Courtney Barnett, Tame Impala Named Among 2016 Grammy Nominees

No one could deny the dominant kind of year enjoyed by local acts Courtney Barnett and Tame Impala these past 12 months, a fact made all the more concrete by their inclusion in the crop of talented folks revealed as nominees for next year's Grammy Awards ceremony.

Barnett earns her nod in the category of Best New Artist, facing off against the likes of James Bay, Sam Hunt, Tori Kelly and Meghan Trainor; meanwhile, Tame Impala's recent LP, Currents, will have to fend off Alabama Shakes (Sound & Color), Bjork (Vulnicura), My Morning Jacket (The Waterfall) and Wilco (Star Wars) if it plans to claim the title of Best Alternative Music Album.

Though arguably the highest-profile Aussies on the list (at least at home), internationally embraced neo-soul luminaries Hiatus Kaiyote also help fly the local flag in the nominations, with their track Breathing Underwater, off Choose Your Weapon, going toe-to-toe with Tamar Braxton's If I Don't Have You, Andra Day's Rise Up, Jeremih's Planes (feat. J. Cole), and The Weeknd's Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey) in the field of Best R&B Performance. Loosely Australian country vet Keith Urban has also earned recognition in the 2016 Grammy Awards pool, earning a nomination for Best Country Solo Performance with the wholly American-sounding John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.

However, clear major players have already emerged headed into next year's ceremony: Kendrick Lamar leads the wider nomination pool in the wake of his acclaimed full-length To Pimp A Butterfly, picking up a whopping 11 nominations, while The Weeknd and Taylor Swift capitalise on their respective strengths and audiences to earn seven nods apiece.

The full list of nominees is available via Billboard.