Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter lead the nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards
The rapper has earned nine nominations, the New York artist seven, and the Puerto Rican star and former Disney actress six. The ceremony will take place on February 1
On February 1 — in just under three months — the 68th Grammy Awards, the most important and prestigious honors in global music, will take place. And on November 7, at 8 a.m. Pacific time, the main nominees were announced via a live stream on the Recording Academy’s social media channels and website. Kendrick Lamar leads the field with nine nominations, followed by Lady Gaga with seven, and Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, and Leon Thomas with six each.
The Grammys feature 95 categories in total. Among the main contenders is Californian rapper Kendrick Lamar, whose lyrical talent makes him one of the best artists of his generation. This year he won the Grammy for Song and Record of the Year for Not Like Us and wowed crowds at the Super Bowl halftime show. Now, thanks to his album GNX and his track Luther, featuring rapper SZA, he has picked up another seven nominations.
New York–born global star Lady Gaga and her album Mayhem — which marks her triumphant return to the stage with a massive world tour — have also claimed a large slice of the spotlight, with seven nominations, including the three top awards: Album, Song, and Record of the Year, for both her album and its viral opening track Abracadabra.
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, who will headline this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, is the Latin artist with the most nominations. His album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS earned him six nods, including Song and Record of the Year, continuing the momentum from the Latin Grammys, to be held next Thursday in Las Vegas, where he leads with no fewer than 12 nominations.
Sabrina Carpenter and Leon Thomas also garnered six nominations each, including Album of the Year. The former Disney star’s global hit Man’s Best Friend will compete in that category, while Thomas — a 32-year-old singer and actor, far less viral but critically respected — will vie with Mutt.
Among the nearly hundred Grammy categories, the four marquee awards are Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. The Album of the Year nominees are Bad Bunny (DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS), Lady Gaga (Mayhem), Justin Bieber (Swag), Sabrina Carpenter (Man’s Best Friend), Clipse (Let God Sort ’Em Out), Kendrick Lamar (GNX), Leon Thomas (Mutt), and finally Tyler, the Creator (Chromakopia).
For Song of the Year, the nominees are Abracadabra (Lady Gaga), Anxiety (Doechii), Apt. (Bruno Mars and Rosé), Golden (from the film KPop Demon Hunters), DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Bad Bunny), Wildflower (Billie Eilish), Manchild (Sabrina Carpenter), and Luther (Kendrick Lamar and SZA).
Record of the Year contenders include Abracadabra (Lady Gaga), Luther (Kendrick Lamar and SZA), Anxiety (Doechii), Apt. (Bruno Mars and Rosé), DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Bad Bunny), Manchild (Sabrina Carpenter), The Subway (Chappell Roan), and Wildflower (Billie Eilish).
The Best New Artist category — won last year by Chappell Roan — features Olivia Dean, The Marías, Katseye, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, and Lola Young.
Fans wondering where the world’s biggest pop star, Taylor Swift, has gone need not worry: the Recording Academy hasn’t snubbed her. Her album The Life of a Showgirl, released on October 3 — and already the best-selling record in history, moving over four million copies in its first week — simply isn’t eligible. To qualify, albums must have been released between August 31 of one year (in this case 2024) and August 30 of the next (2025). Swift will have to wait until next year to collect her Grammys.
Although the Recording Academy also oversees the Latin Grammys — which this year will take place November 13 in Las Vegas, after previous editions in Seville (2023) and Miami (2024) — there are dedicated Grammy categories for Latin artists, such as Best Latin Pop Album.
“People all around the world recognize the gold gramophone as a symbol of musical excellence,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. “What you may not know is behind the Grammy Awards are our 26,000 members ... who move, inspire and unite us through their work.” Nominees for Best Latin Pop Album include Rauw Alejandro, Andrés Cepeda, Karol G, Natalia Lafourcade, and Alejandro Sanz.
This year, the Academy has also welcomed many new voting members, including those from the Latin Recording Academy, adding a total of 3,800 new voters. The Academy now counts 16,000 members, with over 13,000 eligible to vote.
At the 2025 ceremony, Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar emerged as the biggest winners — Beyoncé with Cowboy Carter and Lamar doubling up with Song and Record of the Year for Not Like Us. The 2026 Grammys will once again be held at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on February 1, broadcast in the United States on CBS and streamed worldwide via Paramount+ and partner platforms.
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