2026 Grammy Nominations Revealed: Kendrick Lamar Leads the Pack

Kendrick Lamar is heading into the 2026 Grammy Awards as the biggest nominee, the Recording Academy announced during its livestream on Friday.

The rapper received nine nominations, including top honors for album, record, and song of the year for his album GNX and its hit single “Luther.” Lamar now has 66 career nominations and is looking to build on last year’s success, when he won record and song of the year for “Not Like Us.”

He faces stiff competition in the general categories from Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, and Sabrina Carpenter. Gaga is the second-most-nominated artist this year with seven nods. Her album Mayhem earned a spot in the album of the year category, while her single “Abracadabra” received nominations for both record and song of the year.

Bad Bunny earned six nominations for his album DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS, with the title track “DtMF” also in contention for record and song of the year. Carpenter, who continues to dominate the major categories for a second year in a row, received six nominations, including album of the year for Man’s Best Friend and record and song of the year for “Manchild.”

Record of the year features a competitive field with Lamar, Gaga, Carpenter, and Bad Bunny going up against Doechii’s “Anxiety,” Billie Eilish’s “WILDFLOWER,” Chappell Roan’s “The Subway,” and Rosé and Bruno Mars’ hit “APT.” Song of the year is similar, with KPop Demon Hunters’ viral hit taking the final spot instead of “The Subway.”

The album of the year race also includes Justin Bieber, who received his first nomination in the category since 2022 for Swag, alongside Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out, Tyler, the Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA, and Leon Thomas’ breakthrough album MUTT.

Thomas, who has six nominations this year, is also up for best new artist against contenders like Addison Rae, Sombr, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, KATSEYE, The Marias, and Alex Warren. Some notable snubs include Alex Warren’s hit “Ordinary” and Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True,” both of which were widely expected to receive nominations.

Other artists with multiple nods include Clipse, SZA, Tyler, the Creator, and Turnstile, each with five nominations. Doechii also earned five nominations this year for “Anxiety,” including best rap performance, best rap song, and best music video.

Producers and songwriters were also recognized, with Jack Antonoff earning seven nominations for his work on GNX and Man’s Best Friend, though he was not nominated for producer of the year. Amy Allen, who co-wrote every track on Man’s Best Friend and contributed to “APT,” earned four nominations and is in the running for songwriter of the year.

Record Of The Year

“DtMF” – Bad Bunny
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Anxiety” – Doechii
“WILDFLOWER” – Billie Eilish
“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
“luther” – Kendrick Lamar With SZA
“The Subway” – Chappell Roan
“APT.” – ROSÉ, Bruno Mars

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, Pusha T & Malice
MAYHEM — Lady Gaga
GNX — Kendrick Lamar
MUTT — Leon Thomas
CHROMAKOPIA — Tyler, The Creator

Song of the Year

“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga, Henry Walter & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga)
“Anxiety” – Jaylah Hickmon, songwriter (Doechii)
“APT.” – Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars,
Chae Young Park, Theron Thomas & Henry Walter, songwriters (ROSÉ, Bruno Mars)
“DtMF” – Marco Daniel Borrero, Scott Dittrich, Benjamin Falik, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Hugo René Sención Sanabria, Tyler Thomas Spry & Roberto José Rosado Torres, songwriters (Bad Bunny)
“Golden [From “KPop Demon Hunters”]” – EJAE & Mark Sonnenblick, songwriters (HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)
“luther” – Jack Antonoff, Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Matthew Bernard, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Ink, Kendrick Lamar, Solána Rowe, Mark Anthony Spears & Kamasi Washington, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar With SZA)
“Manchild” – Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter)
“WILDFLOWER” – Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

Best New Artist

Olivia Dean
KATSEYE
The Marias
Addison Rae
sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Dan Auerbach
Cirkut
Dijon
Blake Mills
Sounwave

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

Amy Allen
Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Tobias Jesso Jr.
Laura Veltz

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

“Defying Gravity” – Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
“Golden [From “KPop Demon Hunters”]” – HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI
“Gabriela” – KATSEYE
“APT.” – ROSÉ, Bruno Mars
“30 For 30” – SZA With Kendrick Lamar

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 Dance Pop Recording

“Bluest Flame” – Selena Gomez & benny blanco
“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
“Midnight Sun” – Zara Larsson
“Just Keep Watching (From “F1® The Movie”)” – Tate McRae
“Illegal” – PinkPantheress

Best Rock Song

“As Alive As You Need Me To Be” – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, songwriters (Nine Inch Nails)
“Caramel” – Vessel1 & Vessel2, songwriters (Sleep Token)
“Glum” – Daniel James & Hayley Williams, songwriters (Hayley Williams)
“NEVER ENOUGH” – Daniel Fang, Franz Lyons, Pat McCrory, Meg Mills & Brendan Yates, songwriters
(Turnstile)
“Zombie” – Dominic Harrison & Matt Schwartz, songwriters (YUNGBLUD)

Best Alternative Music Album

SABLE, fABLE – Bon Iver
Songs Of A Lost World – The Cure
DON’T TAP THE GLASS – Tyler, The Creator
moisturizer – Wet Leg
Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party – Hayley Williams

Best R&B Performance

“YUKON” – Justin Bieber
“It Depends” – Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller
“Folded” – Kehlani
“MUTT (Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk)” – Leon Thomas
“Heart Of A Woman” – Summer Walker

Best Rap Album

Let God Sort Em Out – Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
GLORIOUS – GloRilla
God Does Like Ugly – JID
GNX – Kendrick Lamar
CHROMAKOPIA – Tyler, The Creator

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 Americana Album

BIG MONEY – Jon Batiste
Bloom – Larkin Poe
Last Leaf On The Tree – Willie Nelson
So Long Little Miss Sunshine – Molly Tuttle
Middle – Jesse Welles

Best Latin Pop Album

Cosa Nuestra – Rauw Alejandro
BOGOTÁ (DELUXE) – Andrés Cepeda
Tropicoqueta – KAROL G
Cancionera – Natalia Lafourcade
¿Y ahora qué? – Alejandro Sanz

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television)

How To Train Your Dragon – John Powell, composer
Severance: Season 2 – Theodore Shapiro, composer
Sinners – Ludwig Göransson, composer
Wicked – John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers
The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers, composer

The full list is available on the Grammys’ website.

This year’s Grammy nominations show a mix of established stars and rising talent, making it one of the most exciting years in recent memory.

Kendrick Lamar leading the pack is no surprise, but the strong showings from Gaga, Bad Bunny, and Carpenter highlight the diversity and creativity shaping today’s music scene. I’m particularly curious to see whether the younger artists, like Leon Thomas and Doechii, can take home big wins. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments.