Breakout star Lizzo leads Grammy nominations with eight

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.