Music’s biggest stars are gearing up for the 2026 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, with Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga all vying for the coveted Album of the Year trophy for the first time.
The trio headline a competitive field as the Recording Academy prepares to celebrate the industry’s biggest night, hosted once again by comedian Trevor Noah.
Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar leads all nominees with nine nods for his album GNX. The 38-year-old California native is also shortlisted for Record and Song of the Year for “Luther,” featuring SZA.
Lamar comes into the ceremony fresh off a dominant showing last year, when he took home five Grammys for his viral diss track, Not Like Us.
Pop icon Lady Gaga and Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny are competing alongside Lamar in all three major categories — Album, Record and Song of the Year.
Also nominated for Album of the Year are Sabrina Carpenter, Leon Thomas, Tyler, the Creator, hip-hop duo Clipse (Pusha T and Malice), and Justin Bieber, who returns with his first studio album in four years.
Gaga, Bieber, Carpenter and Bruno Mars are set to perform on the night, joining a star-packed lineup that includes Lauryn Hill and a special tribute to late rocker Ozzy Osbourne featuring Post Malone.
Bad Bunny is hoping to build on an already historic career with his latest project, Debi Tirar Mas Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos), which he is currently promoting on a global tour following a successful residency in San Juan.
“It was a very exciting album,” musicologist Lauron Kehrer said. “It touched on so much in terms of thematic material and musical material,” she added, highlighting its nods to decolonisation and traditional Puerto Rican rhythms.
The 31-year-old artist, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, has six nominations this year and is also set to headline the Super Bowl halftime show a week after the Grammys.
His album Un verano sin ti previously made history as the first Spanish-language project nominated for Album of the Year. A win this today’s would further cement his legacy.
Lady Gaga, 39, earned seven nominations for Mayhem, a dramatic return to pop featuring darker, theatrical sounds.
A victory in Album of the Year would complete her sweep of the Grammys’ top prizes. She previously won Record and Song of the Year for Shallow from A Star Is Born, a track that also earned her an Academy Award.
This year’s Song of the Year category is particularly crowded, featuring Carpenter’s Manchild and Golden from Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters. Industry observers predict the high-energy K-pop track could take the prize.
Nominees for Best New Artist include Alex Warren, Katseye, Olivia Dean, Addison Rae, The Marías, sombr, Lola Young and Leon Thomas.
Kehrer noted that the growing presence of rap, reggaeton and K-pop in top categories reflects changes within the Recording Academy itself.
More than 3,800 new members have been added, with 50 percent aged 39 or younger and 58 percent identified as people of colour. Invitations were also extended to members of the Latin Recording Academy.
“The Grammys are more reactionary than anything else,” Kehrer said. “These artists winning those major awards is more of an indication of climate, rather than trying to move or change the climate.”
While the main broadcast will air live, many of the ceremony’s 95 awards will be presented earlier during a pre-gala event.
