By Ally Uhlendorf
Editor-in-Chief
The biggest night in music, the Grammy Awards, is just around the corner, and the nominations have been officially announced. With a jam-packed list of both heavy hitters and some surprising nominations, the 2026 Grammys are shaping up to be one of the most competitive and exciting in recent memory.
Leading the way this year with a whopping nine nominations is rapper Kendrick Lamar, receiving the most out of all of the artists this year. The artist has been recognized in the Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Rap Performance categories. Lamar is also up to win Album of the Year for the first time, a category in which he has now competed seven times.
Lady Gaga earned seven nominations, along with Jack Antonoff and producer Cirkut. Gaga is up for the Record of the Year, Pop Vocal Album, Traditional Pop Vocal Album and Pop Solo Performance awards for her latest record “MAYHEM.”
Other Album of the Year nominees include Bad Bunny (“Debí Tirar Más Fotos”), Clipse (“Let God Sort ’Em Out”), Justin Bieber (“Swag”), Leon Thomas (“Mutt”), Sabrina Carpenter (“Man’s Best Friend”) and Tyler, the Creator (“Chromakopia”). With such a wide variety of sound in this category, it is lining up to be one of the tightest Album of the Year races in a while.
The Best New Artist category reflects a shift in the industry toward global and genre-diverse recognition, with nominees including global girl group Katseye, Olivia Dean, Addison Rae, Leon Thomas, Lola Young and The Marías.
Similarly, Latin and K-pop artists are making history this year. Bad Bunny’s continued dominance in general categories and Rosé’s nomination alongside Bruno Mars for their hit “APT.,” mark important milestones for global representation at the Grammys. Rosé is the first K-pop artist to ever receive a nomination for record of the year.
The record of the year category consists of Bad Bunny’s “DtMF,” Carpenter’s “Manchild,” Doechii’s “Anxiety,” Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower,” Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” Lamar and SZA’s “luther,” Chappell Roan’s “The Subway” and Rosé and Mars’ “APT.”
Viewers were surprised to see Eilish included in the nominations, since “Wildflower” was released on her spring 2024 album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” ahead of the eligibility window. However, there is a Recording Academy rule that allows albums released during the previous ceremony’s eligibility period to be considered for the next year’s nominations, “provided the same tracks were not entered the previous year and the album did not win a Grammy.”
There are several first-time nominees as well this year, including pop star Tate McRae, Zara Larsson, PinkPantheress, JID and Timothée Chalamet. Yes, Timothee Chalamet.
Recordings commercially released in the U.S. between Aug. 31, 2024 through Aug. 30, 2025 were eligible for nominations only. The final round of Grammy voting will take place from Dec. 12 to Jan. 5.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will air Feb. 1 live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
