Whether they came together to profess their love or combined forces to stir up some trouble, several 57th GRAMMY-nominated artists proved that two — and sometimes three — are better than one. The collaborations garnering current GRAMMY nominations include GRAMMY veterans, first-time GRAMMY nominees and cross-genre pairings, all of which yielded some of 2014's brightest music moments.
Ahead of Music's Biggest Night, which promises to feature even more fabulous pairings live on the GRAMMY stage, we explore 10 collaborative tracks that garnered 57th GRAMMY nominations.
Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX, "Fancy"
Named Billboard's Song of the Summer for 2014, "Fancy" features a pair of first-time GRAMMY nominees in Australian rapper Iggy Azalea and British dance/pop artist Charli XCX. The certified quadruple-platinum smash was the first No. 1 single for either performer and is nominated for Record Of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Azalea is also nominated for Best New Artist and Best Rap Album for The New Classic. The video for "Fancy" pays homage to the popular 1995 teen comedy Clueless — can you name the characters Azalea and Charli XCX portray?
Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj, "Bang Bang"
In a GRAMMY.com interview in 2014, first-time GRAMMY nominee Jessie J described "Bang Bang" as "fun, independent [and] strong." Coincidentally, those same words can be used to describe the London native and the two other women behind this Best Pop/Duo Group Performance-nominated hit — first-time GRAMMY nominee Ariana Grande, who received a Best Pop Vocal Album nod for her debut album, My Everything, and rapper Nicki Minaj, who garnered her first Best Rap Song nomination for "Anaconda." "Bang Bang" literally dented the charts with a bang, climbing to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J, "Dark Horse"
"Dark Horse" earned Katy Perry her ninth No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit. The song is featured on Perry's Prism, which is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. The collaboration earned Oscar winner and Three 6 Mafia alumnus Juicy J (born Jordan Michael Houston) his first career GRAMMY nomination. With her two 57th GRAMMY nominations, Perry now has 13 in her career. Will she garner her first career win?
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, "Anything Goes"
Plucked from the Great American Songbook, "Anything Goes" is the first single from Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga's collaborative pop classics album, Cheek To Cheek, which earned the pair a GRAMMY nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. When Bennett first recorded this Cole Porter-penned standard with Count Basie in 1959, Lady Gaga had yet to be "born this way." In fact, the Fame Monster wouldn't be introduced to the track until she was 13 years old. Cheek To Cheek earned Gaga her 16th GRAMMY nomination. This is the 33rd nomination for Bennett, who leads the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category with 11 GRAMMY wins.
Disclosure Featuring Mary J. Blige, "F For You"
Disclosure, comprising brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, teamed with Mary J. Blige for a remix of "F For You," which received a nomination for Best Dance Recording. The original "F For You" track is featured on Disclosure's debut studio album, 2013's Settle, which garnered the duo their first career GRAMMY nomination last year for Best Dance/Electronica Album. Blige is looking to win her 10th career GRAMMY, and her first in the Dance/Electronica Field. She has previously won nine GRAMMYs in four distinct genres: R&B, rap, pop, and gospel.
Röyksopp & Robyn, "Do It Again"
Norwegian electronic music duo Röyksopp and Swedish dance/electronic artist Robyn have done it again — this time earning a GRAMMY nomination for one of their hit collaborations. Nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album, Do It Again peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and features five songs, including the title track and "Monument." This marks the first nomination for Röyksopp and the fifth for Robyn, who was nominated previously in this category for 2011 for Body Talk, Pt. 3. The trio previously collaborated on 2009's "The Girl And The Robot."
Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z, "Drunk In Love"
Beyoncé earned two of her six total GRAMMY nominations this year for this duet with hubby Jay Z, which marks the couple's fourth collaboration to earn a nomination. The song, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, is nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance, and is featured on Beyoncé's 2013 self-titled album, which is also nominated for Album Of The Year. With 53 total nominations, Beyoncé stands as the most nominated female artist in GRAMMY history. Jay Z has four total nominations this year, including Best Music Film for Beyoncé & Jay Z: On The Run Tour, bringing his total to 64. With 17 GRAMMY wins to date each, Beyoncé and Jay Z are vying to overcome Kanye West for the most GRAMMY wins in the 21st century.
I Love Makonnen Featuring Drake, "Tuesday"
In 2014 first-time GRAMMY nominee I Love Makonnen (born Makonnen Sheran) released his self-titled EP featuring the track "Club Goin' Up On A Tuesday." The single caught the attention of GRAMMY-winning rapper Drake, who requested to remix the song and the rest … is viral history. In addition to receiving a GRAMMY nomination for Best Rap Sung/Collaboration, "Tuesday" has garnered approximately 46 million views on YouTube to date and netted I Love Makonnen a deal with Drake's label, OVO Sound. The Top 15 hit isn't Drake's first GRAMMY-nominated collaboration. He earned two 2011 nods for Best Rap Sung/Collaboration for "I'm On One" (with DJ Khaled, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne) and "What's My Name?" (with Rihanna).
Miranda Lambert With Carrie Underwood, "Somethin' Bad"
With its nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, "Somethin' Bad" has resulted in somethin' good for GRAMMY winners Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood. In the video for the song, which peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, Lambert and Underwood portray Belle Boyd and Priscilla Parker, a pair of motorcycle-riding jewel thieves. Lambert has four total 57th GRAMMY nominations, including Best Country Album for Platinum. Underwood also received a nod for Best Country Solo Performance for "Something In The Water."
Gregg Allman & Taj Mahal, "Statesboro Blues"
Nominated for Best American Roots Performance, "Statesboro Blues" is featured on All My Friends: Celebrating The Songs & Voice Of Gregg Allman. The live album was recorded on Jan. 10, 2014, during a concert in Atlanta that featured several artists — including fellow current nominees Keb' Mo' and Eric Church — paying tribute to the Allman Brothers Band co-founder. This marks the ninth career GRAMMY nomination for Allman and the 13th for blues musician Taj Mahal, who is slated to perform at the 2015 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute to Bob Dylan during GRAMMY Week on Feb. 6.
To see what other collaborations garnered nominations, view the full list of 57th GRAMMY nominees. Music's Biggest Night will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 8 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).