Let's Talk: 2026 Grammy Nominations

Well, it's that time of year again. The 2026 GRAMMY nominations were just announced, and wow. This year's batch had plenty of surprises and snubs that I don't think many people were expecting, but some of the choices made by the Recording Academy were pretty shocking.

Record of the Year

Kicking it off with Record of the Year; the GRAMMY awarded to the producers, engineers, and artists of a track. We've got:

Bad Bunny - DtMF

Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild

Doechii - Anxiety

Billie Eilish - WILDFLOWER

Lady Gaga - Abracadabra

Kendrick Lamar with SZA - luther

Chappell Roan - The Subway

Rosé and Bruno Mars - APT.

A solid batch of nominees that I think covered the bases in terms of the biggest and best songs of the year. I don't think "Anxiety" and "APT." should've been nominated, as I would've preferred a "DAISIES" (Justin Bieber) nomination or a "That's So True" (Gracie Abrams) nomination.

However, all in all it's a fine enough list and I could see a couple songs snagging the win. Kendrick Lamar's sweep at last year's GRAMMYS could result in some voter fatigue, but "luther" would be a deserving winner. A little biased here, but "WILDFLOWER" is the best song on here and Billie Eilish is a GRAMMY favorite, but "DtMF" is the centerpiece of Bad Bunny's best album and could easily snag enough votes. While enjoyable, the songs by Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan do not represent their strongest material and I don't think that "APT." or "Anxiety" should have been nominated at all.

Who Should Win: "DtMF" - Bad Bunny

Who Will Win: "luther" - Kendrick Lamar with SZA

Album of the Year

For the biggest and final award of the night, the Album of the Year is awarded to everyone who contributed to at least 20% of the album. We've got:

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS - Bad Bunny

SWAG - Justin Bieber

Man's Best Friend - Sabrina Carpenter

Let God Sort Em Out - Clipse

MAYHEM - Lady Gaga

GNX - Kendrick Lamar

MUTT - Leon Thomas

CHROMAKOPIA - Tyler, The Creator

These nominees were great but this category had the most surprises for me. Clipse totally deserved the nomination but I was not at all expecting that they would actually get one. Leon Thomas is the biggest shocker of all, I don't think anyone would've predicted his appearance in the category, and honestly I'm not sure if it was the right choice. After the huge spectacle that was created to announce the return of The Weeknd to the Academy, I am shocked that his album was omitted from the lineup. Did the album deserve a spot? Absolutely not. But, I would've thought as a courtesy, he would have still snagged a nomination.

"SWAG" and "Man's Best Friend" have no business being nominated and the Academy nominating three rap albums is a shocker, but every album that was nominated at least has a couple redeeming factors, between hit singles or being a critically acclaimed record.

The three rap albums will split votes, and I think that's enough to eliminate them, even though that is not a testament to the quality of the albums. In a year with only one rap album nominated these albums would be top contenders for the prize. I think its a two-horse race between Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga, but Kendrick Lamar could still be in the mix despite a vote split. DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is an almost flawless project with extremely relevant and personal messaging that is easily his best work. MAYHEM is a solid pop album that has been extremely relevant this year, spawning some huge hits and I opine that it is Lady Gaga's best work since her debut.

If the Academy wants to award an artist who arguably is overdeserving of an AOTY, then Lady Gaga or Kendrick Lamar will prevail. If the Academy wants to recognize an album that is the epitomy of an artistic evolution and an overall stellar body of work, then Bad Bunny will get the win.

Who Should Win: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS - Bad Bunny

Who Will Win: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS - Bad Bunny

Song of the Year

An award to recognize excellence in songwriting and the Song of the Year is awarded to the songwriters and performing artists of a given track. This year the nominees are:

Abracadabra - Lady Gaga

Anxiety - Doechii

APT. - Rosé and Bruno Mars

DtMF - Bad Bunny

Golden - HUNTR/X

luther - Kendrick Lamar with SZA

Manchild - Sabrina Carpenter

WILDFLOWER - Billie Eilish

Pretty similar batch to Record of the Year with the only difference being the swap of "The Subway" with "Golden," which is a massive downgrade. Aside from the fact that the song is straight-up annoying to listen to, a fictional group from a movie shouldn't be getting a nomination like this. Once again, I would've preferred a "That's So True" nomination because that song is miles better than "Golden".

This category has "WILDFLOWER" written all over it. The songwriting on this track is exceptional and perhaps the Academy wants to award something off of HIT ME HARD AND SOFT after its snub at the last show. But, Lady Gaga has a strong chance as well and Sabrina Carpenter's best opportunity for a General Field win would come in this category. You can never count out Kendrick Lamar and "luther," which realistically could sweep all the awards. "Anxiety," as much as I don't want to admit it, might have a sliver of a chance because we've seen time and time again that the Recording Academy loves Doechii.

I don't think "DtMF" or "APT." poses much of a chance because if either of them were to win in a category, it probably wouldn't be this one. Lastly, "Golden," which has to be the worst nominee in this catergory, should not really be considered for this award because there are definitely stronger options.

Who Should Win: "WILDFLOWER" - Billie Eilish

Who Will Win: "Abracadabra" - Lady Gaga

Best New Artist

Awarded to an artist who experienced a massive breakthrough during the eligibility year. This year, we've got:

Olivia Dean

KATSEYE

The Marias

Addison Rae

sombr

Leon Thomas

Alex Warren

Lola Young

This category was the most straightforward. This was a pretty consensus group, with the only name I wasn't expecting was KATSEYE, but the other seven were definitely what I predicted. But, KATSEYE does deserve the nomination so this whole lineup is full of deserving breakthrough artists. Even though I am not a fan of more than half these artists, every single one of them deserved this nomination.

The Best New Artist race is always about momentum. The only artist on this list with momentum right now is Olivia Dean. Even though she has momentum, I don't feel like her artistry is interesting enough to earn the award. Her breakthrough is almost too recent, and I don't feel like I have a good sense of how she is as a person and as an artist, however she is definitely a front-runner.

The Marias would probably be the option that upsets the least amount of people, as they are extremely talented and have some very recognizable hits. I don't hate the Addison Rae nomination, but there's no way she wins, even though her debut album was strong.

Alex Warren and sombr are not my favorites in terms of their musicality, and their lack of nominations in other categories deters me from placing them as frontrunners. Due to the majority of their fame stemming from TikTok, they face the dangerous volatility of the platform and risk falling into irrelevance sooner than expected.

Similarly, Lola Young rose to prominence through her viral hit "Messy," but I think her career trajectory will be different. Young's new album was surprisingly great. I think her spot in the industry is very unique and there aren't many other artists like her out there. I think her raw artistry and musical vulnerability make a compelling case for her to take home this award.

Lastly, there's Leon Thomas. I question his eligibility for this award because he previously won a GRAMMY for his contribution to SZA's hit, "Snooze." A GRAMMY winning artist who has over a decade of experience in the music industry should not be able to earn a nomination in a category dedicated for up and coming artists, which is why I don't think his nomination was fair. However, he is nominated, and he has the strongest chance to win. Thomas was the only artist in this list to be nominated for another General Field award, and was nominated for the most prestigious of them all, Album of the Year. This race will come down to him and Dean, and these next couple of months will be very telling in terms of who will take a lead and ultimately win the award.

Who Should Win: Lola Young

Who Will Win: Leon Thomas

Conclusion

Well, that's it for now. This years GRAMMY awards are shaping up nicely with some early front-runners emerging. But, the voting is still in progress and a shift in momentum at this stage in the race could mean the difference between winning and losing. It's still a long way out until the awards show and anything can happen, and I can't wait to watch the rest of the race unfold.