Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar are the leading contenders for the 2026 Grammy Awards, with K-Pop achieving a historic milestone by breaking into the song of the year category for the very first time.
For the second consecutive year, the Compton rapper Lamar has secured the highest number of nominations, with a total of nine. These include a coveted nomination for album of the year for his sleek and fiery record, GNX.
Gaga is also a contender for the ceremony’s top prize for Mayhem, an album that delves into her personal history and signals a return to her electro-pop origins. She has received seven nominations in total.
In a landmark moment, two K-Pop songs have been shortlisted for song of the year: the frothy pop hit APT by Rosé and Bruno Mars, and Golden by Hunter/x, the breakout single from the Netflix animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters.
Both Gaga and Lamar have each been nominated for album of the year on five previous occasions, yet neither has ever won the coveted gold gramophone in that category.
Lamar is considered the early frontrunner, fresh from multiple wins for his razor-sharp diss track Not Like Us at the 2025 Grammy ceremony.
Should he succeed in winning album of the year next February, GNX would become the first rap album to claim the night’s top honor since Outkast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below achieved the feat in 2004.
He faces formidable competition from fellow rap innovator Tyler, The Creator and his wildly inventive album Chromakopia; as well as the reunited hip-hop duo Clipse, whose release Let God Sort Em Out is their first since 2009.
This marks the first occasion in Grammy history that three rap albums have been included on the shortlist for album of the year.
Also nominated is Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny—who is separately scheduled to headline next year’s Super Bowl half-time show.
He is recognized for his musically ambitious album Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which blends live instrumentation with the hip-swaying rhythm of reggaeton and more traditional Puerto Rican styles like plena.
This is only the second time an entirely Spanish-language album has been shortlisted for this prize. The first was Bad Bunny’s own 2022 release, Un Verano Sin Ti.
The ‘big four’ awards
Song of the year
- Lady Gaga – Abracadabra
- Doechii – Anxiety
- Rosé & Bruno Mars – APT
- Bad Bunny – DtMF (pictured)
- Hunter/x – Golden
- Kendrick Lamar feat SZA – Luther
- Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild
- Billie Eilish – Wildflower
Record of the year
- Bad Bunny – DtMF
- Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild
- Doechii – Anxiety
- Billie Eilish – Wildflower
- Lady Gaga – Abracadabra
- Kendrick Lamar feat SZA – Luther
- Chappell Roan – The Subway
- Rosé & Bruno Mars – APT
Album of the year
- Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos
- Justin Bieber – Swag
- Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
- Clipse, Pusha T & Malice – Let God Sort Em Out
- Lady Gaga – Mayhem
- Kendrick Lamar – GNX
- Leon Thomas – Mutt
- Tyler, the Creator – Chromakopia
Best new artist
- Olivia Dean
- Katseye
- The Marias
- Addison Rae
- Sombr
- Leon Thomas
- Alex Warren
- Lola Young
All the main nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards
Rosé, who is a member of the phenomenally successful girl group Blackpink, has become the first K-Pop idol to be shortlisted for any of the Grammys’ “Big Four” awards.
APT, which creatively riffs on Toni Basil’s 1980s classic Mickey, has also been nominated for best pop duet; while its co-writer, Amy Allen, is a contender for songwriter of the year.
Huntr/x are the first animated band to secure a nomination in one of the main categories, although Damon Albarn’s cel-shaded band Gorillaz previously won the best pop collaboration award for their 2005 hit Feel Good Inc.
Sabrina Carpenter, who won two Grammys last year, has earned a further six nominations for the 2026 ceremony. These include best album, best pop album, and song of the year for her rootin’-tootin’ country-pop crossover track, Manchild.
Alex Warren, whose devotional love song Ordinary is the year’s most popular single in the UK, has received a best new artist nomination but was otherwise overlooked.
In other categories, actor Timothee Chalamet is nominated for best compilation soundtrack for his album of Bob Dylan songs from the film biopic A Complete Unknown.
Additionally, the Dalai Lama is a contender against the autobiography of Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan, among others, in the shortlist for best audiobook.
British stars Olivia Dean and Lola Young are following in the footsteps of Adele and Amy Winehouse with nominations in the best new artist category, where they will compete against US pop star influencer Addison Rae and the global girl group Katseye.
Young’s hit song Messy is also nominated for best pop solo performance. The Isle of Wight indie band Wet Leg are nominated for best alternative album (for Moisturizer) and best alternative song (Mangetout)—both prizes they previously won at the 2023 ceremony.
They are also contenders for best album cover, a newly-created category for 2025.
The Cure have received two nominations following the release of their first new album in 16 years, while Cynthia Erivo also has two nominations, including one for Defying Gravity, her Wicked duet with Ariana Grande.
Alt-pop artists FKA Twigs and PinkPantheress will compete directly for best dance album; while Doncaster-born Yungblud has received his first ever Grammy nominations—for best rock album (Idols), best rock song (Zombie), and best rock performance.
The latter nomination recognizes his live rendition of Black Sabbath’s Changes at Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell concert in Birmingham this summer. Fittingly, his nominations were revealed by Osbourne’s wife Sharon and son Jack.
Sir Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s collaboration, Who Believes in Angels, has received a nomination for best traditional pop vocal album.
Girl group Flo, dance acts Disclosure and Fred Again, metal group Sleep Token, rapper Skepta and pop star Raye are among the other UK names featured on the shortlists.
However, Grammy favourites Coldplay were frozen out this year, receiving no nominations for their 10th album, Moon Music. Many industry pundits had forecast they would make the best song shortlist for the tender ballad All My Love.
Who has the most nominations?
- Kendrick Lamar – nine
- Lady Gaga – seven
- Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Leon Thomas – six
Almost 23,000 entries were submitted for the 2026 Grammy awards. The most competitive field was for song of the year, which received 1,015 entries.
The least populated category was best compilation soundtrack for visual media, with just 48 entries.
Once the submissions are screened and verified, the voting members take over. Nearly 15,000 musicians, critics, and music industry professionals cast ballots to decide the final nominees.
After the publication of the shortlist, a final round of voting will take place between 12 December and 5 January. The winners will be announced at a star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles on 1 February 2026.