The nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards — honoring music released between August 31, 2024 and August 30, 2025 — have officially been announced. The ceremony is set for Sunday, February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. People.com+2Wikipedia+2
Here are highlights from key categories, followed by the standout African nominations.
Album of the Year
- Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos The Guardian+1
- Justin Bieber – Swag The Guardian+1
- Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend People.com+1
- Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out The Guardian+1
- Lady Gaga – Mayhem The Guardian+1
- Kendrick Lamar – GNX People.com+1
- Leon Thomas – Mutt People.com
- Tyler, the Creator – Chromakopia The Guardian+1
Record of the Year
- Bad Bunny – “DtMF” The Guardian
- Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild” The Guardian+1
- Doechii – “Anxiety” The Guardian
- Billie Eilish – “Wildflower” People.com+1
- Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra” The Guardian
- Kendrick Lamar with SZA – “Luther” The Guardian+1
- Chappell Roan – “The Subway” The Guardian
- Rosé & Bruno Mars – “APT.” The Guardian
Best New Artist
Nominees include: Olivia Dean, KATSEYE, The Marias, Addison Rae, Sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, Lola Young. The Guardian+1
Best African Music Performance
- Burna Boy – “Love” People.com
- Davido featuring Omah Lay – “With You” People.com
- Ayra Starr featuring Wizkid – “Gimme Dat” People.com
- Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin – “Hope & Love” People.com
- Tyla – “Push 2 Start” People.com
Best Global Music Album
- Burna Boy – No Sign of Weakness People.com
- Youssou N’Dour – Éclairer le Monde – Light the World People.com
- Siddhant Bhatia – Sounds of Kumbha People.com
- Shakti – Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live) People.com
- Anoushka Shankar featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar – Chapter III: We Return to Light People.com
What to Know
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African artists, especially from Nigeria, made a strong showing across both African-specific and global categories.
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Kendrick Lamar leads with nine nominations, while Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny follow closely with multiple nods. People.com+1
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The Recording Academy introduced two new categories for 2026: Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album. People.com+1
Final Thought
The 2026 Grammy nominations reflect both continuity and change: the big names are there, but so is a growing global presence — especially from African music. For fans of Afrobeats, the representation of Burna Boy, Davido, Ayra Starr and Wizkid signals their genre’s increasing global stature. Stay tuned as the awards draw nearer and predictions begin.
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