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Nigerian music heavyweights Davido, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Ayra Starr, and Omah Lay have secured nominations at the 2026 Grammy Awards, reaffirming the country’s strong presence on the global music stage. The 68th annual ceremony is set to hold on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, United States celebrating recordings released between August 31, 2024, and August 30, 2025. This year’s edition introduces two new categories, namely Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover, as part of updates to the GRAMMY Awards process. American rapper, Kendrick Lamar, leads the nominations with nine nods, followed by Lady Gaga with seven, making her the most-nominated female artist for 2026 and earning her fifth Album of the Year nomination with “MAYHEM.” Sabrina Carpenter received her second consecutive Album of the Year nomination with “Man’s Best Friend.” The Best New Artist category features emerging stars such as KATSEYE, Olivia Dean, Addison Rae, Leon Thomas, and Sombr, among others. African acts made a remarkable impression this year, with nine artists from the continent and five from Nigeria earning nominations across the Global and African music categories. Burna Boy stands out with two nominations — Best African Music Performance for “Love” and Best Global Music Album for “No Sign of Weakness” — making him the highest-nominated African artist in the 2025 cycle. Other Nigerian nominees include Davido, Omah Lay, Ayra Starr, and Wizkid, alongside other African stars such as Angélique Kidjo (Benin), Eddy Kenzo (Uganda), Tyla (South Africa), and Youssou N’Dour (Senegal). In the Best African Music Performance category, Nigeria’s dominance shines through, with “Love” by Burna Boy, “With You” by Davido featuring Omah Lay, and “Gimme Dat” by Ayra Starr featuring Wizkid all receiving nominations. Other contenders in the category include “Hope & Love” by Uganda’s Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin, and “PUSH 2 START” by South Africa’s Tyla. In the Best Global Music Album category, Burna Boy will compete with Senegalese legend Youssou N’Dour (Eclairer le Monde – Light the World), Beninese icon Angélique Kidjo (Jerusalema in the performance category), and India’s Anoushka Shankar (Chapter III: We Return to Light). See the full list below: Album of the Year Bad Bunny – DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS Justin Bieber – Swag Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out Lady Gaga – Mayhem Kendrick Lamar – GNX Leon Thomas – Mutt Tyler, the Creator – Chromakopia Record of the Year Bad Bunny – “DtMF” Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild” Doechii – “Anxiety” Billie Eilish – “Wildflower” Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra” Kendrick Lamar with SZA – “Luther” Chappell Roan – “The Subway” Rosé and Bruno Mars – “APT.” Song of the Year Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra” Doechii – “Anxiety” Rosé and Bruno Mars – “APT.” “DtMF” – Bad Bunny Huntr/x (Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami) – “Golden” (from KPop Demon Hunters) Kendrick Lamar with SZA – “Luther” Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild” Billie Eilish – “Wildflower” Best African Music Performance Burna Boy – “Love” Davido Featuring Omah Lay – “With You” Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin – “Hope & Love” Ayra Starr featuring Wizkid – “Gimme Dat” Tyla – “Push 2 Start” Best Global Music Performance Bad Bunny – “EoO” Ciro Hurtado – “Cantando en el Camino” Angélique Kidjo – “Jerusalema” Yeisy Rojas – “Inmigrante Y Que?” Shakti – “Shrini’s Dream” (Live) Anoushka Shankar featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar – “Daybreak” Best New Artist Olivia Dean Addison Rae Leon Thomas Alex Warren Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical Edgar Barrera Jessie Jo Dillon Tobias Jesso Jr. Laura Veltz Producer of the Year, Non-Classical Dan Auerbach Blake Mills Best Pop Solo Performance Justin Bieber – “Daisies” Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild” Lady Gaga – “Disease” Chappell Roan – “The Subway” Lola Young – “Messy” Best Pop Vocal Album Justin Bieber – Swag Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend Miley Cyrus – Something Beautiful Lady Gaga – Mayhem Teddy Swims – I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2) Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande – “Defying Gravity” Huntr/x (Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami) – “Golden” KATSEYE – “Gabriela” Rosé and Bruno Mars – “APT.” SZA with Kendrick Lamar – “30 for 30” Best Dance Pop Recording Selena Gomez & benny blanco – “Bluest Flame” Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra” Zara Larsson – “Midnight Sun” Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching” PinkPantheress – “Illegal” Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Laila Biali – Wintersongs Jennifer Hudson – The Gift Of Love Elton John & Brandi Carlile – Who Believes In Angels? Lady Gaga – Harlequin Laufey – A Matter Of Time Barbra Streisand – The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume 2 Best Dance Electronic Album FKA twigs – Eusexua Fred again.. – Ten Days PinkPantheress – Fancy That Rüfüs Du Sol – Inhale / Exhale Skrillex – Fuck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol But Ur Not!! <3 Best Dance/Electronic Recording Disclosure & Anderson .Paak – “No Cap” Fred again.., Skepta, & PlaqueBoyMax – “Victory Lap” Kaytranada – “Space Invader” Skrillex – “Voltage” Tame Impala – “End of Summer” Best Rock Album Deftones – Private Music Haim – I Quit Linkin Park – From Zero Turnstile – Never Enough Yungblud – Idols Best Rock Song Nine Inch Nails – “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” Sleep Token – “Caramel Hayley Williams – “Glum” Turnstile – “Never Enough” Yungblud – “Zombie” Best Metal Performance Dream Theater – “Night Terror” Ghost – “Lachryma” Sleep Token – “Emergence” Spiritbox – “Soft Spine” Turnstile – “Birds” Best Rock Performance Amyl and The Sniffers – “U Should Not Be Doing That” Linkin Park – “The Emptiness Machine” Turnstile – “Never Enough” Hayley Williams – “Mirtazapine” Yungblud featuring Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, Adam Wakeman, II – “Changes” (Live From Villa Park, Back To The Beginning) Best Alternative Music Performance Bon Iver – “Everything Is Peaceful Love” The Cure – “Alone” Turnstile – “Seein’ Stars” Wet Leg – “Mangetout” Hayley Williams – “Parachute” Best Alternative Music Album Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World Tyler, The Creator – Don’t Tap the Glass Wet Leg – Moisturizer Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party Best R&B Album Givēon – Beloved Coco Jones – Why Not More? Ledisi – The Crown Teyana Taylor – Escape Room Leon Thomas – Mutt Best R&B Song Kehlani – “Folded” Summer Walker – “Heart Of A Woman” Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller – “It Depends” Durand Bernarr – “Overqualified” Leon Thomas – “Yes It Is” Best R&B Performance Justin Bieber – “Yukon” Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller – “It Depends” Kehlani – “Folded” Leon Thomas – “Mutt” (Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk) Summer Walker – “Heart Of A Woman” Best Traditional R&B Performance Durand Bernarr – “Here We Are” Lalah Hathaway – “Uptown” Ledisi – “Love You Too” SZA – “Crybaby” Leon Thomas – “Vibes Don’t Lie” Best Progressive R&B Album Durand Bernarr – Bloom Bilal – Adjust Brightness Destin Conrad – Love on Digital Flo – Access All Areas Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon – Come As You Are Best Spoken Word Poetry Album Queen Sheba – A Hurricane in Heels: healed people don’t act like that (partially recorded live @City Winery & other places) Marc Marcel – Black Shaman Omari Hardwick & Anthony Hamilton – Pages Saul Williams, Carlos Niño & Friends – Saul Williams meets Carlos Niño & Friends At Treepeople Mad Skillz – Words For Days Vol. 1 Best Rap Album Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out GloRilla – Glorious JID – God Does Like Ugly Kendrick Lamar – GNX Tyler, The Creator – Chromakopia Best Rap Song Doechii – “Anxiety” Clipse featuring John Legend and Voices of Fire – “The Birds Don’t Sing” Tyler, The Creator featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Lil Wayne – “Sticky” GloRilla – “TGIF” Kendrick Lamar featuring Lefty Gunplay – “TV Best Melodic Rap Performance Fridayy featuring Meek Mill – “Proud Of Me” JID featuring Ty Dolla $ign & 6Lack – “Wholeheartedly” Kendrick Lamar with SZA – “Luther” Terrace Martin and Kenyon Dixon featuring Rapsody – “WeMaj” PartyNextDoor and Drake – “Somebody Loves Me” Best Rap Performance Cardi B – “Outside” Clipse featuring Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell Williams – “Chains & Whips” Doechii – “Anxiety” Kendrick Lamar featuring Lefty Gunplay – “TV Off” Tyler, The Creator featuring Teezo Touchdown – “Darling, I” Best Música Urbana Album Bad Bunny – DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS J Balvin – Mixteip Feid – Ferxxo Vol X: Sagrado Nicki Nicole – Naiki Trueno – Eub Deluxe Yandel – Sinfónico (En Vivo) Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano) Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera – Mala Mía Grupo Frontera – Y Lo Que Viene Paola Jara – Sin Rodeos Carín León – Palabra De To’s (Seca) Bobby Pulido and Friends Una Tuya Y Una Mía – Por La Puerta Grande (En Vivo) Best Latin Pop Album Rauw Alejandro – Cosa Nuestra Andrés Cepeda – Bogotá (Deluxe) Karol G – Tropicoqueta Natalia Lafourcade – Cancionera Alejandro Sanz – ¿Y ahora qué? Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album Aterciopelados – Genes Rebeldes Astropical – Astropical Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso – Papota Los Wizzards – Algorhythm Fito Paez – Novela Best Tropical Latin Album Rubén Blades, Roberto Delgado & Orquesta – Fotografías Gloria Estefan – Raíces Grupo Niche – Clásicos 1.0 Alain Pérez – Bingo Gilberto Santa Rosa – Debut y Segunda Tanda, Vol. 2 Best Traditional Country Album Charley Crockett – Dollar A Day Lukas Nelson – American Romance Willie Nelson – Oh What A Beautiful World Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman Zach Top – Ain’t In It For My Health Best Contemporary Country Album Kelsea Ballerini – Patterns Tyler Childers – Snipe Hunter Eric Church – Evangeline Vs. The Machine Jelly Roll – Beautifully Broken Miranda Lambert – Postcards From Texas Best Country Solo Performance Tyler Childers – “Nose On The Grindstone” Shaboozey – “Good News” Chris Stapleton – “Bad As I Used To Be” Zach Top – “I Never Lie” Lainey Wilson – “Somewhere Over Laredo” Best Country Duo/Group Performance Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton – “A Song To Sing” Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson – “Trailblazer” Margo Price and Tyler Childers – “Love Me Like You Used To Do” Shaboozey and Jelly Roll – “Amen” George Strait and Chris Stapleton – “Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame” Best Country Song Tyler Childers – “Bitin’ List” Shaboozey – “Good News” Zach Top – “I Never Lie” Lainey Wilson – “Somewhere Over Laredo” Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton – “A Song To Sing” Best American Roots Performance Jon Batiste featuring Randy Newman – “Lonely Avenue” I’m With Her – “Ancient Light” Jason Isbell – “Crimson And Clay” Alison Krauss and Union Station – “Richmond On The James” Mavis Staples – “Beautiful Strangers” Best Americana Performance Sierra Hull – “Boom” Maggie Rose & Grace Potter – “Poison In My Well” Mavis Staples – “Godspeed” Molly Tuttle – “That’s Gonna Leave A Mark” Jesse Welles – “Horses” Best American Roots Song I’m With Her – “Ancient Light” Jon Batiste – “Big Money” Jason Isbell – “Foxes In The Snow” Jesse Welles – “Middle” Sierra Hull – “Spitfire” Best Americana Album Jon Batiste – Big Money Larkin Poe – Bloom Willie Nelson – Last Leaf On The Tree Molly Tuttle – So Long Little Miss Sunshine Jesse Welles – Middle Best Bluegrass Album Michael Cleveland & Jason Carter – Carter & Cleveland Sierra Hull – A Tip Toe High Wire Alison Krauss & Union Station – Arcadia The Steeldrivers – Outrun Billy Strings – Highway Prayers Best Traditional Blues Album Buddy Guy – Ain’t Done With The Blues Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ – Room On The Porch Maria Muldaur – One Hour Mama: The Blues Of Victoria Spivey Charlie Musselwhite – Look Out Highway Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Bobby Rush – Young Fashioned Ways Best Contemporary Blues Album Joe Bonamassa – Breakthrough Samantha Fish – Paper Doll Eric Gales – A Tribute To LJK Robert Randolph – Preacher Kids Southern Avenue – Family Best Folk Album Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson – What Did The Blackbird Say To The Crow Patty Griffin – Crown Of Roses I’m With Her – Wild And Clear And Blue Jason Isbell – Foxes In The Snow Jesse Welles – Under The Powerlines (April 24 – September 24) Best Gospel Performance/Song Kirk Franklin – “Do It Again” Tasha Cobbs Leonard, John Legend – “Church” Jonathan McReynolds & Jamal Roberts – “Still” (Live) Pastor Mike Jr – “Amen” Cece Winans featuring Shirley Caesar – “Come Jesus Come” Best Global Music Album Siddhant Bhatia – Sounds Of Kumbha Burna Boy – No Sign of Weakness Youssou N’Dour – Eclairer le monde – Light the World Shakti – Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live) Anoushka Shankar Featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar – Chapter III: We Return To Light Caetano Veloso And Maria Bethânia – Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo Best Musical Theater Album Buena Vista Social Club Death Becomes Her Just In Time Maybe Happy Ending Best Reggae Album Lila Iké – Treasure Self Love Vybz Kartel – Heart & Soul Keznamdi – Blxxd & Fyah Mortimer – From Within Jesse Royal – No Place Like Home Best Comedy Album Bill Burr – Drop Dead Years Sarah Silverman – PostMortem Ali Wong – Single Lady Jamie Foxx – What Had Happened Was… Nate Bargatze –Your Friend, Nate Bargatze Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording Kathy Garver – Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story Trevor Noah – Into The Uncut Grass Ketanji Brown Jackson – Lovely One: A Memoir Dalai Lama – Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama Fab Morvan – You Know It’s True: The Real Story Of Milli Vanilli Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown Various Artists – F1® The Album Various Artists – KPop Demon Hunters Various Artists – Sinners Various Artists – Wicked Best Song Written For Visual Media Nine Inch Nails – “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” (from Tron: Ares) Huntr/x (Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami) – “Golden” (from KPop Demon Hunters) Miles Caton – “I Lied to You” (from Sinners) Elton John and Brandi Carlile – “Never Too Late” (from Elton John: Never Too Late) Jayme Lawson – “Pale, Pale Moon” (from Sinners) Rod Wave – “Sinners” (from Sinners) Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film and Television) John Powell – How to Train Your Dragon Theodore Shapiro – Severance: Season 2 Ludwig Göransson – Sinners John Powell & Stephen Schwartz – Wicked Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot Best Music Video Sade – “Young Lion” Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild” Clipse – “So Be It” Doechii – “Anxiety” OK Go – “Love” Best Music Film Devo – Devo Raye – Live at the Royal Albert Hall Diane Warren – Relentless John Williams – Music by John Williams Pharrell Williams – Piece by Piece Best Album Cover Tyler, The Creator – Chromakopia (Shaun Llewellyn & Luis “Panch” Perez) Djo – The Crux (William Wesley II) Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos (Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio) Perfume Genius – Glory (Cody Critcheloe & Andrew J.S.) 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