2025 has been a polarizing year in music and the 2026 Grammy nominations are a direct reflection of that. Leading the pack with nine nominations is Kendrick Lamar whose latest release GNX took over the world in the first half of the year. He already swept the ceremony last year with five wins for his “Not Like Us” and given that he has always been a favourite with Recording Academy voters, the odds are always in his favour. 

 

Hoping to re-create Kendrick’s 2025 Super Bowl Halftime/Grammy takeover is Bad Bunny who earns six nominations for his monster album DtMF. Benito snags nominations in all three major categories (Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year), putting worries that Latin music wouldn’t be represented to rest. Benito has been on the receiving end of criticism for being chosen as the Super Bowl halftime headliner, so should he snag a trophy it will certainly be the best f-ck you to anyone who has tried to invalidate his genius. 

 

Lady Gaga comes in as the female artist with the most nominations, earning a total of seven noms for her chart-topping album Mayhem,  which bests her previous record of six nominations back in 2010 for The Fame Monster. As a Little Monster myself, this serves as a full circle moment because many of us consider Mayhem to be a return to the Gaga from those early years, sharing many of the same dark and theatrical themes. To see the album getting even more love than The Fame Monster is enough to send all the gays into panic. 

 

Gaga isn’t the only pop girlie who’s having a wild day, of course. Sabrina Carpenter earned six nominations (tied with Bad Bunny and Leon Thomas), making her one of the most nominated artists of the year. Billie Eilish, Rosé, SZA, Doechii and HUNTR/X each have their own moment to shine in the major categories. 

“Golden”, easily the biggest song of the year, gives HUNTR/X a total of three nominations (four if you count Best Remixed Recording which if it won would go to David Guetta), including one for Record of the Year. This of course is groundbreaking, not only because the song is from a film, but it’s a fictional girl group (co-written by the very real-life talent, EJAE). Should the ladies take home some gold on Grammy night, I would not be surprised if they end up recording their own official album. 

 

Then we have Leon Thomas, who joins Benito and Sabrina as one of the most nominated with six nominations, and let me just say, I couldn’t be prouder. If you read my weekly column, you’re well aware that Leon is easily my favourite artist this year, and I spread the word of his artistry time, and time, and time again. After his album MUTT went completely unrecognized last year, Thomas re-released the album as a deluxe edition with live versions of the tracks from his Tiny Desk concert eligible for a second time. It worked. 

Leon earned nominations for Album of the Year, Best R&B Album, Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song, Best Traditional R&B Performance, and Best New Artist. Leon’s been making music since the late 2010s and MUTT is his third record but given recent rule changes that have allowed artists chances to submit for the category in three different calendar years, Leon made the cut on his third. Now that the single “Mutt” has just reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and continues to rise, the nomination is more than warranted. 

 

Other Best New Artist nominees include Olivia Dean, KATSEYE, The Marias, Addison Rae, Sombr, Alex Warren and Lola Young. Every single one of these artists has had a mega year, and it could go either way. The stans online will rage if KATSEYE doesn’t win, but if you ask me, MC, this award belongs to Leon. Although, if they wanna throw my girl Addison Rae a bone I won’t be mad, LOL. 

The 2026 Grammy Awards take place on Sunday, February 1st and will air on CBS and Paramount+. You can check out the full list of nominations here. 

Attached - EJAE at the WIF (Women In Film) Honors 2025 last night in Beverly Hills. 

EJAE attended the 2025 WIF Honors on November 06, 2025.
Photo credits: Dave Starbuck/ Future Image/ Cover Images/ Instar Images

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