Grammy nominations announced ahead of 2026 ceremony

Image credit: PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Summary

Kendrick Lamar leads

Kendrick Lamar tops this year’s Grammy nominations with nine, marking another dominant year for the rapper.

Star power returns

Lady Gaga earned seven nods, including her fifth Album of the Year nomination, while Sabrina Carpenter scored her second straight in the category.

New talent shines

The Best New Artist lineup features breakout stars like Olivia Dean and KATSEYE.

Full story

The Recording Academy revealed Grammy nominations on Friday morning ahead of the 2026 ceremony, starting months of celebration — and criticism — before the main event. Musicians like Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Doechii announced this year’s nominees during the live broadcast.

Leading the pack is Kendrick Lamar with 9 nominations. Lady Gaga follows closely with seven and becomes the most-nominated female artist for 2026, earning her fifth Album of the Year nod with “MAYHEM.”

Sabrina Carpenter scored her second consecutive Album of the Year nomination with “Man’s Best Friend.”

The Best New Artist category features breakout stars including KATSEYE and Olivia Dean, along with Addison Rae, Leon Thomas and Sombr, among others.

The eligibility window ran from Aug. 31, 2024, through Aug. 30, 2025 — meaning some fan favorites didn’t make the cut. Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl,” released Oct. 3, missed eligibility by just over a month.

Two new categories were added this year: Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album. The latter sparked backlash online, with critics calling the move racially tone-deaf in the wake of Beyoncé’s 2024 album “Cowboy Carter.” That album won Best Country Album at the 2025 Grammys, and some fans accused the Academy of creating a separate category to sidestep future inclusion debates.

The Academy said the new category had been in development long before Beyoncé’s release.

Music’s Biggest Night returns to downtown Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 2026. See the full list of nominees in the Big Six below and the full list of nominees here.

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

Amy Allen

Edgar Barrera

Jessie Jo Dillon

Tobias Jesso Jr.

Laura Veltz

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Dan Auerback

Cirkut

Dijon

Blake Mills

Sounwave

Best New Artist

Olivia Dean

KATSEYE

The Marias

Addison Rae

Sombr

Leon Thomas

Alex Warren

Lola Young

Song of the Year

Abracadabra – Lady Gaga

Anxiety – Doechii

APT. – Bruno Mars and Rosé

DtMF – Bad Bunny

Golden – KPop Demon Hunters

luther – Kendrick Lamar With SZA

Manchild – Sabrina Carpenter

WILDFLOWER – Billie Eilish

Record of the Year

DtMF – Bad Bunny

Manchild – Sabrina Carpenter

Anxiety – Doechii

WILDFLOWER – Billie Eilish

Abracadabra – Lady Gaga

luther – Kendrick Lamar With SZA

The Subway – Chappell Roan

APT. – ROSÉ, Bruno Mars

Album of the Year

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS – Bad Bunny

SWAG – Justin Bieber

Man’s Best Friend – Sabrina Carpenter

Let God Sort Em Out – Clipse

MAYHEM – Lady Gaga

GNX – Kendrick Lamar

MUTT – Leon Thomas

CHROMAKOPIA – Tyler, the Creator

Kennedy Felton (Lifestyle Correspondent)

Kennedy is a lifestyle correspondent for Straight Arrow News based in Atlanta. She covers human-interest and entertainment stories shaped by everyday trends.

Devan Markham (Morning Digital Producer) and Alex Delia (Deputy Managing Editor) contributed to this report.

Tags: Grammys, Hollywood, Music

Why this story matters

The announcement of the 2026 Grammy nominations reflects ongoing trends in music recognition, highlights new and returning talent, and sparks discussion about diversity and inclusion within major industry awards.

Award recognition

The Grammy nominations showcase artists' achievements across music genres, influencing careers and industry trends while establishing historical records for artists like Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga.

Diversity and inclusion

The introduction of new categories and the reaction to the Best Traditional Country Album addition raise debates about racial representation and inclusivity in award decisions, especially in light of recent developments involving artists like Beyoncé.

Industry trends

Emerging and returning artists among nominees, as well as new award categories, illustrate ongoing changes in the music industry and shifting standards of creative recognition.

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Community reaction

Fans are actively discussing the nominations on social media, expressing excitement over artists like Doechii and KATSEYE, and highlighting the event's growing recognition of global and emerging talents.

Context corner

Bad Bunny is now the only artist to have two all-Spanish albums nominated for Album of the Year, reflecting the Grammys' ongoing efforts to diversify and internationalize music recognition beyond English-language entries.

History lesson

It has been more than two decades since a rap album won Album of the Year; Outkast last achieved this in 2004, and Lauryn Hill in 1999. The current nominations break new ground for rap and global categories.

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Sources

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Key points from the Left

The 2026 Grammy Award nominations were announced on Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. ET, featuring hosts like Sabrina Carpenter.
New categories include Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album.
Eligible recordings must be released in the U.S. between Aug. 31, 2024, and Aug. 30, 2025, excluding Taylor Swift's album.
The Grammy Awards ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

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Key points from the Center

On Friday, the Recording Academy will livestream the 2026 Grammy nominations on Grammy.com and YouTube, starting the countdown to the Feb. 1 ceremony at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Only recordings commercially released in the U.S. between Aug. 31, 2024, and Aug. 30, 2025, are eligible, excluding Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Adele from this year's nominations.
Topping the field, Kendrick Lamar earned nine nominations, boosting his career total to 66 with 22 wins and three Big Four nods including album of the year for GNX.
A pair of new categories joins the ballot this year: Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album, while former nominees Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii and Chappell Roan will present with Recording Academy president Harvey Mason Jr.
Notably, three albums are up for both rap album and album of the year, including GNX, Carpenter's Man's Best Friend, and Mayhem, with Debí Tirar Más Fotos only the second all-Spanish album nominated for top prize.

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