Kendrick Lamar leads the 2026 Grammy nominations with nine total nods, fueled by his chart-topping album, GNX, and No. 1 single “Luther,” with the recognition following the Compton rapper’s five wins in 2025 for “Not Like Us.” Lady Gaga set her career-high with seven nominations, tying her with the total nods received by producers Jack Antonoff and Cirkut, while rising star Leon Thomas, along with Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, and engineer Serban Ghenea, each earned six nods. Bad Bunny makes history by becoming the first Spanish-language artist to earn nominations in the three major categories – Album, Record, and Song of the Year – for his chart-topping album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, and its hit title track, highlighting the increased recognition for Latin music at the Grammys.
Lamar, Gaga, and Carpenter join Bad Bunny as the four artists each nominated for album, record, and song of the year. Notably, the artists with the two biggest commercial releases in 2025, Morgan Wallen and Taylor Swift, are absent from the nominations, with Wallen choosing not to submit his work for Grammy consideration, while Swift didn’t release her album within the eligibility date. Hip-hop is well represented in this year’s list of nominees, highlighted by the multiple nominations for Doechii, Clipse, and Tyler, the Creator, while country music was completely shut out in the major categories. The Grammys other big category, Best New Artist, features Olivia Dean, Katseye, The Marias, Addison Rae, Sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, and Lola Young. The 2026 Grammys will air live on CBS and Paramount+ on February 1. (Variety)
