2026 Grammy Awards Nominations: Kendrick Lamar Leads with 9 Nods, Surprises, and Snubs
The 2026 Grammy Award nominations have been announced, with Kendrick Lamar leading the pack with nine nods for his album "GNX." The awards ceremony will take place on February 1st at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. This year, there are three releases nominated in both the rap album and album of the year categories, including Lamar's "GNX," Clipse, Pusha T & Malice's "Let God Sort Em Out," and Tyler, the Creator's "Chromakopia."
While the album of the year category has seen more hip-hop representation, the best new artist nominees this year do not include any rap artists. The same is true for the country genre. Notable artists like Ella Langley and Megan Moroney are missing from the list. Billie Eilish, a favorite of the Recording Academy, is up for two awards this year for her track "Wildflower," despite it being released in May 2024 on her previous album "Hit Me Hard and Soft."
The Grammys have introduced a new category for best traditional country album and renamed the existing best country album category to best contemporary country album. The distinction between the two categories is still unclear. Notably, Morgan Wallen did not submit his album "I'm the Problem" for consideration this year.
The Weeknd, who criticized the Grammys in 2020 for being "corrupt," did not receive any nominations this year despite submitting his album "Hurry Up Tomorrow" for consideration in multiple categories. K-pop has seen some recognition this year, with Rosé becoming the first K-pop artist to receive a nomination in the record of the year category for her song "APT." Bad Bunny is a top nominee with his album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," making history as the second all-Spanish language album to be nominated in the album of the year category.
The Grammys have made efforts to diversify their membership, with more women and people of color joining the voting body. This year's nominations reflect a mix of established and new artists across various genres. Despite some surprises and snubs, the 2026 Grammy Awards promise to be an exciting celebration of musical talent and diversity.