2026 Grammy nominations: Kendrick Lamar tops music nominees list – Nationwide

The list of nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards has been announced, and rising rapper Kendrick Lamar is leading the way.

Lamar will win nine trophies at the February ceremony: record, song and album of the year (the third time he's been nominated in these big categories at the same time), pop duo/group performance, melodic rap performance, rap song and rap album. He has also been nominated twice in the rap performance category.

The Not Like Us rapper has won a total of 22 Grammy Awards and has been nominated a total of 66 times. His album GNX was the fifth consecutive studio album to be nominated for Album of the Year, something no other artist has ever accomplished. If they win, it will be their first win in the division. This is the third rap album to win the top award, following Speakerboxxxx/The Love Below's “Outkast'' in 2004 and Lauryn Hill's “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' in 1999.

The nine nominations for Lamar's album GNX are part of a wave of hip-hop albums competing in the top categories, including Tyler, the Creator's Chromacopia, Let God Sort 'Em Out from Clipse, Pusha T and Malice.

Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff and Canadian record producer and songwriter Cirkat followed Lamar with seven nominations each.

Cirkat has been named both Record of the Year and Song of the Year twice, for Lady Gaga's “Abracadabra” and Rosé and Bruno Mars' “APT.” — Also won Album of the Year and Best Dance-Pop Recording.

Other top nominees include Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Leon Thomas, and Justin Bieber.

Bad Bunny's “Debi Tilal Mas Fotos” marks the second time an all-Spanish album has been nominated for the top prize. This comes three years after Bad Bunny's release Un Verano Sin Ti became the first Spanish-language album to be nominated for Album of the Year.

This year's nominations were announced during a video livestream with a host of talent including Doechii, Gayle King, Karol G, Lizzo, Mumford & Sons, Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Smith, David Foster, Chapel Lawn and more.

Only recordings commercially released in the United States between August 31, 2024 and August 30, 2025 were eligible for nomination.

The Grammy Awards are making changes to the Best Country Album category this year, following Beyoncé's historic win for Album of the Year and Best Country Album for “Cowboy Carter” at the 2025 Grammy Awards. The category has now been split into two, creating a category for Best Traditional Country Album. The existing Best Country Album category has been renamed to Best Contemporary Country Album.

The 2026 Grammy Awards will be held live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 1st. The organizer has not yet been announced.

Please see the list of nominees in the main categories below.

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Album of the year

Bad Bunny, Debi Tilard Mass Photography
stolen goods, justin bieber
Sabrina Carpenter, Man's Best Friend
Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
Mayhem, Lady Gaga
GNX, Kendrick Lamar
Matt, Leon Thomas
Chromacopia, Tyler the Creator

Best record of the year

DtMF, Bad Bunny
Manchild, Sabrina Carpenter
Anxiety, anxiety
wildflower, billie eilish
abracadabra, lady gaga
Luther, Kendrick Lamar, SZA
APT., Rose & Bruno Mars
The Subway, Chapel Lawn

song of the year

abracadabra, lady gaga
Anxiety, anxiety
APT., Rose & Bruno Mars
DtMF, Bad Bunny
Golden (From KPop Demon Hunters), HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami
Luther, Kendrick Lamar, SZA
Manchild, Sabrina Carpenter
wildflower, billie eilish

best music video

young lion sade
Manchild, Sabrina Carpenter
That's fine, Clipse.
Anxiety, anxiety
Love, OK go

Best pop solo performance

Daisies, Justin Bieber
Manchild, Sabrina Carpenter
sick lady gaga
The Subway, Chapel Lawn
Messy, Laura Young

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Award

Defying Gravity, Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
Golden (from KPop Demon Hunters), HUNTER/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami
Gabriella, Katsy
APT., Rose, Bruno Mars
30 for 30, SZA & Kendrick Lamar

Best pop vocal album

stolen goods, justin bieber
Sabrina Carpenter, Man's Best Friend
Something Beautiful, Miley Cyrus
Mayhem, Lady Gaga
I Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2), Teddy Swims

best new artist

olivia dean
cutlet eye
marias
Addison Rae
Sombre
laura young
leon thomas
alex warren

Best rap performance

Cardi B outside
Chains & Whips, Clipse, Pusha T & Malice featuring Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams
Anxiety, anxiety
Off TV, Kendrick Lamar features left-handed gunplay
Darling, I, Tyler, The Creator Featuring Tizo Touchdown

Best melodic rap performance

Proud of Me, Friday Featuring Meek Mill
Sincerely, JID featuring Ty Dolla $ign & 6Lack
Luther, Kendrick Lamar, SZA
Rhapsody featuring Weemaji, Terrace Martin, and Kenyon Dixon
Somebody Loves Me, Party Next Door, Drake

best rap song

Anxiety, anxiety
The Birds Don't Sing, Clipse, Pusha T & Malice featuring John Legend & Voice of Fire
Sticky, Tyler, The Creator Featuring Glorilla, Sexy Red, Lil Wayne
TGIF, Glorilla
Off TV, Kendrick Lamar features left-handed gunplay

best rap album

Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
Glorious, Glorilla
God likes ugly things, JID
GNX, Kendrick Lamar
Chromacopia, Tyler the Creator

Best R&B Performance

yukon, justin bieber
It Depends, Chris Brown featuring Bryson Tiller
fold, kehlani
Matt (Live From NPR's Tiny Desk), Leon Thomas
Woman's Heart, Summer Walker

Best Traditional R&B Performance Award

Here We Are, Durand Bernhardt
Uptown, Leila Hathaway
I love you too, Ledisi
Crybaby, SZA
Vibes Don't Lie Leon Thomas

Best R&B Song

current trends

fold, kehlani
Woman's Heart, Summer Walker
It Depends, Chris Brown featuring Bryson Tiller
Overqualified, Durand Bernard
Yes, Leon Thomas

Best R&B Album

My beloved, Gion
Why Not More?, Coco Jones
The Crown, Ledisi
Escape Room, Teyana Taylor
Matt, Leon Thomas

Best dance pop recording

Bluest Flame, Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco
abracadabra, lady gaga
Midnight Sun, Zara Larsson
Juice Keep Watching, Tate McRae
Illegal, pink pantherless

Best Dance/Electronic Music Album

Eusequa, FKA Twigs
Ten days later, Fred again…
Fancy That, Pink Pantherless
Inhale/Exhale, Rufus du Sol
F*** U Skrillex You think you're Andy Warhol, but you're not!! <3, Skrillex

best rock album

private music, deftones
Stop it, Heim.
Linkin Park from scratch
There's never enough turnstiles
idol, youngblood

best rock song

As Alive As You Need Me To Be, Nine Inch Nails
caramel, sleep token
Gram, Hale Williams
There's never enough turnstiles
zombie, youngblood

best rock performance

You shouldn't do that, Amir and Sniffers.
Emptiness Machine, Linkin Park
There's never enough turnstiles
Mirtazapine, Hayley Williams
Changes (Live From Villa Park) Back to the Beginning, YUNGBLUD featuring Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, Adam Wakeman, II

best metal performance

night terror, dream theater
lacrima, ghost
spawn, sleep token
soft spine, spirit box
bird, ticket gate

Best Alternative Music Album

Sables, Fables, Bon Iver
Lost World Song, The Cure
Don't hit the glass, Tyler the Creator
moisturizer, wet legs
Ego death, Hayley Williams at bachelorette party

Best Contemporary Country Album

pattern, kelsea ballerini
Snipe Hunter, Tyler Childers
Evangeline vs. the Machine, Eric Church
Beautifully crumbling jelly roll
Postcard from Texas, Miranda Lambert

Best Traditional Country Album Award

$1 a day Charlie Crockett
American Romance, Lukas Nelson
Oh what a beautiful world Willie Nelson
Margo Price, the tough woman
Not for my health, Zack Top.

Best Country Solo Performance

Nose on the Grindstone, Tyler Childers
Good news, Shabuzi.
Bad as old times, Chris Stapleton
I never lie, Zack Top
Somewhere in Laredo Rainie Wilson

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

A Song to Sing, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton
Trailblazer, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Laney Wilson
Love Me Like You Used to Do, Margo Price & Tyler Childers
Amen, Shabzi & Jelly Roll
Honky Tonk Hall of Fame, George Strait, Chris Stapleton

best country song

Bittin List, Tyler Childers
Good news, Shabuzi.
I never lie, Zack Top
Somewhere in Laredo Rainie Wilson
A Song to Sing, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton

Best Latin Pop Album

Cosa Nuestra, Rau Alejandro
Bogota (Deluxe) Andres Cepeda
Tropicoketa, Karol G
Cancionella, Natalia Laforcade
“Y ahora qué?”, Alejandro Sanz

Best Comedy Album Award

Drop Dead Years, Bill Burr
Postmortem, Sarah Silverman
Single Lady Ali Wong
What happened…, Jamie Foxx
Your friend, Nate Bargatze, Nate Bargatze

Best musical theater album

Buena Vista Social Club
death becomes her
Gypsy
just in time
Maybe a happy ending

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For a complete list of 2026 Grammy nominees, visit the official Grammy Awards website.

— With files from The Associated Press

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