grammy nominations 2026 set up a three-way race at music’s top prizes
The grammy nominations 2026 are out, and the biggest categories are shaping up as a tight contest among marquee pop and rap releases, with major crossover contenders showing up repeatedly across the ballot. The nominations also arrive with a few structural tweaks this season, including new category additions that could affect how campaigns are run going forward.
At the top of the list, Kendrick Lamar leads the field with nine nominations, while Lady Gaga follows with seven. Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter each landed six. Nominations were announced Friday, November 7, 2025, with the ceremony set for Sunday, February 1, 2026.
grammy nominations 2026: the headline contenders
The headline story is how concentrated the top-tier nominations are around a small cluster of projects that also show breadth across genres. Bad Bunny appears in the top categories with both recording and album contenders, while Kendrick Lamar’s presence spans high-profile collaborations and general-field recognition. Gaga’s slate is similarly broad, and Carpenter’s year translates into high-visibility placements where voters tend to cluster.
That mix matters because the general-field awards (Record, Album, Song, and Best New Artist) often reflect a blend of commercial reach, cultural saturation, and craft credits—meaning the same projects can pick up momentum across multiple voting blocs.
Big Four snapshot
| Category | Nominees (as listed) |
|---|---|
| Record of the Year | DtMF; Manchild; Anxiety; Wildflower; Abracadabra; Luther; The Subway; Apt. |
| Album of the Year | Debí Tirar Más Fotos; Swag; Man’s Best Friend; Let God Sort Em Out; Mayhem; GNX; Mutt; Chromakopia |
| Song of the Year | Abracadabra; Anxiety; Apt.; DtMF; Golden; Luther; Manchild; Wildflower |
| Best New Artist | Olivia Dean; KATSEYE; The Marías; Addison Rae; sombr; Leon Thomas; Alex Warren; Lola Young |
What the top races suggest
With the same titles recurring across Record and Song, the ballot signals unusually tight alignment between “the recording” and “the composition” lanes this year. That often creates a reinforcing effect: when a single track is dominant in both performance/production recognition and songwriting recognition, it can become the default consensus pick even for voters who split their preferences elsewhere.
Album of the Year, meanwhile, looks like a multi-genre showdown rather than a single-lane pop sweep. The presence of rap, pop, and crossover projects in the same field typically makes campaign narratives—and late-season live performances and visibility—more meaningful than usual.
New categories and category strategy
This cycle adds Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover, a shift that matters beyond the two trophies themselves. A traditional-country album lane can pull certain projects away from broader country fields, while an album cover category elevates visual-art and packaging conversations that were previously spread across other recognition paths.
Recording Academy category changes also tend to influence submissions and label strategy: teams may prioritize “most winnable” placements earlier, then emphasize general-field impact once the final slate is set.
Key dates and what happens next
The ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, February 1, 2026, in Los Angeles, with the main telecast running 8:00–11:30 p.m. ET and a separate premiere ceremony starting at 3:30 p.m. ET. Final-round voting is scheduled to run from December 12, 2025, through January 5, 2026, setting up a concentrated push window where performances, interviews, and late-campaign momentum can still matter.
Between now and show night, watch for how contenders frame their narratives: cross-genre appeal, songwriting credits, and collaboration networks often become decisive differentiators when the general field is this crowded.
Sources consulted: Recording Academy; Associated Press; Los Angeles Times; Pitchfork
