Grammys 2026: Grammy Nominations 2026, Key Dates, and the Biggest Categories to Watch

The Grammys 2026 season is now in its final stretch, with Grammy nominations 2026 already locked in and the awards ceremony set for Sunday, February 1, 2026. The show airs live in the U.S. during prime time (8:00–11:30 p.m. ET / 5:00–8:30 p.m. PT), with global viewers typically catching it overnight or early the next morning depending on location.

With winners decided by member voting inside the Recording Academy, the main storyline heading into Grammys 2026 is the breadth of the top field: major pop releases, blockbuster rap collaborations, and cross-genre projects all sitting in the same headline categories.

Grammys 2026: Who leads the Grammy nominations 2026?

At the top of the nominations leaderboard is Kendrick Lamar, who leads all nominees with nine nominations. A second tier of contenders sits close behind, including Lady Gaga, plus major behind-the-scenes forces like Cirkut and Jack Antonoff, each with seven nominations. A broader group of artists followed with six nominations apiece, including Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, and Leon Thomas.

That spread matters because it hints at how wide the voting coalition is this year: a mix of chart power, songwriting/production recognition, and projects that traveled across multiple genre fields.

The “Big Four” at Grammys 2026: the headline nominees

The quickest way to understand the shape of Grammy nominations 2026 is to look at the four general-field awards that tend to define the night.

Record of the Year nominees (Grammys 2026)

• “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 nominees (Grammys 2026)

• DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS — Bad Bunny

• SWAG — Justin Bieber

• Man’s Best Friend — Sabrina Carpenter

• Let God Sort Em Out — Clipse, Pusha T & Malice

• MAYHEM — Lady Gaga

• GNX — Kendrick Lamar

• MUTT — Leon Thomas

• CHROMAKOPIA — Tyler, The Creator

Song of the Year nominees (Grammys 2026)

• “Abracadabra” — Lady Gaga

• “Anxiety” — Doechii

• “APT” — ROSÉ & Bruno Mars

• “DtMF” — Bad Bunny

• “Golden” (from KPop Demon Hunters) — HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)

• “Luther” — Kendrick Lamar with SZA

• “Manchild” — Sabrina Carpenter

• “WILDFLOWER” — Billie Eilish

Best New Artist nominees (Grammy nominations 2026)

• Olivia Dean

• KATSEYE

• The Marías

• Addison Rae

• sombr

• Leon Thomas

• Alex Warren

• Lola Young

What’s new at Grammys 2026: category changes and why they matter

Beyond the big categories, Grammys 2026 introduces two new awards designed to recognize areas that have grown in influence and craft:

• Best Traditional Country Album

• Best Album Cover

The overall ballot remains sprawling, and these additions underline a recurring theme: the Grammys continue to expand recognition not only for performers, but for the wider ecosystem of creators shaping how music sounds and looks.

Practical guide: what time is the Grammys 2026 show in your time zone?

If you’re outside the U.S., the time conversion is usually the biggest source of confusion. Using the live U.S. start time (8:00 p.m. ET), viewers typically see:

• UK (GMT): 1:00 a.m. (early Monday)

• Cairo: 3:00 a.m. (early Monday)

Times can shift slightly depending on local daylight rules and the broadcast schedule where you live, but the “overnight” pattern holds for much of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

What to watch next as Grammy nominations 2026 turn into winners

With ballots set, the final days before the ceremony usually revolve around three things:

• Momentum swings from late performances, appearances, and campaign visibility

• Vote-splitting in crowded fields, especially when multiple major projects pull from similar audiences

• Genre-to-general crossovers, where a record earns strong support in its home category and also competes for the biggest awards

In short: Grammy nominations 2026 already show a wide-open Grammys 2026 race, with several artists positioned to win multiple trophies—yet enough overlap in the biggest categories to keep the final outcome unpredictable until envelopes open.