Grammys 2026 Are Here – Lady Gaga And Kendrick Lamar Are Taking Over Big Time

The Grammy Awards just dropped their biggest nominations list yet. Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga are leading the charge with serious numbers. Music’s biggest night is coming on February 1st, and the competition is absolutely fierce.

Kendrick Lamar Comes Out Swinging With 9 Nominations

Kendrick Lamar is the king of this year’s Grammy Awards. His album GNX dropped last November and took over everywhere. He’s got nominations in all three major categories. “luther” featuring SZA is nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. His album GNX is gunning for Album of the Year too.

But here’s where it gets crazy. Lamar also grabbed nominations for Best Rap Performance, Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Album. That’s nine nominations total. He’s basically owned 2025 in hip-hop.

Lady Gaga Breaks Her Own Record

Lady Gaga just beat herself. She had six Grammy nominations before. Now she’s got seven. Her album MAYHEM came out in March, and it’s been everywhere since then. “Abracadabra” is nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. MAYHEM is in the Album of the Year race.

She didn’t stop there. Gaga grabbed nominations for Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Dance Pop Recording, and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Lady Gaga is firing on all cylinders this year.

Six Big Ones for Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, and a Breakout Star

Three more artists are making serious noise with six nominations each. Sabrina Carpenter’s album Man’s Best Friend earned her Album of the Year. Her song “Manchild” got both Record of the Year and Song of the Year nods. She’s also competing in pop categories.

Bad Bunny is having a monster February. He’s nominated for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year for his summer album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. But wait—there’s more. Bad Bunny is performing at the Super Bowl Halftime show on February 8th. That’s just one week after the Grammys. Talk about a crazy schedule.

Then there’s Leon Thomas. This guy is the real story of the year. His album MUTT is nominated for Album of the Year. He’s also got Best New Artist, Best R&B Performance, Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Album nominations. Leon Thomas was on Nickelodeon’s Victorious as Andre Harris. He stepped away from acting and came back as a serious R&B artist. His six nominations prove he made the right choice.

The Big Three Categories Are Packed

Record of the Year has some heavy hitters. Billie Eilish is back with “WILDFLOWER.” Doechii threw down “Anxiety.” Chappell Roan brought “The Subway.” ROSÉ and Bruno Mars together made “APT.” These artists have won Grammys before. They’re not pushovers.

Album of the Year looks different this year. Half the nominees are hip-hop and R&B. That’s a major shift from past years when pop dominated. Justin Bieber is in with his album SWAG. Clipse and Pusha T made Let God Sort Em Out. Tyler, The Creator has CHROMAKOPIA. These albums are serious competition.

Song of the Year has a wild card. “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters got three nominations total. Nobody saw that coming. It’s also nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Song Written For Visual Media.

Two Brand New Grammy Categories Debut This Year

The Grammys added something fresh. Best Album Cover is totally new. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA is nominated. So are Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Djo’s The Crux, Perfume Genius’s Glory, and Wet Leg’s moisturizer. These album covers are works of art.

Best Traditional Country Album is the other new one. Here’s the thing: they split the country category. Now you’ve got Best Traditional Country Album and Best Contemporary Country Album. The Recording Academy said this gives respect to different country styles. But fans think it’s more complicated than that. Some worry it might separate Black country artists from white country artists. Either way, country music got more love this year.

Some Crazy First-Time Nominees

The Grammy list has some surprises. Addison Rae is a first-time nominee. Olivia Dean too. But then it gets wild.

Timothée Chalamet is nominated. He played Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. This might be the year he wins a Grammy before he wins an Oscar. That would be pretty wild.

The Dalai Lama and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson are first-time nominees too. They’re both in Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording. The Grammys really are for everyone now.

What’s Next?

The ceremony goes down on February 1st at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. CBS is broadcasting it live. This is going to be the biggest night in music. Kendrick and Gaga will probably go home with armfuls of awards. But Leon Thomas, Bad Bunny, and everyone else are ready to fight.

Music fans have a lot to look forward to. The Grammys are coming, and 2026 is already legendary.