NEW YORK — 2026 Grammy Awards The nominations are almost here. And the competition will be tough.
Nominees will be announced during a live video broadcast on the Grammy website and the Recording Academy's YouTube channel on Friday at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET.
A host of talent is ready to announce nominees, including Gayle King, Doechie, Karol G, Lizzo, Mumford & Sons, Nicole Scherzinger, Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Smith, Angelique Kidjo, Brandi Carlile, CeCe Winans, David Foster, Jon Batiste, Little Big Town, Masaki Koike and last year's winner in the category “Best New Artist”, Chappell Roan.
Only recordings commercially released in the US between August 31, 2024 and August 30, 2025 are eligible for nominations, so don't expect to see Taylor Swift “A Dancer's Life” included. But expect to see Carpenter “Man's Best Friend” among the nominees; he was released right under the wire on August 29.
Perhaps this has something to do with adding a separate category for best album cover. Carpenter sparked heated debate when his artwork was unveiled; it shows the pop star kneeling on the ground in a dog pose while an unseen person pulls her hair.
There are also many unknowns in nomination announcements. The most obvious contenders for album of the year didn't release new full-length albums during the qualifying window—artists like Swift, Beyoncé and Adele. But there were some heavy hitters like Kendrick Lamar. “GNKS” Lady Gaga “Chaos” and Bad Bunny “I should have taken more photos.” If one of them wins the main prize, it will be for the first time.
Perhaps most puzzling is the change in the best country album category. Following Beyoncé's historic wins for Best Album and Best Country Album at 2025 Grammy Awards For “Cowboy Carter” the latter category was split in two, creating the Best Traditional Country Albums category. The existing Best Country Album category was renamed Best Contemporary Country Album.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will air live on February 1 on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
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For more information about the 2026 Grammy Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/grammy-awards
