Kendrick Lamar leads 2026 Grammy nominations with nine nods

Kendrick Lamar leads the 2026 Grammy Award nominations with nine nods, including album, record, and song of the year for his album GNX and single “Luther,” marking his record-breaking fifth consecutive album of the year nomination as a solo artisthollywoodreporter.
Lady Gaga follows with seven nominations, earning her first simultaneous nods in all three major categories for her album Mayhem and single “Abracadabra,” while producers Jack Antonoff and Cirkut also received seven nominations eachhollywoodreporter.
Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, and Leon Thomas each earned six nominations, with Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos becoming only the second all-Spanish language album nominated for album of the yearlatimes.
Three rap albums—Lamar’s GNX, Tyler, the Creator’s Chromakopia, and Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out—are competing for album of the year simultaneously for the first time in Grammy historykgun9.
The 68th Grammy Awards will take place February 1, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with winners determined by approximately 15,000 Recording Academy voting members through final voting scheduled from December 12 through January 5latimes.

Kendrick Lamar Leads 2026 Grammy Nominations With Nine Nods

Kendrick Lamar topped the 2026 Grammy Award nominations announced Friday, earning nine nods and cementing his status as one of the Recording Academy’s most celebrated artists. The Compton rapper secured nominations across the ceremony’s most prestigious categories, including album, record, and song of the year.hollywoodreporter

Lady Gaga followed with seven nominations, while producers Jack Antonoff and Cirkut each received seven as well. Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, and Leon Thomas each earned six nominations, marking a diverse slate of leading contenders.kgun9

Historic Milestones and Major Categories

Lamar’s album of the year nomination for “GNX” makes him the first solo artist in Grammy history to compete in that category with five consecutive studio albums. The album, released with little advance notice in November 2024, could become only the third rap album to win the top prize, following Outkast’s “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” in 2004 and Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” in 1999.hollywoodreporter

This year marks a Grammy milestone with three rap albums nominated for album of the year simultaneously: Lamar’s “GNX,” Tyler, the Creator’s “Chromakopia,” and Clipse’s “Let God Sort Em Out”. The category is rounded out by Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Justin Bieber’s “Swag,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend,” Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem,” and Leon Thomas’s “Mutt”.kgun9

Bad Bunny made history as the first Latin artist to receive nominations for album, record, and song of the year in the same year. His album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” is only the second all-Spanish language album nominated for album of the year, following his 2023 nomination for “Un Verano Sin Ti”.reddit

K-pop also broke through in major categories for the first time. Rosé of BLACKPINK earned nominations for record and song of the year with “APT.,” her collaboration with Bruno Mars, making her the first K-pop artist to compete in the record of the year field. Meanwhile, the track “Golden” from the Netflix film “KPop Demon Hunters” secured a song of the year nomination.forbes

New Categories and Ceremony Details

The Recording Academy introduced two new categories for 2026: Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album. The previous Best Country Album category was renamed Best Contemporary Country Album.kgun9

“Many of this year’s changes enable us to honor even more creators,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement. “More importantly, these necessary updates ensure that those making significant contributions to the music landscape receive the recognition they deserve and have the chance to be celebrated on Music’s Biggest Night.”deadline

The 68th Grammy Awards will take place February 1, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+. Winners will be determined by approximately 15,000 Recording Academy voting members, with final voting scheduled from December 12, 2025, through January 5, 2026.hollywoodreporter