Kendrick Lamar is leading the pack for the 2026 Grammy Awards, announced Friday, scoring nine nominations including record, song, and album of the year.
According to The Associated Press, this marks the third time he has been nominated in all three top categories simultaneously. He is also up for pop duo/group performance, melodic rap performance, rap song, rap album, and two nods in the rap performance category.
Lamar, riding the success of last year’s “GNX,” now has 22 Grammy wins and 66 nominations. “GNX” is his fifth consecutive studio album nominated for album of the year, a feat no other artist has accomplished. If it wins, it would be only the third rap album to take home the top prize, following Outkast in 2004 and Lauryn Hill in 1999.
Lady Gaga also received nominations for song, record, and album of the year, her first time being recognized in all three categories simultaneously. She could also win in pop solo performance, pop vocal album, dance pop recording, and traditional pop vocal album categories.
Producer Jack Antonoff earned multiple nominations for his work with Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter, including record, album, and song of the year, as well as rap song for the first time with Lamar’s “tv off” featuring Lefty Gunplay.
Antonoff and Cirkut are both in contention for producer of the year, non-Classical, with a win tying Antonoff with Babyface for the most career wins in the category.
Cirkut is nominated twice each for record and song of the year for Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” and Rosé & Bruno Mars’ “APT,” in addition to album of the year and best dance pop recording.
Album of the year contenders include Lamar’s “GNX,” Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem,” Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend,” Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Justin Bieber’s “Swag,” Clipse, Pusha T & Malice’s “Let God Sort Em Out,” Leon Thomas’ “Mutt,” and Tyler, the Creator’s “Chromakopia.” For the first time, three albums are nominated in both rap album and album of the year: “GNX,” “Let God Sort Em Out,” and “Chromakopia.”
Bad Bunny’s all-Spanish album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” is only the second non-English album nominated for the top prize, following his 2023 release, “Un Verano Sin Ti.”
Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Leon Thomas, and Serban Ghenea each have six nominations. Andrew Watt, Clipse, Doechii, Sounwave, SZA, Turnstile, and Tyler, the Creator each have five.
Record of the year nominees include Bad Bunny’s “DtMF,” Carpenter’s “Manchild,” Doechii’s “Anxiety,” Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower,” Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” Lamar and SZA’s “luther,” Chappell Roan’s “The Subway,” and Rosé & Bruno Mars’ “APT.” Rosé is the first K-pop artist nominated for record of the year.
Song of the year mirrors the record of the year list, with Roan replaced by “Golden” from the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack.
“The Grammy Awards are our opportunity to honor the people who make this community so vibrant and this year’s nominees remind us of the incredible talent that is driving music forward,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. “From emerging talent to influential icons, these nominees reflect today’s broad and diverse musical landscape, and I am excited to celebrate them in the coming weeks ahead.”
First-time nominees this year include Tate McRae, Zara Larsson, PinkPantheress, JID, and Timothée Chalamet.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will air Feb. 1 live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
