Breakout star Lizzo leads Grammy nominations with eight

New York: Singer and rapper Lizzo scored eight Grammy nominations Wednesday to lead a field packed with newcomers, including bold pop iconoclast Billie Eilish and overnight sensation Lil Nas X, for music´s biggest honors.

The magnetic 31-year-old Lizzo debuted in 2013 but truly burst into the public eye this year with her third studio album "Cuz I Love You," which scored a nomination for the prestigious Album of the Year category for the Grammys, which will take place on January 26.

Eilish also nabbed a shot at best album for "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" to bring her total nomination count to six, as the genre-bending meme king Lil Nas X rode the fame of his viral smash "Old Town Road" to also snag six chances at Grammy gold.

The newbies will square up against some superstar challengers.

Ariana Grande -- whose album "thank u, next" missed last year´s Grammy deadline -- bagged five nominations this year.

Beyonce earned four nods on the strength of her Netflix concert film about her dazzling 2018 Coachella performance and the album accompanying this year´s "Lion King" film remake.

The enigmatic R&B prodigy H.E.R., who won two Grammys last year, also got five nominations this year, including for Album of the Year.

Once a perennial favorite, Taylor Swift was once again largely snubbed from the major categories for her new album "Lover," except for Song of the Year -- which honors best songwriting -- for her title track.

She is up for just three awards this year, the two others coming in the pop categories.

Along with the nomination leaders, the nominee list includes a mix of pop newcomers and veteran alt-leaning acts including Lana Del Rey, Bon Iver and Vampire Weekend.