All You Need to Know About the 2026 Grammys: Dates, Nominees, and Predictions
The road to the 68th Annual Grammy Awards is officially underway. The 2026 nominations paint a clear picture of where music is heading right now: global, fluid, and fearless about crossing lines. Set to take place on February 1, 2026, at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, this year’s Grammys will spotlight 95 categories, reflecting an industry that continues to stretch beyond neat genre boundaries. The ceremony will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+, bringing the biggest night in music to a worldwide audience.
At the center of the conversation is Kendrick Lamar, who leads the pack with nine nominations. His presence spans the General Field and genre-specific categories, including major nods tied to GNX and his collaboration “Luther” with SZA. It’s another reminder of Kendrick’s ability to balance critical respect with cultural impact.
Bad Bunny is equally impossible to ignore. His album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS lands in the Album of the Year race, while “DtMF” earns a Record of the Year nomination. Once again, Latin music isn’t sitting on the sidelines—it’s shaping the main event. Lady Gaga rounds out the top tier of contenders. Securing nominations across major categories and reinforcing her long-standing role as a pop artist, she consistently adapts without losing her edge.
This year also brings notable structural changes. Two new categories make their debut: Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover, signaling renewed attention to both roots-based craftsmanship and visual storytelling in music. It’s a small but telling shift that suggests the Academy is listening closely to how artists express identity beyond streaming numbers.
As always, Grammy winners will be selected by the Recording Academy’s voting members, a peer-based body of artists, producers, songwriters, and engineers. Love it or critique it, this system remains the Grammys’ defining feature: music judged by the people who make it.
Several races this year are extraordinarily close:
Album of the Year
Dave Free
Front-runners: Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Lady Gaga – MAYHEM, Kendrick Lamar – GNX
Other nominees: Justin Bieber – Swag, Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend, Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out, Leon Thomas – Mutt, Tyler, the Creator – CHROMAKOPIA
Predicted winner: GNX
Record of the Year
Front-runners: Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra,” Kendrick Lamar with SZA – “Luther,” ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Other nominees: Bad Bunny – “DtMF,” Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild,” Doechii – “Anxiety,” Billie Eilish – “Wildflower,” Chappell Roan – “The Subway”
Predicted winner: “Luther”
Song of the Year
Front-runners: “APT.,” “Golden,” “Luther”
Other nominees: “Abracadabra,” “Anxiety,” “DtMF,” “Manchild,” “Wildflower”
Predicted winner: “Golden”
Best New Artist
Raymond Alva
Front-runners: Olivia Dean, Leon Thomas, Lola Young
Other nominees: KATSEYE, The Marías, Addison Rae, sombr, Alex Warren
Predicted winner: Leon Thomas
Other notable categories and front-runners:
- Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Cirkut, Blake Mills, Sounwave
- Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical: Amy Allen, Edgar Barrera, Tobias Jesso Jr.
- Best Pop Vocal Album: Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter
- Best Contemporary Country Album: Tyler Childers, Eric Church, Jelly Roll
- Best Album Cover: Bad Bunny, Tyler, the Creator, Djo
Start your journey with MPT Agency!
