The Recording Academy has unveiled the nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards, setting the tone for what is expected to be a spectacular celebration of global music excellence.

This year’s list, released on Friday, features Nigerian Afrobeats sensations Davido, Burna Boy, and Ayra Starr among the contenders in the Best African Music Performance category. Other nominees in the category include Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin and South African star Tyla.

The Best African Music Performance (2026) lineup includes Love by Burna Boy, With You by Davido featuring Omah Lay, Hope & Love by Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin, Gimme Dat by Ayra Starr featuring Wizkid, and PUSH 2 START by Tyla.

Notably, this year’s category excludes previous nominees such as Asake, Yemi Alade, Lojay, and last year’s winner, Tems.

In 2025, the same category featured songs like Yemi Alade’s Tomorrow, Asake’s MMS with Wizkid, Chris Brown’s Sensational featuring Davido and Lojay, Burna Boy’s Higher, and Tems’ Love Me Jeje. The category, introduced in 2024, saw Tyla become its first-ever winner.

Beyond his African category nod, Burna Boy also secured a nomination in the Best Global Music Album category, making him the only Nigerian artist featured there this year.

Nominees for Best Global Music Album (2026) include Sounds Of Kumbha by Siddhant Bhatia, No Sign of Weakness by Burna Boy, Éclairer le Monde (Light the World) by Youssou N’Dour, Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live) by Shakti, Chapter III: We Return To Light by Anoushka Shankar featuring Alam Khan and Sarathy Korwar, and Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo by Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia.

Last year, Nigerian stars Rema and Tems were also nominated in the same category for their albums HEIS and Born in the Wild, respectively.

The 2026 Grammys will feature two new categories — Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover — expanding the Academy’s recognition of diverse artistry. According to the Recording Academy, the update reflects “a commitment to honouring the evolving ways music is created and experienced.”

The nominees were revealed during a livestream featuring Chappell Roan, Doechii, KAROL G, Mumford & Sons, Sabrina Carpenter, and Sam Smith.

Kendrick Lamar leads all artists with nine nominations, followed by Lady Gaga with seven for her album Mayhem, while Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, and Leon Thomas each earned six nods.

Winners will be selected by voting members of the Recording Academy, comprising artists, producers, songwriters, and engineers.

The 68th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

Full List Of Nominees

Song of the year

  • Lady Gaga – Abracadabra
  • Doechii – Anxiety
  • Rosé & Bruno Mars – APT
  • Bad Bunny – DtMF
  • Hunter/x – Golden
  • Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA – Luther
  • Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild
  • Billie Eilish – Wildflower

 

Record of the year

  • Bad Bunny – DtMF
  • Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild
  • Doechii – Anxiety
  • Billie Eilish – Wildflower
  • Lady Gaga – Abracadabra
  • Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA – Luther
  • Chappell Roan – The Subway
  • Rosé & Bruno Mars – APT

 

Album of the year

  • Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos
  • Justin Bieber – Swag
  • Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
  • Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out
  • Lady Gaga – Mayhem
  • Kendrick Lamar – GNX
  • Leon Thomas – Mutt
  • Tyler, the Creator – Chromakopia

 

Best new artist

  • Olivia Dean
  • Katseye
  • The Marias
  • Addison Rae
  • Sombr
  • Leon Thomas
  • Alex Warren
  • Lola Young

 

Songwriter of the year, Non-Classical

  • Amy Allen
  • Edgar Barrera
  • Jessie Jo Dillon
  • Tobias Jesso Jr.
  • Laura Veltz

 

Producer of the year, Non-Classical

  • Dan Auerbach
  • Cirkut
  • Dijon
  • Blake Mills
  • Sounwave

 

Best Pop Vocal Album

  • Swag — Justin Bieber
  • Man’s Best Friend — Sabrina Carpenter
  • Something Beautiful — Miley Cyrus
  • Mayhem — Lady Gaga
  • I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2) — Teddy Swims

 

Best Pop Solo Performance

  • “Daisies” — Justin Bieber
  • “Manchild” — Sabrina Carpenter
  • “Disease” — Lady Gaga
  • “The Subway” — Chappell Roan
  • “Messy” — Lola Young

 

Best Rock Album

  • Private Music — Deftones
  • I Quit — Haim
  • From Zero — Linkin Park
  • Never Enough — Turnstile
  • Idols — Yungblud

 

Best Metal Performance

  • “Night Terror” — Dream Theatre
  • “Lachryma” — Ghost
  • “Emergence” — Sleep Token
  • “Soft Spine” — Spiritbox
  • “Birds” — Turnstile

 

Best Rap Album

  • Let God Sort Em Out — Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
  • Glorious — GloRilla
  • God Does Like Ugly — JID
  • GNX — Kendrick Lamar
  • Chromakopia — Tyler, the Creator

 

Best R&B Album

  • Beloved — Givēon
  • Why Not More? — Coco Jones
  • The Crown — Ledisi
  • Escape Room — Teyana Taylor
  • Mutt — Leon Thomas

 

Best African Music Performance

  • Love – Burna Boy
  • With You – Davido Featuring Omah Lay
  • Hope & Love – Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin
  • Gimme Dat – Ayra Starr Featuring Wizkid
  • PUSH 2 START – Tyla

Best Musical Theatre Album

  • Buena Vista Social Club
  • Death Becomes Her
  • Gypsy
  • Just In Time
  • Maybe Happy Ending

 

Best Traditional Country Album

  • Dollar A Day – Charley Crockett
  • American Romance – Lukas Nelson
  • Oh What A Beautiful World – Willie Nelson
  • Hard Headed Woman – Margo Price
  • Ain’t In It For My Health – Zach Top

 

Best Contemporary Country Album

  • Patterns – Kelsea Ballerini
  • Snipe Hunter – Tyler Childers
  • Evangeline Vs. The Machine – Eric Church
  • Beautifully Broken – Jelly Roll
  • Postcards From Texas – Miranda Lambert

 

Best Global Music Album

  • Sounds Of Kumbha – Siddhant Bhatia
  • No Sign of Weakness – Burna Boy
  • Eclairer le monde – Light the World – Youssou N’Dour
  • Mind Explosion – Shakti
  • Chapter III: We Return To Light – Anoushka Shankar Featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar
  • Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo – Caetano Veloso And Maria Bethânia

 

Best Global Music Performance

  • EoO – Bad Bunny
  • Cantando en el Camino – Ciro Hurtado
  • JERUSALEMA – Angélique Kidjo
  • Inmigrante Y Que? – Yeisy Rojas
  • Shrini’s Dream – Shakti
  • Daybreak – Anoushka Shankar Featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar

 

Best Country Solo Performance

  • Nose On The Grindstone – Tyler Childers
  • Good News – Shaboozey
  • Bad As I Used To Be – Chris Stapleton
  • I Never Lie – Zach Top
  • Somewhere Over Laredo – Lainey Wilson

 

Best Spoken Word Poetry Album

A Hurricane in Heels: Healed People Don’t Act Like That (partially recorded live @City Winery & other places) — Queen Sheba

Black Shaman — Marc Marcel

Pages — Omari Hardwick & Anthony Hamilton

Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends at Treepeople — Saul Williams, Carlos Niño & Friends

Words For Days Vol. 1 — Mad Skillz

Best Gospel Performance/Song

  • Do It Again – Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, songwriter
  • Church – Tasha Cobbs Leonard, John Legend; Anthony S. Brown, Brunes Charles, Annatoria Chitapa, Kenneth Leonard, Jr., Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Jonas Myrin, songwriters
  • Still Live – Jonathan McReynolds & Jamal Roberts; Britney Delagraentiss, Jonathan McReynolds, David Lamar Outing III, Orlando Joel Palmer & Terrell Demetrius Wilson, songwriters
  • Amen – Pastor Mike Jr.; Adia Andrews, Michael McClure Jr., David Lamar Outing II & Terrell Anthony Pettus, songwriters
  • Come Jesus Come – Cece Winans Featuring Shirley Caesar

 

Best Gospel Album

  • Sunny Days – Yolanda Adams
  • Tasha – Tasha Cobbs Leonard
  • Live Breathe Fight – Tamela Mann
  • Only On The Road Live – Tye Tribbett
  • Heart Of Mine – Darrel Walls, PJ Morton

 

Best Reggae Album

  • Treasure Self Love – Lila Iké
  • Heart & Soul – Vybz Kartel
  • BLXXD & FYAH – Keznamdi
  • From Within – Mortimer
  • No Place Like Home – Jesse Royal

 

Best Children’s Music Album

  • Ageless – 100 Years Young, Joanie Leeds & Joya
  • Buddy’s Magic Tree House – Mega Ran
  • Harmony – FYÜTCH & Aura V
  • Herstory – Flor Bromley
  • The Music Of Tori And The Muses – Tori Amos

 

Best Comedy Album

  • Drop Dead Years – Bill Burr
  • PostMortem – Sarah Silverman
  • Single Lady, Ali Wong
  • What Had Happened Was – Jamie Foxx
  • Your Friend – Nate Bargatze, Nate Bargatze

 

Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording

Elvis, Rocky & Me – The Carol Connors Story, Kathy Garver

Into The Uncut Grass, Trevor Noah

Lovely One: A Memoir, Ketanji Brown Jackson

Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Dalai Lama

You Know It’s True: The Real Story Of Milli Vanilli, Fab Morvan

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

A Complete Unknown, Timothée Chalamet

F1® The Album, (Various Artists)

KPop Demon Hunters, (Various Artists)

Sinners, (Various Artists)

Wicked, (Various Artists)

Best Music Video

Young Lion, Sade, Sophie Muller, video director – Sade & Aaron Taylor Dean, video producers

Manchild – Sabrina Carpenter, Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia, video directors; Aiden Magarian, Nathan Scherrer & Natan Schottenfels, video producers

So Be It – Clipse, Hannan Hussain, video director; Daniel Order, video producer

Anxiety, Doechii, James Mackel, video director; Pablo Feldman, Jolene Mendes & Sophia Sabella, video producers

Love, OK Go, Aaron Duffy, Miguel Espada & Damian Kulash Jr., video directors; Petra Ahmann, video producer

Best Music Film

Devo, Devo, Chris Smith, video director; Danny Gabai, Anita Greenspan, Chris Holmes & Chris Smith, video producers

Live At The Royal Albert Hall, RAYE, Paul Dugdale, video director; Stefan Demetriou & Amy James, video producers

Relentless, Diane Warren, Bess Kargman, video director; Peggy Drexler, Michele Farinola & Kat Nguyen, video producers

Music By John Williams, John Williams, Laurent Bouzereau, video director; Sara Bernstein, Laurent Bouzereau, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Meredith Kaulfers, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg & Justin Wilkes, video producers

Piece By Piece, Pharrell Williams, Morgan Neville, video director; Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Mimi Valdes & Pharrell Williams, video producers

Best Album Cover

CHROMAKOPIA, Shaun Llewellyn & Luis “Panch” Perez, art directors (Tyler, The Creator)

The Crux, William Wesley II, art director (Djo)

Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, art director (Bad Bunny)

Glory, Cody Critcheloe & Andrew J.S., art directors (Perfume Genius)

Moisturizer, Hester Chambers, Ellis Durand, Henry Holmes, Matt de Jong, Jamie-James Medina, Joshua Mobaraki & Rhian Teasdale, art directors (Wet Leg)