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Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga Lead 2026 Grammy Nominations as K-Pop Makes History

Friday 30 January 2026

Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga are leading the nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards, as the Recording Academy unveiled a list that also marks a historic breakthrough for K-Pop in the song of the year category.

For the second consecutive year, Lamar is the most nominated artist, earning nine nods in total. Among them is a highly coveted album of the year nomination for GNX, his sleek and confrontational latest release.

Gaga follows closely with seven nominations overall, including album of the year for Mayhem, a record that revisits her electro-pop roots while drawing heavily on her own musical history.

Meanwhile, K-Pop has entered new territory at the Grammys, with two songs shortlisted for song of the year: Rosé and Bruno Mars’ pop collaboration APT, and Golden by Hunter/x, the breakout track from Netflix’s animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters.

Album of the Year Race and a Possible Historic Win

Both Gaga and Lamar have previously been nominated five times for album of the year, yet neither has ever claimed the Grammy’s top prize. Lamar enters this year’s race as the early favorite, following multiple wins at the 2025 Grammys for his diss track Not Like Us.

If GNX takes the top honor next February, it would become the first rap album to win album of the year since Outkast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in 2004.

Lamar faces stiff competition from fellow rap innovators, including Tyler, The Creator with Chromakopia and reunited hip-hop duo Clipse, whose Let God Sort Em Out marks their first release since 2009. This year also makes Grammy history as the first time three rap albums have been shortlisted for album of the year.

Bad Bunny and the Global Expansion of the Grammys

Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny also features prominently, receiving six nominations, including album of the year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos. The album blends live instrumentation with reggaeton rhythms and traditional Puerto Rican styles such as plena.

It is only the second time an entirely Spanish-language album has been nominated for album of the year, following Bad Bunny’s own Un Verano Sin Ti in 2022. The artist is also set to headline the Super Bowl half-time show next year.