SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2017 The top nominees at the Grammy Awards eyonce leads the nominations for Lukas Graham, “7 Years.” Songwriters are Sunday’s Grammy Awards with band frontman Lukas Forchhammer and Bnods in nine categories, including keyboardist Morten Ristorp along with three of the most prestigious. More than producer Stefan Forrest and composer 13,000 music professionals in the Morten Pilegaard Recording Academy vote to determine Mike Posner, “I Took a Pill in Ibiza.” No winners of the Grammys, to be additional songwriters announced in a televised gala in Los Angeles. Here is a list of nominees in the Best New Artist: most prominent categories: Kelsea Ballerini The Chainsmokers Album Of The Year: Chance the Rapper Adele, “25” Maren Morris Beyonce, “Lemonade” Anderson .Paak Justin Bieber, “Purpose” Drake, “Views” Best Rap Album: Sturgill Simpson, “A Sailor’s Guide to Chance the Rapper, “Coloring Book” Earth” De La Soul, “And the Anonymous Nobody” Record Of The Year DJ Khaled, “Major Key” (for best overall song): Drake, “Views” Adele, “Hello” Schoolboy Q, “Blank Face LP” This file photo shows French heavy metal band Gojira performing on the second day of Beyonce, “Formation” Kanye West, “The Life of Pablo” the Rock in Rio music festival at the City of Rock park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. — AFP Lukas Graham, “7 Years” Rihanna featuring Drake, “Work” Best Rock Album: Twenty One Pilots, “Stressed Out” Blink-182, “California” Cage the Elephant, “Tell Me I’m Pretty” Song Of The Year (for songwriting): Gojira, “Magma” Gojira’s dark eco metal Adele, “Hello.” Songwriters Adele and Panic! At The Disco, “Death of a Bachelor” Greg Kurstin Weezer, “Weezer” Beyonce, “Formation.” Songwriters Beyonce along with Khalif Brown of rap Best Alternative Rock Album: finds unlikely Grammy glory duo Rae Sremmurd, Asheton Hogan and Bon Iver, “22, A Million” Mike Will Made It David Bowie, “Blackstar” Justin Bieber, “Love Yourself.” PJ Harvey, “The Hope Six Demolition fter two decades growling about the but I don’t want to just sing something mean- Songwriters Bieber along with English Project” planet’s impending environmental col- ingless,” he said. “People live without think- star Ed Sheeran and producer Benny Iggy Pop, “Post Pop Depression” Alapse, the French death metal band ing or feeling too much. Blanco Radiohead, “A Moon Shaped Pool” — AP Gojira has some surprise good news-the They go and buy meat in the store without music industry thinks they’re great. Gojira has thinking how it was produced, how it was been an unexpected success story ahead of killed, how much water was needed for that the Grammy Awards on Sunday. The band and what it’s doing to you,” he said. For has been nominated in two categories includ- Duplantier, too many people are caught up ing the coveted Best Rock Album for thinking about politicians and asking “what “Magma.” “We started playing pretty intense can this guy do for me.” “I don’t believe in thrash and death metal and I’ve been mostly politics anymore,” he said. “I believe in the growling for the last 20 years, so I wasn’t revolution, but the revolution needs to come expecting any kind of award,” Gojira’s 40- from each individual, from the inside.” year-old frontman and rhythm guitarist Joe Duplantier told AFP with a small laugh. Love of oceans “I never even thought of the concept of Duplantier’s environmental consciousness being nominated for the Grammys,” he said. came at an early age as he grew up on the Gojira-whose name is the Japanese for Atlantic Ocean near the southern city of Godzilla-edged a small step into the main- Bayonne. He recalled how his brother Mario- stream with “Magma.” Previously known for who is Gojira’s drummer-suffered an ear File photo raw, complex songs that built into dark cli- infection from swimming in polluted water. In shows Prince max, “Magma” is more accessible with chorus a youthful bit of activism, Joe Duplantier performs structures and Duplantier at times swapping gathered litter from the beach and scattered during the growls for clean vocals. The Grammys are not it on a parking lot, making local news. “I halftime show the only recognition for Gojira. Metal legends thought it was weird. People don’t mind at the Super Metallica, whom Duplantier counts as a key what’s on the beach but when it’s on the Bowl XLI influence, earlier tapped Gojira as an opening parking lot it’s a problem,” he said. football game act. Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett in a The Duplantiers’ mother was American at Dolphin recent interview with AFP said “Magma” was and the brothers have set up a studio in New Stadium in “incredible” and “the best thing I’ve heard in a York. Duplantier sings in English, which he Miami. — AP long time.” speaks at native level, but said his language choice was more practical than artistic. Humans as ‘parasites’ “If Spanish were the most common lan- While some metal bands sing of fantasy guage in the world, I would probably sing in lands, Gojira’s lyricism lies firmly in the real Spanish,” he said. “Magma” is Gojira’s sixth world. On the song “Silvera,” nominated for album and came more than four years after the Grammy for Best Metal Performance, its previous work, the ambitious existentialist Duplantier unleashes on animal agriculture, opus “L’Enfant Sauvage.” Between the singing: “Time to open your eyes to this geno- albums, the Duplantiers’ mother died. Joe cide / When you clear your mind, you see it Duplantier hesitated to speak of the episode, all.” Duplantier is vegan. But adding to his saying he did not want to appear to be using bleak outlook, he doubts how much he can her death as marketing, but said it brought File photo do as he believes the planet has far too many new darkness to “Magma.” shows British people. “I’m a part of it-I’m also a parasite to Duplantier said the Grammy glory would singer George the planet. I try to reduce my impact and it not affect Gojira, even if the band risked los- Michael in con- seems a drop in the ocean,” he said. ing fans if it again went in a more arcane cert to raise Duplantier is content if Gojira fans simply direction. “We’re super excited and surprised, money for bang their heads. But he is even happier if the but it’s not like God telling you you’re good AIDS charity music is “shaking people up in a good way.” and the others are not good,” he said. “It’s Sidaction, in “I love creating songs, I love performing, the Grammys.” — AFP Paris, France..