GRAMMY(R) AWARD NOMINEE DAFT PUNK TO PERFORM ON "THE 56TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS(R)"

NOMINEE KENDRICK LAMAR AND NOMINEE IMAGINE DRAGONS TO PERFORM TOGETHER

NOMINEES P!NK AND NATE RUESS TO PERFORM TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME ON NETWORK TELEVISION

SPECIAL WILL FEATURE A "GRAMMY MOMENT" WITH MERLE HAGGARD, KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, WILLIE NELSON AND BLAKE SHELTON

LL COOL J RETURNS AS HOST OF MUSIC'S BIGGEST NIGHT(R)

The first performers announced for THE 56TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS(R) are current GRAMMY(R) nominee Daft Punk, nominee Kendrick Lamar and nominee Imagine Dragons, who will also perform together, and nominees P!nk and Nate Ruess (of two-time GRAMMY-winning group FUN.) who will perform together for the first time on network television. There will also be a special "GRAMMY Moment" performance featuring two-time GRAMMY winner Merle Haggard, three-time GRAMMY winner and 2014 Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Kris Kristofferson, seven-time GRAMMY winner Willie Nelson and current nominee Blake Shelton. The music industry's premier event takes place Sunday, Jan. 26 (8:00-11:30 PM, live ET/delayed PT) at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on the CBS Television Network. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon.

Two-time GRAMMY winner and star of NCIS: LOS ANGELES, LL COOL J returns as host of Music's Biggest Night(R).

This will be Daft Punk's first television performance anywhere since they last performed on the 50th GRAMMY Awards broadcast in 2008. Merle Haggard will be performing on the GRAMMY stage for the first time, and this will be P!nk's and Nate Ruess' first time performing together on network television.

Kendrick Lamar has seven nominations for: Best New Artist, Album Of The Year and Best Rap Album for Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Best R&B Performance for "How Many Drinks?" (with Miguel), Best Rap Performance for "Swimming Pools (Drank)," Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Now Or Never" (with Mary J. Blige), and Best Rap Song for "F***in' Problems" (with Tauheed Epps, Aubrey Graham, Rakim Mayers and Noah Shebib).

Two-time GRAMMY-winning group Daft Punk are up for four awards: Album Of The Year and Best Dance/Electronica Album for Random Access Memories and Record Of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Get Lucky" (with Pharrell Williams).

Imagine Dragons, three-time GRAMMY winner P!nk, two-time GRAMMY winner Nate Ruess and Blake Shelton each have two nods: Imagine Dragons for Record Of The Year and Best Rock Performance for "Radioactive"; P!nk and Ruess for Song Of The Year (with Jeff Bhasker) and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Just Give Me A Reason"; Shelton for Best Country Solo Performance for "Mine Would Be You" and Best Country Album for Based On A True Story.

THE 56TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS are produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, Louis J. Horvitz is director, and David Wild and Ken Ehrlich are the writers.

About The Recording Academy

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards - the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music - The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @TheGRAMMYs on Twitter, like "The GRAMMYs" on Facebook, and join The GRAMMYs' social communities on Foursquare, GetGlue, Google +, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and YouTube.