November 8, 2025 brought chaos to the music world when the Recording Academy dropped the 2026 Grammy nominations and everyone simultaneously lost their minds. Kendrick Lamar leads with a staggering nine nominations spanning Album of the Year for GNX, Record and Song of the Year for his SZA collab luther, plus six more across rap and melodic categories, cementing his position as the most dominant force in contemporary music. Lady Gaga followed with seven nominations for her MAYHEM era, marking her biggest Grammy year since Chromatica and positioning her as the most-nominated woman at the ceremony. Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter each earned six nods, proving Latin music and pop are having major moments. But here’s where it gets messy: The Weeknd got completely shut out despite reconciling with the Grammys earlier this year, Lorde received zero nominations despite releasing critically acclaimed work, and Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl missed eligibility by THREE DAYS because it dropped October 3 instead of before the August 30 cutoff. The internet is absolutely combusting over these snubs while simultaneously celebrating Kendrick’s potential to become the first solo male rap artist to win Album of the Year and India’s Anoushka Shankar scoring two nominations for global music. With the ceremony scheduled for February 1, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the next three months of campaigning, performances, and drama will be absolutely unhinged.
Kendrick Lamar’s Absolute Domination
Let’s start with the obvious: Kendrick Lamar is having THE year at the Grammys again. His nine nominations tie his 2025 total when he swept multiple categories including Record and Song of the Year for Not Like Us, the Drake diss track that dominated culture and charts simultaneously. This year, Lamar’s nominated for Album of the Year (GNX), Record of the Year (luther featuring SZA), Song of the Year (luther featuring SZA), Best Rap Performance (tv off featuring Lefty Gunplay), Best Melodic Rap Performance (luther with SZA), Best Rap Song (tv off), Best Rap Album (GNX), and two additional nods for his features on Clipse tracks.
Billboard Awards editor Paul Grein told Reuters that momentum appears to favor Lamar, noting he could become “the first solo male rap artist to win album of the year.” That’s significant because despite hip-hop’s cultural dominance for decades, the Grammys have historically relegated rap to genre categories rather than recognizing it in top fields. OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below won in 2004, but that was a duo. Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill won in 1999, but she’s a woman and blended R&B heavily. If Kendrick wins, it marks institutional acceptance that hip-hop belongs at the absolute center of music rather than the margins.
Credits: THR
GNX represents one of Lamar’s most impactful and concise albums, clocking in significantly shorter than his sprawling DAMN. or good kid, m.A.A.d city. The album topped various Billboard charts and sparked countless debates about lyrical content, production choices, and Kendrick’s evolution as an artist. With 66 career nominations and 22 wins so far, Lamar is on track to join Grammy royalty like Beyoncé (99 nominations, 35 wins) and Quincy Jones (80 nominations, 28 wins).
This marks the third time Kendrick’s been nominated simultaneously in all three major categories: Album, Record, and Song of the Year. He won Record and Song in February 2025 for Not Like Us, but Album of the Year has eluded him across five nominations including Black Panther: The Album. If he finally wins, it’ll feel like the Grammys are catching up to what everyone already knows: Kendrick Lamar is this generation’s greatest musical artist.
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Lady Gaga’s Massive Comeback
Lady Gaga earning seven Grammy nominations for her MAYHEM era represents vindication for an artist who’s been experimenting across genres while maintaining pop dominance. Her nominations span Album of the Year (MAYHEM), Record of the Year (Abracadabra), Song of the Year (Abracadabra), Best Pop Solo Performance (Disease), Best Pop Vocal Album (MAYHEM), Best Dance Pop Recording (Abracadabra), and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Harlequin, her companion album to the Joker: Folie à Deux soundtrack).
Those seven nods make Gaga the most-nominated woman at the 2026 ceremony, a title she’s held multiple times throughout her career but never takes for granted. More impressively, MAYHEM has accumulated nine total Grammy nominations when counting nods for producer Cirkut and remixer Gesaffelstein, making it the most-nominated album of Gaga’s entire career, surpassing even The Fame Monster and Born This Way.
Credits: THR
Lady Gaga also made Grammy history by becoming the first artist ever nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in the same year. That dual recognition reflects her versatility: MAYHEM delivers contemporary pop bangers while Harlequin showcases her jazz and theatrical vocal capabilities. With five career Album of the Year nominations (The Fame, The Fame Monster, Born This Way, Love For Sale with Tony Bennett, and now MAYHEM), Gaga ranks fourth among women in Grammy history for most nominations in that category, behind Taylor Swift (7), Barbra Streisand (6), and Beyoncé (6).
Despite 45 career Grammy nominations and multiple wins, Gaga has never won Album of the Year, making this year’s nomination particularly crucial. If she wins, it would represent mainstream recognition for an artist who’s spent 15 years pushing boundaries while simultaneously dominating pop culture. However, competing against Kendrick Lamar’s momentum might prove too difficult to overcome.
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Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter’s Breakthrough Moments
Bad Bunny earning six nominations including Album of the Year for DtMF (short for Debí Tirar Más Fotos) makes history for Latin music representation at the Grammys. The Puerto Rican superstar’s nominated for Record of the Year (DtMF), Song of the Year (DtMF), Best Global Music Performance (EoO), plus additional categories recognizing his global impact. His presence across major categories rather than confined to Latin fields signals the Grammys finally acknowledging that Latin artists dominate global charts and deserve recognition in top-tier categories.
Credits: Billboard
Sabrina Carpenter’s six nominations mark her evolution from Disney Channel actress to legitimate pop star whose Man’s Best Friend album defined summer 2025. She’s nominated for Album of the Year, Record of the Year (Manchild), Song of the Year (Manchild), Best Pop Solo Performance (Manchild), Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Music Video (Manchild). That clean sweep across major and pop-specific categories positions her as a serious contender rather than flash-in-the-pan viral success.
Carpenter’s breakthrough mirrors previous years when the Grammys embraced new pop voices like Olivia Rodrigo and Dua Lipa, validating their commercial success with industry recognition. Whether she wins any categories remains uncertain given the competition, but these nominations alone cement her status as pop’s next generation leader.
The Snubs That Have Everyone Screaming
The Weeknd receiving zero nominations despite his Hurry Up Tomorrow album and recent Grammy reconciliation represents the biggest snub of 2026. After boycotting the Grammys entirely following his 2021 After Hours shutout, The Weeknd returned to the Grammy stage in February 2025 for a performance honoring Berry Gordy, signaling détente with the Recording Academy. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. publicly acknowledged past criticism and emphasized efforts to increase diversity among voting members.
Yet somehow, The Weeknd’s critically acclaimed and commercially successful Hurry Up Tomorrow, which debuted in January 2025, received zero nominations. Fans immediately erupted on social media, calling it proof the Grammys remain “corrupt” as The Weeknd famously declared. The snub sparked renewed debates about whether genre bias exists, with critics noting the Academy seems to favor traditional pop over The Weeknd’s dark, moody R&B aesthetics.
Lorde’s complete shut-out similarly shocked fans who expected her Melodrama follow-up work to earn recognition. The New Zealand singer-songwriter’s influence on indie-pop aesthetics and her critical acclaim made the snub particularly puzzling. Benson Boone, whose acrobatic live performances and chart-topping hits from American Heart dominated 2025, also received zero nominations despite massive commercial success.
Shawn Mendes, who took a mental health hiatus before releasing his vulnerable self-titled album, continues his Grammy losing streak despite three previous nominations between 2019-2020. His absence from 2026 nominations suggests voters didn’t connect with his return-to-form material.
Taylor Swift technically wasn’t snubbed because her The Life of a Showgirl album dropped October 3, 2025, missing the August 30 eligibility cutoff by just three days. That timing meant Swift, who holds the record for most Album of the Year wins (4) and nominations (7), won’t factor into the 2026 ceremony at all. However, she’ll likely dominate 2027 nominations when the album qualifies for the next cycle.
Global Music and Indian Representation
India’s Anoushka Shankar receiving two nominations brings joy to South Asian music fans who rarely see representation in Grammy’s global categories. She’s nominated for Best Global Music Performance (Daybreak featuring Alam Khan and Sarathy Korwar) and Best Global Music Album (Chapter III: We Return To Light featuring the same collaborators). As daughter of legendary sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and half-sister to Norah Jones, Anoushka carries forward her family’s Grammy legacy while forging her own path blending Indian classical music with contemporary global sounds.
The expanded global music categories reflect the Recording Academy’s efforts to recognize non-Western musical traditions beyond tokenistic “world music” classifications. Burna Boy’s presence in Best African Music Performance and Best Global Music Album shows African artists gaining traction in major Grammy conversations. Bad Bunny’s crossover success proves Latin music no longer needs separate consideration but competes directly in top categories.
K-Pop representation through KATSEYE in Best New Artist and various K-Pop tracks in soundtrack categories signals Korean music’s continued global expansion. The industry can no longer ignore that Korean, Spanish, Hindi, and other non-English music drives significant streaming numbers and cultural impact.
New Artist and Genre Categories Worth Watching
The Best New Artist category features fascinating diversity: Olivia Dean, KATSEYE, The Marias, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, and Lola Young represent pop, K-Pop, indie, R&B, and genre-blending sounds. Leon Thomas, who also earned six total nominations including Album of the Year for MUTT, exemplifies the R&B renaissance happening alongside hip-hop’s dominance. His dual recognition as breakthrough artist and established contender shows Grammy voters responding to authentic artistry.
Rock categories feature Linkin Park’s post-Chester Bennington comeback with From Zero nominated for Best Rock Album, proving the band’s enduring influence despite tragedy. Hayley Williams earning nominations for solo work separate from Paramore validates her artistic evolution. The inclusion of Sleep Token and Turnstile signals Grammy awareness of modern progressive rock and post-hardcore subgenres previously ignored.
Comedy categories showcase Bill Burr, Sarah Silverman, Ali Wong, Jamie Foxx, and Nate Bargatze, reflecting stand-up comedy’s streaming boom. Jamie Foxx’s What Had Happened Was… nomination carries extra weight given his serious health crisis in 2023 and emotional return to performing.
February 1, 2026: Mark Your Calendars
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony happens February 1, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, broadcast live on CBS and streaming globally via Paramount Plus. That February date means three months of intense campaigning, For Your Consideration ads, strategic performances, and behind-the-scenes lobbying as artists and labels fight for votes.
Expect Kendrick Lamar to perform something spectacular, likely luther with SZA given its nominations across multiple categories. Lady Gaga will almost certainly deliver a theatrical MAYHEM medley showcasing Abracadabra and Disease. Bad Bunny’s performance could make history as one of the most-watched Latin music moments in Grammy history if he performs in Spanish without compromise.
The ceremony will also honor lifetime achievement recipients, present special tributes, and potentially address ongoing industry conversations about diversity, genre bias, and the relevance of awards in the streaming-dominated music landscape where algorithms matter more than trophies.
Your Predictions for February
Who do you think wins Album of the Year: Kendrick Lamar’s GNX or Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM? Is The Weeknd’s snub justified or proof the Grammys remain broken? Will Sabrina Carpenter pull an upset in any category? Drop your predictions in the comments because the next three months of Grammy discourse will be absolutely wild.
Share this breakdown with anyone who needs to understand why these nominations matter beyond just awards. Follow for continued coverage as February approaches and we track which artists campaign hardest, which surprise wins emerge, and whether the Grammys finally deliver a ceremony that feels relevant to how people actually consume music in 2025. Because at the end of the day, Kendrick Lamar might dominate the nominations, but Grammy night always delivers unexpected moments that remind us why live television award shows still captivate millions despite their flaws.
