Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga lead 2026 Grammy nominations

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 honours.

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

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

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

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 in total including for record, song and album of the year.