The 2026 Grammy nominations were announced Friday, kicking off music’s biggest awards season with plenty of excitement and a few disappointments.
Kendrick Lamar leads the pack with nine nominations, reaffirming his place as one of the industry’s most celebrated artists. While some familiar names dominated, others were noticeably missing.
Despite the success of Role Model’s chart-topping single “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” and Lorde’s critically acclaimed summer album “Virgin,” both artists were completely shut out from nominations. Producer Jack Antonoff, long considered a Grammy favorite, was left off the ballot for Producer of the Year despite his work on several major projects that were nominated.
Lamar’s dominance comes as little surprise. His latest album “GNX” earned nominations for both Album of the Year and Record of the Year with “luther,” featuring SZA. The collaboration also appears in the Song of the Year category.
Lamar faces strong competition from Bad Bunny, whose album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” and single “DtMF” earned nominations in both top categories. He competes against pop icons Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish, all of whom secured recognition in both Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend” emerged as one of the year’s major pop contenders as her single “Manchild” joins Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” Eilish’s “Wildflower” and Doechii’s “Anxiety” in the Record of the Year race, a lineup that promotes the Grammy’s increasingly genre-blended nomination landscape.
In the Album of the Year category, the field is equally varied, with both Lamar and Bad Bunny competing alongside a mix of established legends and rising stars. Notable Album of the Year nominees include Justin Bieber for “SWAG,” Gaga for “MAYHEM” Tyler, the Creator for “Chromakopia” and Leon Thomas for “MUTT.”
Thomas’ “MUTT” earned him both album recognition and a “Best New Artist” nomination. The brother hip-hop duo, Clipse, also reunited for “Let God Sort ’Em Out,” marking a celebrated return for the two that also landed them a spot in the top category.
The Song of the Year nominees reflect a diverse mix of writers and influences. In addition to Lamar’s “luther” and Carpenter’s “Manchild,” nominations went to Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” Eilish’s “Wildflower” and Bad Bunny’s “DtMF.”
Also recognized was “Golden,” a standout from the hit animated film “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” a strong nod to the Grammys’ growing recognition of Korean and international artists.
Perhaps the biggest surprise came in the Best New Artist category. KATSEYE, the multinational K-pop girl group formed through HYBE and Geffen’s global competition, made history as one of the first K-pop acts to appear in a general category. It joins an international lineup of emerging artists including Olivia Dean, The Marías, Addison Rae, Sombr, Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young.
While new names made waves, several established artists found themselves on the outside looking in. Lorde’s “Virgin,” widely regarded as one of the year’s most introspective and artful pop albums, failed to earn any nominations.
Role Model’s streaming success and radio appeal were not enough to secure recognition either. Antonoff’s absence was another unexpected outcome, suggesting the Recording Academy may be shifting focus away from familiar industry fixtures.
Meanwhile, two of the music world’s most powerful names, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, were not eligible this year, having released no new material during the eligibility period of Aug. 31, 2024, to Aug. 30, 2025. Their absence leaves space for newer and more international voices to dominate the field.
The nominations signal a continued evolution in the Grammys’ approach, one that embraces artists pushing the boundaries of genre and geography. From Lamar’s socially conscious lyricism to Bad Bunny’s global reach and K-pop’s growing prominence, this year’s lineup captures a moment of experimentation and cultural crossover in popular music.
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on Sunday, Feb. 9, from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. This year’s ceremony is on track to be one of the most surprising award shows yet.
