The unveiling of the 2026 Grammy nominations on November 7, 2025, sent shockwaves through the music industry, not for who was present, but for the tectonic shifts in power they represented. As the Recording Academy prepares for its 68th annual ceremony on February 1, 2026, the traditional hierarchy of pop has been upended. In a year where “main character energy” was redefined, Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga emerged as the dual titans of the ballot, leading a pack that favors conceptual depth and experimental reinvention over mere chart dominance. Yet, the list is equally defined by its “quiet rooms”—the startling absence of perennial favorites like Lorde and The Weeknd, and the exclusion of Taylor Swift due to eligibility timing. From the historic rise of global K-pop soloists to the introduction of categories that honor the physical art of the album, the 2026 nominations are a vivid, sometimes controversial, portrait of an industry in a state of beautiful, chaotic flux.
The Dual Sovereignty: Kendrick and Gaga
The 2026 nominations list is anchored by two artists who have spent the last year meticulously rebuilding their sonic empires. Kendrick Lamar, fresh off the cultural earthquake of his GNX era and his high-profile lyrical feuds, leads the field with nine nominations. His presence in the “Big Three” categories—Record, Song, and Album of the Year—reaffirms his status as the primary philosopher of modern hip-hop. Kendrick’s nominations for tracks like “Luther” (featuring SZA) showcase a rapper who has mastered the art of turning personal and industry friction into high-level, award-worthy discourse.
Parallel to Kendrick’s dominance is the spectacular return of Lady Gaga. After years of focusing on the silver screen, Gaga’s MAYHEM album and the viral success of “Abracadabra” have returned her to the pop throne with eight nods. Her sweep of the pop categories, alongside a Record of the Year nomination, signals a “renaissance of the weird” that the Academy has clearly embraced. For Gaga, 2026 isn’t just about a comeback; it’s about a validation of her ability to reinvent the pop wheel while remaining the most formidable vocal technician in the game.
The “APT.” Phenomenon: K-Pop’s Solo Breakthrough
History was written in ink and neon this year as ROSÉ (of BLACKPINK) became a major force in the General Field. Her collaboration with Bruno Mars, “APT.,” didn’t just dominate global streaming charts; it shattered the Grammy’s historical hesitation toward K-pop soloists. With nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, ROSÉ has achieved what no Korean solo artist before her has managed: a seat at the table in the “Big Four.” The song’s ubiquitous “apateu” hook has been recognized as a definitive pop moment, bridging the gap between Seoul and the global mainstream.
This global shift is further evidenced by the Best New Artist category, which features the international girl group KATSEYE. Their inclusion, alongside British soul sensation Olivia Dean and indie-darling Addison Rae, represents a Recording Academy that is finally looking past the borders of North America. The success of “Golden” (from the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack) in the Song of the Year category further cements 2026 as the year the Academy fully integrated the “K-wave” into the fabric of the American musical establishment.
Shockwaves and Snubs: The Silent Superstars
Perhaps the most discussed aspect of the 2026 nominations is the list of names that are nowhere to be found. The “snub of the century” award goes to Lorde, whose critically acclaimed and commercially successful album Virgin was completely shut out. Despite “What Was That” becoming a defining anthem of 2025, the Academy’s complicated history with the New Zealand singer seems to have persisted. Similarly, The Weeknd—despite a public “burying of the hatchet” earlier in the year—found his Hurry Up Tomorrow project largely ignored in the major categories, save for a Producer of the Year nod for his collaborator Cirkuit.
Other notable absences include Gracie Abrams and Benson Boone. Despite Boone “backflipping” through last year’s ceremony and Abrams’ massive year as a touring powerhouse, both were bypassed in favor of more experimental or veteran acts. The exclusion of Selena Gomez’s collaborative album with Benny Blanco also raised eyebrows, though she managed to snag a Dance Pop Recording nod for “Bluest Flame.” These snubs highlight a year where popularity was not a guaranteed ticket to a nomination, leaving many fans questioning the Academy’s criteria for “artistic excellence.”
Visuals and Traditions: The New Categories
The 2026 Grammys will see the debut of several structural changes to the awards system, most notably the return of the Best Album Cover category. This move puts the “visual” back at the center of the musical experience, with Tyler, The Creator’s Chromakopia and Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS leading the inaugural list. This category acknowledges that in the age of digital streaming, the physical and aesthetic identity of an album is more crucial than ever for an artist’s brand.
The Country field also underwent a significant split, now divided into Best Contemporary Country Album and Best Traditional Country Album. This change was designed to address the growing divide between the “country-pop” hybrid sound that has dominated the charts and the “roots-focused” artists who felt sidelined by the genre’s mainstream evolution. While stars like Megan Moroney were unexpectedly left out of these new brackets, the split has allowed for a more nuanced recognition of the genre’s diverse landscape, from the stadium-filling anthems to the porch-side ballads.
The “Showman” Factor: Soundtracks and Biopics
Cinematic influence on the Grammys reached a fever pitch this year. The Wicked soundtrack and Timothée Chalamet’s performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown have turned the “Visual Media” categories into a celebrity-stacked arena. Chalamet’s nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media marks a rare crossover for an A-list actor into the Recording Academy’s good graces. Furthermore, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s “Defying Gravity” earned a surprise nod for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, a rare feat for a theatrical “show tune” in a field dominated by radio hits.
This intersection of film and music has created a unique dynamic for the 2026 ceremony. It suggests that the “Grammy moment” is no longer confined to the studio; it is found in the theaters and on the streaming screens that have become the primary discovery platforms for new music. As the Academy prepares to hand out the golden gramophones, the competition between pop idols, rap philosophers, and cinematic showmen promises one of the most unpredictable and diverse nights in the history of the awards.
