Grammy Awards 2026 Nominations Officially Announced
The music world's most anticipated season has officially begun as The Recording Academy unveiled the complete list of nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards. The announcement came during a special livestream event that kicked off at 8 a.m. PT (11 a.m. ET and 9:30 pm IST) on Friday, marking the start of music's biggest celebration and speculation period.
Star-Studded Nomination Reveal
Rising stars and chart-topping artists including Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Doechii participated in the nomination reveal ceremony. The broadcast highlighted the exceptional artists, producers, and songwriters who have defined the musical landscape over the past year across 95 competitive categories spanning genres from pop and hip-hop to jazz and classical.
Among the prominent names expected to feature heavily in this year's nominations are Bad Bunny, whose Spanish-language album Debí Tirar Más Fotos became a global streaming phenomenon; Sabrina Carpenter, likely to score nods for her acclaimed single Manchild from Man's Best Friend; Lady Gaga for her cinematic record Mayhem; and Kendrick Lamar, whose project GNX has been widely praised for its bold lyricism and innovative production.
Key Categories and Major Contenders
The nomination list reveals intense competition across all major categories. In the prestigious Record of the Year category, contenders include Bad Bunny's DtMF, Sabrina Carpenter's Manchild, Doechii's Anxiety, Billie Eilish's Wildflower, Lady Gaga's Abracadabra, Kendrick Lamar with SZA's Luther, Chappell Roan's The Subway, and Rosé with Bruno Mars for APT.
The Song of the Year category features an equally impressive lineup including Lady Gaga's Abracadabra, Doechii's Anxiety, Rosé and Bruno Mars's APT., Bad Bunny's DtMF, and Sabrina Carpenter's Manchild among others.
In genre-specific categories, the Best Pop Vocal Album competition includes Justin Bieber's Swag, Sabrina Carpenter's Man's Best Friend, Miley Cyrus's Something Beautiful, Lady Gaga's Mayhem, and Teddy Swims's I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2).
The Best New Artist category showcases emerging talent including Olivia Dean, Katseye, The Marias, Addison Rae, Sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, and Lola Young.
Eligibility and Ceremony Details
The 2026 Grammy Awards will honor recordings released between August 31, 2024 and August 30, 2025. This eligibility window notably excludes some of this year's most discussed releases, including Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl, which debuted on October 3 and therefore falls outside the qualification period.
The 66th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. As always, the event will feature live performances from the year's biggest artists and will be broadcast globally, celebrating not only mainstream success but also artistic innovation across dozens of specialized categories.
This year's nominations come amid heightened anticipation for what could be one of the Grammys' most competitive years yet. With a diverse slate of potential contenders and a growing global presence in the music industry, the 2026 edition is expected to reflect the increasingly international nature of contemporary music, offering Indian music enthusiasts plenty of reasons to follow the awards closely.
