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Going into nominations for the Grammys, the field seemed less certain than in years past, if only because the Recording Academy’s usual favorites weren’t eligible. Though Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl will likely get a handful of nods in 2027, its October release date placed it outside of this year’s window; Beyoncé and Billie Eilish, who were both feted at the awards this past February, didn’t have eligible albums either. (Nevertheless, Eilish did take home two nominations for “WILDFLOWER,” a single from her 2024 album, Hit Me Hard and Soft.) But Lady Gaga’s Mayhem and Kendrick Lamar’s GNX, both considered career high points, were eligible—and as expected, both were included on the list for album of the year, as was Justin Bieber’s surprise album Swag. Lamar and Gaga are perennial nominees and industry favorites, but neither has ever pulled off an album of the year win. (Kendrick’s 2018 album Damn ultimately earned the rapper a Pulitzer Prize—but on Grammy night, it was edged out by Bruno Mars’s 24K Magic for the top prize.) For years, the Grammy Awards has had an uneasy relationship with major pop stars. Perhaps the conflict is be best summed up by Ariana Grande’s classic quip to a longtime producer of the Grammys: “It was when my creativity and self expression was stifled by you, that I decided not to attend,” she wrote on social media after she backed out of a performance at the 2019 awards. Other major stars, like Drake and The Weeknd, eventually announced that they would not submit their albums for consideration at all. As of Billie Eilish’s record-breaking sweep of the major categories in 2020, however, the pop charts and the Grammy award honorees have started to see much more overlap. In 2025, the show featured performances from every single artist nominated for the best new artist prize, including Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, and Chappell Roan, who took home the prize. This year’s category includes breakout artist Sombr, pop newcomer Addison Rae, and TikToker-turned-chart dominator Alex Warren, making for a great showcase of talent come February 1. Perhaps whoever wins will get to see Gaga or Kendrick take home the night’s most sought-after trophy as well. Look below for a full list of major nominees at the Grammys 2026. 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 RECORD OF THE YEAR “DtMF,” Bad Bunny “Manchild,” Sabrina Carpenter “Abracadabra,” Lady Gaga “WILDFLOWER,” Billie Eilish “Luther,” Kendrick Lamar with SZA “The Subway,” Chappell Roan “APT.,” Rosé and Bruno Mars SONG OF THE YEAR “Abracadabra,” Lady Gaga “Anxiety,” Doechii “APT.” Bruno Mars and Rosé “DtMF,” Bad Bunny “Golden,” KPop Demon Hunters “luther,” Kendrick Lamar w/ SZA “Manchild,” Sabrina Carpenter “WILDFLOWER,” Billie Eilish BEST NEW ARTIST Olivia Dean Addison Rae Leon Thomas Alex Warren BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE “Daises,” Justin Bieber “Manchild,” Sabrina Carpenter “Disease,” Lady Gaga “The Subway,” Chappell Roan “Messy,” Lola Young BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM SWAG, Justin Bieber Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter Something Beautiful, Miley Cyrus MAYHEM, Lady Gaga I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2), Teddy Swims BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE “Defying Gravity,” Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande “Golden,” HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI “Gabriela,” Katseye “APT.” Rosé and Bruno Mars “30 for 30,” SZA w/ Kendrick Lamar BEST RAP ALBUM Let God Sort ‘Em Out, Clipse Glorious, GloRilla God Does Like Ugly, JID GNX, Kendrick Lamar Chromakopia, Tyler, The Creator BEST RAP PERFORMANCE “Outside,” Cardi B “Chains & Whips,” Clipse (Pusha T & Malice with Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams “Anxiety,” Doechii “tv off,” Kenrick Lamar with Lefty Gunplay “Darling, I,” Tyler, the Creator with Teezo Touchdown BEST TRADITIONAL COUNTRY ALBUM Dollar A Day, Charley Crockett American Romance, Lukas Nelson Oh What A Beautiful World, Willie Nelson Hard Headed Woman, Margo Price Ain’t In It For My Health, Zach Top BEST CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY ALBUM Patterns, Kelsea Ballerini Snipe Hunter, Tyler Childers Evangeline Vs. The Machine, Eric Church Beautifully Broken, Jelly Roll Postcards From Texas, Miranda Lambert BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE “Nose On The Grindstone,” Tyler Childers “Good News,” Shaboozey “Bad As I Used To Be (From F1 The Movie),” Chris Stapleton “I Never Lie,” Zach Top “Somewhere Over Laredo,” Lainey Wilson BEST COUNTRY SONG “Bitin’ List,” Tyler Childers “Good News,” Shaboozey “I Never Lie,” Zach Top “Somewhere Over Laredo,” Lainey Wilson “A Song To Sing,” Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton BEST ROCK ALBUM Private Music, Deftones I Quit, Haim From Zero, Linkin Park NEVER ENOUGH, Turnstile Idols, Yungblud BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE “U Should Not Be Doing That,” Amyl and The Sniffers “The Emptiness Machine,” Linkin Park “NEVER ENOUGH,” Turnstile “Mirtazapine,” Hayley Williams “Changes (Live From Villa Park) Back To The Beginning,” YUNGBLUD with Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, and Adam Wakeman, II BEST ROCK SONG “As Alive As You Need Me To Be,” Nine Inch Nails “Caramel,” Sleep Token “Glum,” Hayley Williams “NEVER ENOUGH,” Turnstile “Zombie,” Yungblud BEST R&B ALBUM Beloved, Givéon Why Not More? Coco Jones The Crown, Ledisi Escape Room, Teyana Taylor MUTT, Leon Thomas BEST R&B PERFORMANCE “YUKON,” Justin Bieber “It Depends,” Chris Brown with Bryson Tiller “Folded,” Kehlani “MUTT (Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk),” Leon Thomas “Heart Of A Woman,” Summer Walker SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR Edgar Barrera Jessie Jo Dillion Tobias Jesso Jr. Laura Veltz PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Dan Auerbach Blake Mills BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA A Complete Unknown, Timothée Chalamet F1 The Album, Various Artists KPop Demon Hunters, Various Artists Sinners, Various Artists Wicked, Various Artists BEST MUSIC VIDEO “Young Lion,” Sade Sophie Muller, video director; Sade & Aaron Taylor Dean, video producers “Manchild,” Sabrina Carpenter Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia, video directors; Aiden Magarian, Nathan Scherrer & Natan Schottenfels, video producers “So Be It,” Clipse Hannan Hussain, video director; Daniel Order, video producer “Anxiety,” Doechii James Mackel, video director; Pablo Feldman, Jolene Mendes & Sophia Sabella, video producers “Love,” OK Go Aaron Duffy, Miguel Espada & Damian Kulash Jr., video directors; Petra Ahmann, video producer
