Dolores 'would have been so happy' with The Cranberries first Grammy nomination

Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan "would have been so happy" to hear that the band has been nominated for its first Grammy, says her grieving mum.

In The End, the group's final album which was produced after the lead singer's death, is up for best rock album at the 2020 awards.

Released earlier this year, it features vocals recorded by O'Riordan before she drowned in the bath at a London hotel in January 2018.

Her mum Eileen O'Riordan said: "Dolores would be so happy with this, she put her heart and soul into her songs and music. For us as her family it's kind of bittersweet, we're immensely proud yet saddened that she isn't here to witness and enjoy this, although I feel that she is in spirit."

The album is a tribute to O'Riordan, who was 46 when she died.

Guitarist Noel Hogan said: "We wanted to finish this album for our dear friend and bandmate, Dolores. It's a tribute to her, the band and our fans for the past 30 years. Being honoured with this Grammy nomination has made this whole process even more special."

Drummer, Fergal Lawler, added:

We are extremely surprised and honoured to receive this Grammy nomination. We're sure Dolores would be delighted.

Grammy night on January 26 will also be a big night for the O'Connell family in Los Angeles.

Billie Eilish O'Connell and her brother and collaborator, Finneas O'Connell, are up for 11 awards in total.

US-born musician Billie Eilish, who has Irish roots, made Grammy history becoming the youngest artist to receive nominations across all four major categories.

The 17-year-old is up for record of the year, album of the year, song of the year, best new artist, best pop solo performance and best pop vocal album.

Eilish broke onto the scene in 2015 with her debut single Ocean Eyes, written by her brother, Finneas.

She shot to number-one in the US with Bad Guy this year and became the youngest female solo artist to score number-one album in Britain.

Her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? also topped the charts in the US and other countries.

We are humbly honoured with the news that our final album “In the End” has been nominated for a 2020 Grammy in the category of Best Rock Album.
It’s a fitting tribute to Dolores and her truly amazing talents. She would be immensely proud.@RecordingAcad pic.twitter.com/AyYQfJxbFX

— The Cranberries (@The_Cranberries) November 20, 2019

Hip-hop queen, Lizzo, who counts Beyonce as a fan and played a sold-out show in Dublin this month, is up for eight awards, including record of the year, song of the year and album of the year.

Cuz I Love You, her third album, propelled her to superstardom after its release in April.

After the news she tweeted: "This has been an incredible year for music and I'm just so grateful to even be part of it. We are all winners. I love you. Let's have a wonderful blessed day."

Michelle Obama is up for a Grammy in the best-spoken word album category for the audiobook of her memoir, "Becoming."

Other artists up for awards this year include Bon Iver, Ariana Grande, Khalid, Lil Nas X, Post Malone & Swae Lee, Lana Del Rey, Vampire Weekend, Taylor Swift and Lewis Capaldi.