Grammy Nominations 2026: Kendrick Lamar leads the pack, Lady Gaga makes a grand comeback

The 2026 Grammy nominations have officially been announced, and they have already set the internet buzzing. With Kendrick Lamar leading the pack, Lady Gaga staging a massive comeback, and Bad Bunny making history for Latin music, this year’s list feels like a reflection of where the global soundscape is headed. Long accused of being slow to adapt to the times, the Grammys finally seems to be catching up, embracing cross-genre creativity, global hits, and experimental collaborations that defined 2025.

As the world gears up for the Grammy Awards in February 2026, here’s a closer look at who’s leading in which category and who was snubbed, leaving fans shocked. Several expected names—from The Weeknd to Lorde—were noticeably absent, sparking yet another round of heated debates about the Academy’s choices. Taylor Swift was not technically snubbed, but her most recent release, The Life of a Showgirl, could not make it to the nominations this year as it released on October 3. In order to qualify for the Grammys 2026, the music had to be released between August 31, 2024 and August 30, 2025.

Kendrick Lamar leads a hip-hop renaissance

It’s no surprise that Kendrick Lamar is back at the centre of the conversation. His latest album GNX scored nine nominations, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year—a clean sweep across the major categories. His dominance also signals a broader shift within the Grammys—hip-hop, once confined to genre categories, is now at the forefront.

Drake also secured a nomination for his collaboration Somebody Loves Me with PartyNextDoor in the Best Melodic Rap Performance category.

Pop royalty wasn’t left behind either. Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM bagged seven nominations, making it her biggest year since Chromatica. She was followed by Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter, with both of them receiving six nominations each. Justin Bieber's Swag has been nominated in the Album of the Year category, alongside Sabrina Carpenter's Man's Best Friend.

India's Anoushka Shankar received two nominations for Daybreak (Best Global Music Performance), and for Chapter III: We Return To Light (Best Global Music Album).

FULL LIST OF NOMINATIONS:

Record Of The Year

Bad Bunny—DtMF

Sabrina Carpenter—Manchild

Doechii—Anxiety

Billie Eilish—WILDFLOWER

Lady Gaga—Abracadabra

Kendrick Lamar and SZA—luther

Chappell Roan—The Subway

Rosé and Bruno Mars—APT.

Album Of The Year

Bad Bunny—DtMF

Justin Bieber—SWAG

Sabrina Carpenter—Man’s Best Friend

Clipse, Pusha T and Malice—Let God Sort Em Out

Lady Gaga—MAYHEM

Kendrick Lamar—GNX

Leon Thomas—MUTT

Tyler, The Creator—CHROMAKOPIA

Song Of The Year

Lady Gaga—Abracadabra

Doechii—Anxiety

Rosé and Bruno Mars—APT.

Bad Bunny—DtMF

HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI—Golden [From ‘KPop Demon Hunters’]

Kendrick Lamar and SZA—luther

Sabrina Carpenter—Manchild

Billie Eilish—WILDFLOWER

Best New Artist

Olivia Dean

KATSEYE

The Marias

Addison Rae

sombr

Leon Thomas

Alex Warren

Lola Young

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical

Dan Auerbach

Cirkut

Dijon

Blake Mills

Sounwave

Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical

Amy Allen

Edgar Barrera

Jessie Jo Dillon

Tobias Jesso Jr.

Laura Veltz

Best Pop Solo Performance

Justin Bieber—DAISIES

Sabrina Carpenter—Manchild

Lady Gaga—Disease

Chappell Roan—The Subway

Lola Young—Messy

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande—Defying Gravity

HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI—Golden [From ‘KPop Demon Hunters’]”

KATSEYE—Gabriela

Rosé and Bruno Mars—APT.

SZA Featuring Kendrick Lamar—30 For 30

Best Pop Vocal Album

Justin Bieber—SWAG

Sabrina Carpenter—Man’s Best Friend

Miley Cyrus—Something Beautiful

Lady Gaga—MAYHEM

Teddy Swims—I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2)

Best Dance Pop Recording

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco—Bluest Flame

Lady Gaga—Abracadabra

Zara Larsson—Midnight Sun

Tate McRae—Just Keep Watching (From F1: The Movie)

PinkPantheress—Illegal

Best Rock Performance

Amyl and The Sniffers—U Should Not Be Doing That

Linkin Park—The Emptiness Machine

Turnstile—NEVER ENOUGH

Hayley Williams—Mirtazapine

YUNGBLUD Featuring Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, Adam Wakeman, II—Changes (Live From Villa Park) Back To The Beginning

Best Rock Song

Nine Inch Nails—As Alive As You Need Me To Be

Sleep Token—Caramel

Hayley Williams—Glum

Turnstile—NEVER ENOUGH

YUNGBLUD—Zombie

Best Rock Album

Deftones—private music

HAIM—I quit

Linkin Park—From Zero

Turnstile—NEVER ENOUGH

YUNGBLUD—Idols

Best R&B Performance

Justin Bieber—YUKON

Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller—It Depends

Kehlani—Folded

Leon Thomas—MUTT (Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk)

Summer Walker—Heart Of A Woman

Best Traditional R&B Performance

Durand Bernarr—Here We Are

Lalah Hathaway—UPTOWN

Ledisi—LOVE YOU TOO

SZA—Crybaby

Leon Thomas—VIBES DON’T LIE

Best R&B Song

Kehlani—Folded

Summer Walker—Heart Of A Woman

Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller—It Depends

Durand Bernarr—Overqualified

Leon Thomas—YES IT IS

Best Progressive R&B Album

Durand Bernarr—BLOOM

Bilal—Adjust Brightness

Destin Conrad—LOVE ON DIGITAL

FLO—Access All Areas

Terrace Martin and Kenyon Dixon—Come As You Are

Best R&B Album

GIVĒON—BELOVED

Coco Jones—Why Not More?

Ledisi—The Crown

Teyana Taylor—Escape Room

Leon Thomas—MUTT

Best Rap Performance

Cardi B—Outside

Clipse, Pusha T and Malice Featuring Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell Williams—Chains & Whips

Doechii—Anxiety

Kendrick Lamar Featuring Lefty Gunplay—tv off

Tyler, The Creator Featuring Teezo Touchdown—Darling, I

Best Melodic Rap Performance

Fridayy Featuring Meek Mill—Proud Of Me

JID Featuring Ty Dolla $ign and 6LACK—Wholeheartedly

Kendrick Lamar and SZA—luther

Terrace Martin and Kenyon Dixon Featuring Rapsody—WeMaj

PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake—SOMEBODY LOVES ME

Best Rap Song

Doechii—Anxiety

Clipse, Pusha T and Malice Featuring John Legend and Voices Of Fire—The Birds Don’t Sing

Tyler, The Creator Featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne—Sticky

GloRilla—TGIF

Kendrick Lamar Featuring Lefty Gunplay—tv off

Best Rap Album

Clipse, Pusha T and Malice—Let God Sort Em Out

GloRilla—GLORIOUS

JID—God Does Like Ugly

Kendrick Lamar—GNX

Tyler, The Creator—CHROMAKOPIA

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Laila Biali—Wintersongs

Jennifer Hudson—The Gift Of Love

Elton John and Brandi Carlile—Who Believes In Angels?

Lady Gaga—Harlequin

Laufey—A Matter Of Time

Barbra Streisand—The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume 2

Best Musical Theater Album

Marco Paguia, Dean Sharenow and David Yazbek—Buena Vista Social Club

Taurean Everett, Megan Hilty, Josh Lamon, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard and Michelle Williams—Death Becomes Her

Danny Burstein, Kevin Csolak, Audra McDonald, Jordan Tyson and Joy Woods—Gypsy

Emily Bergl, Jonathan Groff, Erika Henningsen, Gracie Lawrence and Michele Pawk—Just In Time

Marcus Choi, Darren Criss, Dez Duron and Helen J Shen—Maybe Happy Ending

Best Country Solo Performance

Tyler Childers—Nose On The Grindstone

Shaboozey—Good News

Chris Stapleton—Bad As I Used To Be (From F1® The Movie)

Zach Top—I Never Lie

Lainey Wilson—Somewhere Over Laredo

Best Country Song

Tyler Childers—Bitin’ List

Shaboozey—Good News

Zach Top—I Never Lie

Lainey Wilson—Somewhere Over Laredo

Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton—A Song To Sing

Best Traditional Country Album

Charley Crockett—Dollar A Day

Lukas Nelson—American Romance

Willie Nelson—Oh What A Beautiful World

Margo Price—Hard Headed Woman

Zach Top—Ain’t In It For My Health

Best Contemporary Country Album

Kelsea Ballerini—Patterns

Tyler Childers—Snipe Hunter

Eric Church—Evangeline Vs. The Machine

Jelly Roll—Beautifully Broken

Miranda Lambert—Postcards From Texas

Best Folk Album

Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson—What Did The Blackbird Say To The Crow

Patty Griffin—Crown Of Roses

I’m With Her—Wild And Clear And Blue

Jason Isbell—Foxes In The Snow

Jesse Welles—Under The Powerlines April 24 – September 24

Best Global Music Performance

Bad Bunny—EoO

Ciro Hurtado—Cantando en el Camino

Angélique Kidjo—JERUSALEMA

Yeisy Rojas—Inmigrante Y Que?

Shakti—Shrini’s Dream (Live)

Anoushka Shankar Featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar—Daybreak

Best African Music Performance

Burna Boy—Love

Davido Featuring Omah Lay—With You

Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin—Hope & Love

Ayra Starr Featuring Wizkid—Gimme Dat

Tyla—PUSH 2 START

Best Global Music Album

Siddhant Bhatia—Sounds Of Kumbha

Burna Boy—No Sign of Weakness

Youssou N’Dour—Eclairer le monde – Light the World

Shakti—Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live)

Anoushka Shankar Featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar—Chapter III: We Return To Light

Caetano Veloso And Maria Bethânia—Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo

Best Comedy Album

Bill Burr—Drop Dead Years

Sarah Silverman—PostMortem

Ali Wong—Single Lady

Jamie Foxx—What Had Happened Was…

Nate Bargatze—Your Friend, Nate Bargatze

Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording

Kathy Garver—Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story

Trevor Noah—Into The Uncut Grass

Ketanji Brown Jackson—Lovely One: A Memoir

Dalai Lama—Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Fab Morvan—You Know It’s True: The Real Story Of Milli Vanilli

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media

Timothée Chalamet—A Complete Unknown

Various Artists—F1® The Album

Various Artists—KPop Demon Hunters

Various Artists—Sinners

Various Artists—Wicked

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Film & TV)

John Powell—How To Train Your Dragon

Theodore Shapiro—Severance: Season 2

Ludwig Göransson—Sinners

John Powell & Stephen Schwartz—Wicked

Kris Bowers—The Wild Robot

Best Song Written For Visual Media

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross—As Alive As You Need Me To Be (From TRON: Ares)

EJAE & Mark Sonnenblick—Golden (From KPop Demon Hunters)

Ludwig Göransson & Raphael Saadiq—I Lied to You (From Sinners)

Brandi Carlile, Elton John, Bernie Taupin & Andrew Watt—Never Too Late (From Elton John: Never Too Late)

Ludwig Göransson & Brittany Howard—Pale, Pale Moon (From Sinners)

Leonard Denisenko, Rodarius Green, Travis Harrington, Tarkan Kozluklu, Kyris Mingo & Darius Povilinus—Sinners (From Sinners)

Best Music Video

Sabrina Carpenter—Manchild

Clipse—So Be It

Doechii—Anxiety

OK Go—Love

Sade—Young Lion

Best Music Film

Devo—Devo

Raye—Live At The Royal Albert Hall

Diane Warren—Relentless

John Williams—Music By John Williams

Pharrell Williams—Piece By Piece

Best Album Cover

Shaun Llewellyn & Luis “Panch” Perez—CHROMAKOPIA

William Wesley II—The Crux

Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio—Debí Tirar Más Fotos

Cody Critcheloe & Andrew J.S.—Glory

Hester Chambers, Ellis Durand, Henry Holmes, Matt de Jong, Jamie-James Medina, Joshua Mobaraki & Rhian Teasdale—moisturizer

Producer Of The Year, Classical

Blanton Alspaugh

Sergei Kvitko

Morten Lindberg

Dmitriy Lipay

Elaine Martone

Best Instrumental Composition

Remy Le Boeuf—First Snow (Nordkraft Big Band, Remy Le Boeuf & Danielle Wertz)

Miho Hazama—Live Life This Day: Movement I (Miho Hazama, Danish Radio Big Band & Danish National Symphony Orchestra)

Sierra Hull—Lord, That’s A Long Way (Sierra Hull)

Zain Effendi—Opening (Zain Effendi)

John Powell & Stephen Schwartz—Train To Emerald City (John Powell & Stephen Schwartz)

Ludwig Göransson—Why You Here / Before The Sun Went Down (Ludwig Göransson Featuring Miles Caton)

Lead image: Getty images

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