Sam Smith, Taylor Swift lead early Grammy nominations

Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

1 of 2. Sam Smith performs 'I'm Not the Only One' during the 42nd American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California November 23, 2014.

Smith, 22, picked up five early nods including the top awards Record of the Year for his song 'Stay with Me' and the coveted Best New Artist award, alongside Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, British pop-rockers Bastille, country singer Brandy Clark and California sister trio Haim.

Record of the Year nominees also include Taylor Swift's 'Shake it Off,' Meghan Trainor's catchy summer anthem 'All About That Bass,' Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX's 'Fancy' and Sia's 'Chandelier.'

Smith also picked up nominations in Song of the Year, for 'Stay with Me,' and best Pop Vocal Album nod for 'In the Lonely Hour.' Song of the Year contenders also include Swift's 'Shake it Off,' Trainor's 'All About That Bass' and Sia's 'Chandelier,' alongside Hozier's 'Take Me to the Church.'

In an effort to draw younger viewers to the annual Grammys ceremony, which will be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2015, the Recording Academy chose to announce the nominees in 82 categories throughout Friday morning on its Twitter feed.

Some of the categories were announced by musicians and nominees Ed Sheeran and Pharrell Williams on CBS's 'The Morning Show.' The final Album of the Year category, the top Grammy, will be announced at a televised 'A Very Grammy Christmas' concert airing late Friday in CBS.

Dierks Bentley's 'Riser,' Eric Church's 'The Outsiders,' Clark's '12 Stories,' Miranda Lambert's 'Platinum' and Lee Ann Womack's 'The Way I'm Livin'' will compete for best country album.

R&B star Beyonce picked up a nomination for best urban contemporary album for her self-titled record released last December, bringing her Grammy nomination tally to 47 throughout her career and the most-nominated woman in Grammy history, Billboard said on Friday.

If she picks up one more nomination, she will move past producer David Foster to become the most-nominated person in Grammy history.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Mary Milliken and Grant McCool)