NEW YORK (AP) — The 2026 Grammy Award nominees are right here, and who else however Kendrick Lamar leads this yr’s crop with 9 nods on the energy of 2024’s “GNX?”
It is an thrilling lineup, however like yearly, there have been a number of artists who made the coveted listing Friday and some who did not. Snubs and surprises are in no brief provide in 2026.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will air Feb. 1 dwell on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Enviornment in Los Angeles.
Hip-hop heavyweights get acknowledged within the prime prize
It is Lamar’s world, however he is sharing it. This yr, for the primary time, there are three releases nominated in each the rap album and album of the yr classes. These are “GNX,” Clipse, Pusha T & Malice’s “Let God Sort Em Out” and Tyler, the Creator’s “Chromakopia.”
Prior to now, the Grammys have been criticized over a scarcity of range — artists of shade and girls disregarded of prime prizes; rap and modern R&B stars ignored. Is that this symbolic of a brand new shift?
The most effective new artist class leaves out rap and nation
Regardless of the hip-hop consideration within the album of the yr class, rap’s lacking within the listing of greatest new artist nominees this yr. The identical is true of nation. Do not get it twisted — Katseye, Olivia Dean, The Marias, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Younger make a terrific listing — however what about Ella Langley? Megan Moroney?
Billie Eilish is again
A favourite of the Recording Academy, Billie Eilish is up for 2 trophies this yr: music and document of the yr, each for her observe “Wildflower.” That make come as a shock to some award present devotees: Solely recordings commercially launched within the U.S. between Aug. 31, 2024 by means of Aug. 30, 2025 have been eligible for nominations. “Wildflower” was launched in Might 2024, on her final album, the critically acclaimed “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” So, why is Eilish allowed to compete once more in 2026?
There’s one other rule that states “tracks from an album released during last year’s eligibility period are eligible in the current eligibility period, provided the same tracks were not entered the previous year and the album did not win a Grammy.”
There are a number of exceptions. The rule excludes a number of classes, together with all of the classical ones. However as a result of “Wildflower” was not beforehand entered — and it was entered as an album observe — it’s eligible. Will that break others’ alternative to take dwelling one of many prime prizes? Solely time will inform.
New nation classes confuse
There have been a number of modifications to the Grammys this yr, one among which was the creation of a greatest conventional nation album class, whereas the present greatest nation album class has been renamed greatest modern nation album. (Beyoncé gained greatest nation album on the 2025 Grammy Awards for “Cowboy Carter.”) It was unclear how the 2 classes would differ from each other — and it’s nonetheless unclear.
The standard nation class consists of Charley Crockett’s “Dollar A Day,” Lukas Nelson’s “American Romance,” Willie Nelson’s “Oh What A Beautiful World,” Margo Worth’s “Hard Headed Woman” and Zach High’s “Ain’t In It For My Health.”
And within the modern nation class is Kelsea Ballerini’s “Patterns,” Tyler Childers’ “Snipe Hunter,” Eric Church’s “Evangeline vs. The Machine,” Jelly Roll’s “Beautifully Broken” and Miranda Lambert’s “Postcards from Texas.”
Is it that the latter leans extra “crossover” nation? You resolve.
And let the document present Morgan Wallen didn’t submit his hit album, “I’m the Problem” for consideration.
What’s up with The Weeknd?
On the 2025 Grammy Awards, The Weeknd carried out for the primary time since 2017. As many might recall, again in 2020, he slammed the Grammys, calling them “corrupt” after he landed zero nominations regardless of a megahit album. “You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency,” he wrote on social media.
On the 2025 occasion, Grammys CEO Harvey Mason jr. launched The Weeknd by stating that he understood the criticism and listed all of the issues the academy has finished to repair it.
“We have completely remade our membership, adding more than 3,000 women voting members. The Grammy electorate is now younger, nearly 40% people of color, and 66% of our members are new since we started our transformation,” he mentioned. “Over the past few years, we have listened, we’ve acted and we’ve changed.”
Nonetheless, in 2026, The Weeknd’s “Hurry Up Tomorrow” album was eligible and submitted for Grammy consideration in over a dozen classes, together with album, music and document of the yr. He doesn’t seem on the 2026 nominations listing.
Make means for Okay-pop
Final yr, Okay-pop was absent from the 2026 Grammys main classes. It appeared odd, to followers of the style, particularly contemplating the prolific output from BTS members who launched solo materials: RM’s “Right Place, Wrong Person,” J-Hope’s “Hope on the Street, Vol. 1,” and Jimin’s “Muse” amongst them. (As a boy band, BTS has acquired 5 nominations throughout its profession.) This yr, that modifications considerably.
Rosé, maybe greatest generally known as one-fourth of the juggernaut lady group BLACKPINK, is the primary Okay-pop artist to ever obtain a nomination within the document of the yr area for “APT.,” her megahit with Bruno Mars.
Music of the yr — which is awarded to a observe’s songwriters, which typically consists of the performer however not at all times — additionally options “Golden” from the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack.
Timothée Chalamet will get first Grammy nomination
You learn that accurately. The actor is up for greatest compilation soundtrack for visible media for “A Complete Unknown,” for his portrayal of the nice Bob Dylan. However competitors is stiff: He’ll should beat out “Wicked,” “KPop Demon Hunters,” “Sinners” and “F1 the Album.”
He isn’t the one stunning first-time nominee: Supreme Court docket Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and the Dalai Lama are up for audio guide, narration and storytelling recording. Steven Spielberg can be nominated within the music movie class for “Music By John Williams.”
Is the Grammys’ future Spanish? Or is it simply the Unhealthy Bunny impact?
Unhealthy Bunny is a prime nominee this yr, making historical past together with his critically acclaimed album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.” It is just the second all-Spanish language album to be nominated within the album of the yr class. The primary? Properly, that was additionally Unhealthy Bunny: in 2023, for “Un Verano Sin Ti.” Harry Kinds’ “Harry’s House” gained that yr.
It brings up a number of questions. Are the Grammys recognizing extra Spanish-language music, or is Unhealthy Bunny an exception? Notably absent from the 2026 nominees listing is Fuerza Regida’s “111XPANTIA,” which this yr turned the best charting música Mexicana album. And at one level, it was No. 2 on the Billboard 200 proper beneath Unhealthy Bunny, marking the primary time two Spanish-language albums held each prime positions. As an alternative, Fuerza Regida’s collaborative EP with Grupo Frontera, “Mala Mía” is nominated.
On Monday, it was introduced that each one Latin Grammy voting members have been invited to affix the Recording Academy as a part of its 2025 new member class. It’s going to take time to see the outcomes, however maybe an evolving, diversifying voters may lead to extra openness to Latino performers sooner or later.
Jack Antonoff returns
Final yr Antonoff didn’t obtain a nomination within the producer of the yr, non-classical class, and that unlucky pattern continues this yr. It was uncommon as a result of beforehand, he took it dwelling three years in a row. (Dan Nigro, recognized for his work with Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo, took dwelling the trophy in 2025.)
However it’s not all doom and gloom: This yr he is tied for the second most Grammy nominees, largely acknowledged for his work with Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter, with seven.
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