Beyonce bests Kanye, Rihanna and Adele with nine Grammy nominations

The Grammys sure love mononyms.

Beyoncé leads the way with nine nominations for the 59th annual Grammy Awards, which were announced on Tuesday. Drake and Rihanna received eight nods. So did Kanye, who doesn't really need a surname, does he?

But look for another surname-less superstar to walk away with big prizes on Feb. 12 in Los Angeles. The guess here is that Adele, the beloved Grammy-grabbing Brit who earned five noms (bringing her total to 18, with 10 trophies), will emerge with album of the year for "25," which has sold 9 million copies in the United States alone.

She's vying against Beyoncé ("Lemonade"), Drake ("Views"), Justin Bieber ("Purpose") and a surprise finalist, Americana ace Sturgill Simpson ("A Sailor's Guide to Earth").

Beyoncé, who extended her record number of nominations to 62 (she's won 20), is also competing against Adele for song and record of the year — Beyoncé for "Formation" and Adele for "Hello."

Also in the running for record of the year are three big hits — Rihanna's "Work," Twenty One Pilots' "Stressed Out," and Lukas Graham's "7 Years" (which is a finalist for song of the year along with Bieber's "Love Yourself" and Mike Posner's "I Took a Pill in Ibiza").

Chance the Rapper, whose album was available by streaming only, scored seven nominations, including best new artist. He's competing with country chart-topping newcomers Kelsea Ballerini ("Love Me Like You Mean It") and Maren Morris ("My Church"), hitmaking pop duo the Chainsmokers ("Closer") and inventive rapper/singer Anderson .Paak.

More significantly, Mint Condition, the veteran Twin Cities R&B band, earned its first Grammy nomination, for best R&B album for "Healing Season," a holiday album. "We're honored and humbled," said lead singer Stokley Williams. "The feedback we got is that it doesn't feel like a holiday album. People listen to it in any month."

The Okee Dokee Brothers, a Twin Cities duo that makes kids music, received its third nomination for best children's album, for "Saddle Up," based on a horseback-riding trip in the Continental Divide. Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing took home the trophy in 2013 for "Can You Canoe?"

"It's always a surprise that we get nominated but it's welcome news," Mailander said Tuesday. "We put a lot into this record, researching the genre of Western music and riding in the Continental Divide."

Other artists with Minnesota connections merited nominations, as well. King, a new trio featuring Minneapolis-reared, L.A.-based twin sisters Paris and Amber Strother, is competing for best urban contemporary album for "We Are King."

Eau Claire's Justin Vernon is vying for best recording package for "22, A Million." He won for best new artist in 2012. Technically, this new prize would go to ex-Minneapolis designer Eric Timothy Carlson.