Kendrick Lamar Dominates 2026 Grammy Nominations; Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny Vie for Top Awards

The 68th Annual Grammy Awards are set for February 1, 2026. They will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Trevor Noah returns as host for his sixth year. Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations. He secured nine nods. Lady Gaga and producers Cirkut and Jack Antonoff each have seven nominations. Bad Bunny, Leon Thomas, and Sabrina Carpenter received six nominations. Many other artists earned five nominations. This includes Doechii, SZA, Tyler, The Creator, and Pusha T & Malice of Clipse. The Recording Academy expanded major categories. Album of the Year and Record of the Year now have 10 nominees. This increases the competition. New categories were also introduced. These include Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album. The previous Best Country Album is now Best Contemporary Country Album. This year’s eligibility period covered music released from August 31, 2024, to August 30, 2025.

Top Nominees and Key Contenders

Kendrick Lamar’s album ‘GNX’ is nominated for Album of the Year. This marks his fifth consecutive album nominated in this category. This is a historic achievement. Lamar also received nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for his collaboration with SZA, ‘Luther’. Lady Gaga earned nominations in all three major categories. Her song ‘Abracadabra’ is up for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Her album ‘Mayhem’ is nominated for Album of the Year. This is Gaga’s fifth Album of the Year nomination.

Bad Bunny also made history. He is the first Spanish-language artist nominated in all three major categories. His album ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ is nominated for Album of the Year. His song ‘DtMF’ is nominated for Record and Song of the Year. Bad Bunny has six nominations this year. He has won three Grammys from ten previous nominations.

Notable Performances and Special Moments

Several artists will perform during the ceremony. Lady Gaga is confirmed to perform. Rosé of BLACKPINK will also perform. This marks her first solo performance at the Grammys. She is nominated for three awards for ‘APT.’ with Bruno Mars. Rosé is the first K-pop soloist nominated in major categories. Katseye, a girl group produced by Hybe and Geffen Records, will also perform. They are nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Sabrina Carpenter is set to perform. She has six nominations this year. Justin Bieber will also take the stage. He is nominated for four awards. Leon Thomas is considered a frontrunner for Best New Artist. He received six nominations, including Album of the Year for ‘Mutt’.

All eight nominees for Best New Artist will perform together. This includes Addison Rae, Alex Warren, Katseye, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, Sombr, and The Marías. The show will feature an In Memoriam tribute. Artists like Ozzy Osbourne and Roberta Flack will be honored.

Close Races and Predictions

Predictive analyses suggest fierce competition across many categories. The Best Country Song category features a strong field. Zach Top’s ‘I Never Lie’ is a contender. Bruno Mars and Rosé’s collaboration ‘APT.’ is a strong candidate for Record and Song of the Year. However, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s ‘Luther’ is also a major contender in these categories.

In the Rap categories, Kendrick Lamar faces stiff competition. Clipse’s album ‘Let God Sort Em Out’ is a strong contender for Best Rap Album. Bad Bunny’s music is expected to do well. His influence is significant in Latin music categories. The inclusion of K-pop artists in major categories highlights the genre’s global rise. These top entertainment stories promise a memorable night. Many expect historic moments at this year’s top awards.