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Drake, Arcade Fire and Neil Young are leading the charge toward a Grammy Awards that certainly won't lack for Canadian content.

Drake earned four nods as nominations were announced Wednesday night in a prime-time special from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, while Young and Arcade Fire nabbed three each.

And Canuck teen-pop sensation Justin Bieber has his first two Grammy nominations, while Burnaby, B.C., crooner Michael Buble is also up for a pair of awards.

Resurgent rapper Eminem was the leading nominee. His Recovery CD was nominated for 10 awards, including the biggest prizes: album, song, and record of the year.

Arcade Fire - who have been nominated for Grammys twice in the past - provided one of the evening's surprises by nabbing a nomination for album of the year, arguably the top prize to be handed out at the Feb. 13 show.

Their competition? Only four of the biggest pop acts of the past year: Eminem, Lady Gaga, Lady Antebellum and Katy Perry.

They were also nominated for best rock performance by a duo or group with vocals and best alternative music album.

Bieber and Drake, meanwhile, will face off for best new artist, competing with Florence and the Machine, Mumford and Sons and Esperenza Spalding.

Drake scored two Grammy nominations last year, prior to the release of his platinum-selling debut, Thank Me Later (which earned a nomination for best rap album on Wednesday).

But the 24-year-old was still eligible for best new artist thanks to a change in requirements that allowed previous nominees to be nominated for the award as long as they didn't win.

Drake wasn't in L.A. for the show - in fact, he was spotted earlier in the evening sitting courtside at a Toronto Raptors home game.

Bruno Mars earned seven nominations, while Lady Antebellum, Jay-Z and Lady Gaga all had six each.

And Cee Lo Green was rewarded for his profane summer smash, which goes by the sanitized title Forget You but in its original incarnation features a different F-word in its title. It's up for both record and song of the year.

Other Canadians nominated include Michael J. Fox, Alex Cuba, Melanie Fiona, Northern Cree, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Measha Brueggergosman and Rush.

Bieber, who's also up for best pop vocal album, appeared via satellite from London after his first nomination was announced.

"Wow, it feels amazing, I can't believe I'm in this position," said the teen, clad in a shiny black jacket with a matching V-neck T-shirt and baseball cap.

"I want to thank all my friends, everybody. I want to thank the board, I don't know what to say."

When host LL Cool J pressed the mop-topped 16-year-old on how he felt - noting that he was now a superstar - Bieber added: "It feels good. I don't think of myself as a superstar, I think of myself as a just a regular person living my dream, you know?"

Later, a seated Bieber - now wearing a fitted L.A. Kings hat backwards - performed his Favorite Girl while strumming an acoustic guitar.

He admitted on Twitter later that he was caught off-guard by the news.

"Ok kinda shellshock. Well not kinda ... totally shellshock. Don't even remember what I said. #HOLYCRAP"

During the show, Katy Perry played her hit California Gurls in a glittering dress outside the Staples Center, while Bruno Mars and Train also performed.

The Grammys will air on CBS and Global.

With files from the Associated Press



GRAMMY NOMINATIONS IN TOP CATEGORIES



Nominees announced Wednesday in top categories for the 53rd annual Grammy Awards

Record of the Year: Nothin' on You, B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars; Love the Way You Lie, Eminem featuring Rihanna; (Expletive) You, Cee Lo Green; Empire State of Mind, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys; Need You Now, Lady Antebellum.

Album of the Year: The Suburbs, Arcade Fire; Recovery, Eminem; Need You Now, Lady Antebellum; The Fame Monster, Lady GaGa; Teenage Dream, Katy Perry.

Song of the Year: Beg Steal or Borrow, Ray LaMontagne, songwriter (performed by Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs); (Expletive) You, Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence and Bruno Mars, songwriters (Cee Lo Green); The House That Built Me, Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, songwriters (Miranda Lambert); Love the Way You Lie, Alexander Grant, Holly Hafferman and Marshall Mathers, songwriters (Eminem featuring Rihanna); Need You Now, Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum).

New Artist: Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence & The Machine, Mumford & Sons, Esperanza Spalding.

Pop Vocal Album: My World 2.0, Justin Bieber; I Dreamed a Dream, Susan Boyle; The Fame Monster, Lady GaGa; Battle Studies, John Mayer; Teenage Dream, Katy Perry.

Rock Album: Emotion and Commotion, Jeff Beck; The Resistance, Muse; Backspacer, Pearl Jam; Mojo, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers; Le Noise, Neil Young.

Rap Album: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, B.o.B; Thank Me Later, Drake; Recovery, Eminem; The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z; How I Got Over, The Roots.

Country Album: Up On The Ridge, Dierks Bentley; You Get What You Give, Zac Brown Band; The Guitar Song, Jamey Johnson; Need You Now, Lady Antebellum; Revolution, Miranda Lambert.

Full nominee list is available at www.grammy.com

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