most Grammy wins, Beyoncé holds that record all by herself. Between 2000 and 2023, the 42-year-old has won an incredible 32 awards, both as a solo artist and in group nominations. Prior to this year, Hungarian-British composer and classical musician Georg Solti held the record, with 31 Grammy Awards, before his death in 1997. She broke this record during the last Grammy Awards back in February, when she won Best Electronic/Dance Album for her latest album, Renaissance. Watch the emotional moment below to see the historic win for the musical icon.
