A Grammy Award (originally called Gramophone Award), or Grammy, is an honor awarded by The Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the mainly English-language music industry.
Beyonce and Adele lead the 2017 Grammy nominations, with nominations in three of the four main categories.
The stars will compete for best album, as Adele’s heartfelt 25 goes up against Beyonce’s feminist opus Lemonade.
They face competition in that category from Justin Bieber, Drake and country star Sturgill Simpson.
British star David Bowie missed out on a nomination for his final album, Blackstar, although he is up for best alternative album.
If Adele wins, she will become only the second woman to receive the best album prize twice, after Taylor Swift.
Beyonce and Adele also face each other in the record of the year category and song of the year categories, where they are cited for Formation and Hello respectively.
Record of the year recognises the whole recording – including the artist and musicians’ performances, alongside producers and engineers. Song of the year is given to the writers exclusively.
In total, Beyonce received nine nominations for Lemonade, an ambitious visual album that tackles themes of race, feminism and empowerment.
It means she extends her lead as the most-nominated woman in Grammys history, with a total of 62 nominations across her work as a solo artist and as part of Destiny’s Child.
She has won 20 Grammys altogether, although she has yet to clinch the main prize – album of the year – having been beaten to the title by Beck in 2015, much to the disgust of Kanye West, who stormed the stage in protest.
Chicago-born musician Chance The Rapper also makes Grammy history by receiving seven nominations, including best new artist, for his album Coloring Book – which has never been released as a physical CD or digital download. The album is now the first streaming-only record to be recognised by the academy.
Other notable nominees include Drake, who scored eight nominations including album of the year for Views, best rap performance for Hotline Bling, and record of the year for Work, his collaboration with Rihanna.
Prince received a nod for his final album Hit N Run Phase Two in the best engineered, non-classical category, alongside David Bowie’s Blackstar.
Main nominations
Album Of The Year
Adele – 25
Beyonce – Lemonade
Justin Bieber – Purpose
Drake – Views
Sturgill Simpson – A Sailor’s Guide To Earth
Record Of The Year
Adele – Hello
Beyonce – Formation
Lukas Graham – 7 Years
Rihanna ft Drake – Work
Twenty One Pilots – Stressed Out
Song Of The Year
Adele – Hello
Beyonce – Formation
Justin Bieber – Love Yourself
Lukas Graham – 7 Years
Mike Posner – I Took A Pill In Ibiza
Best New Artist
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
Chance The Rapper
Maren Morris
Anderson .Paak
British star James Corden will host the 2017 Grammy Awards, which take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, 12 February.