Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga lead 2026 Grammy nominations

LOS ANGELES: Rapper Kendrick Lamar topped the list of Grammy contenders for the second straight year on Friday with nine nominations, outpacing the seven nods for pop superstar Lady Gaga in the race for the music industry’s top honors.

Lamar’s “GNX” and Gaga’s “MAYHEM” will compete for the prestigious album of the year trophy at the Grammy Awards 2026 ceremony in February.

Neither artist has won the honor despite multiple nominations in the category.

Others nominated in the album field include Bad Bunny for the Spanish-language “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Justin Bieber for “Swag” and Sabrina Carpenter for “Man’s Best Friend.”

Three rap albums are in contention. In addition to “GNX,” Tyler, the Creator’s “Chromakopia” and “Let God Sort Em Out, from the duo Clipse, were nominated.

“The Life of a Showgirl” by Taylor Swift, who has claimed album of the year an unmatched four times, was not in the running because it was released after this year’s Grammy eligibility window closed.

Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican musician who will perform at next year’s Super Bowl halftime show, received six nominations including for record, song and album of the year.

He was the first Latin artist to be nominated in the three major categories in the same year.

For the album prize, “I think it’s between Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar,” Billboard awards editor Paul Grein said.

Grein said he gave the edge to Lamar, who would be the first solo male rap artist to land the prize.

“I think he’ll do it,” Grein said, “but you can never discount Lady Gaga who is loved by everyone.”

Two K-pop songs landed in the song of the year field, an award given to songwriters.

They are the chart-topping “Golden” from the soundtrack of “KPop Demon Hunters,” the most-watched movie in the history of Netflix, and “APT.” by Rose and Bruno Mars.

“Golden” received three total nominations.

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“Never did I imagine this level of success,” said Rei Ami, one of the voices behind the fictional “Demon Hunters” group HUNTR/X. “It’s really hard for all of us to process still.”

“APT.” also was nominated for record of the year, a trophy given to producers and performers, and best pop duo/group performance. Others on the list included Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” “luther” by Lamar and SZA, and “DtMF” by Bad Bunny.

In the best new artist category, Olivia Dean and KATSEYE will compete with Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and others. Thomas, an R&B and soul musician, also received an album of the year nomination for “Mutt.”

Grammy winners will be chosen by the roughly 15,000 voting members of the Recording Academy and announced at a red-carpet ceremony in Los Angeles on February 1.