NEW YORK (AP) — The 2026 Grammy Award nominees are here, and who else but Kendrick Lamar leads this year’s crop with nine nods on the strength of 2024’s “GNX?”…
— The 2026 Grammy Award nominees are here, and who else but Kendrick Lamar leads this year’s crop with nine nods on the strength of 2024’s “GNX?”
It’s an exciting lineup, but like every year, there were a few artists who made the coveted list Friday and a few who didn’t. Snubs and surprises are in no short supply in 2026.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will air Feb. 1 live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
It’s Lamar’s world, but he’s sharing it. This year, for the first time, there are three releases nominated in both the rap album and album of the year categories. Those are “GNX,” Clipse, Pusha T & Malice’s “Let God Sort Em Out” and Tyler, the Creator’s “Chromakopia.”
In the past, the Grammys have been criticized over a lack of diversity — artists of color and women left out of top prizes; rap and contemporary R&B stars ignored. Is this symbolic of a new shift?
Despite the hip-hop attention in the album of the year category, rap’s missing in the list of best new artist nominees this year. The same is true of country. Don’t get it twisted — Katseye, Olivia Dean, The Marias, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young make a great list — but what about Ella Langley? Megan Moroney?
A favorite of the Recording Academy, Billie Eilish is up for two trophies this year: song and record of the year, both for her track “Wildflower.” That make come as a surprise to some award show devotees: Only recordings commercially released in the U.S. between Aug. 31, 2024 through Aug. 30, 2025 were eligible for nominations. “Wildflower” was released in May 2024, on her last album, the critically acclaimed “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” So, why is Eilish allowed to compete again in 2026?
There’s another rule that states “tracks from an album released during last year’s eligibility period are eligible in the current eligibility period, provided the same tracks were not entered the previous year and the album did not win a Grammy.”
There are a few exceptions. The rule excludes several categories, including all the classical ones. But because “Wildflower” was not previously entered — and it was entered as an album track — it is eligible. Will that ruin others’ opportunity to take home one of the top prizes? Only time will tell.
There were a few changes to the Grammys this year, one of which was the creation of a best traditional country album category, while the existing best country album category has been renamed best contemporary country album.
