Louder: Grammy nominations are here!
Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny and more
Louder
November 7, 2025

After the high drama of this year’s Grammys (i.e. would Beyoncé finally get her album of the year?!), the nominations for next year’s ceremony are a bit of an exhale. Kendrick Lamar leads all artists with nine nods, followed by Lady Gaga (seven), and Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter and Leon Thomas (six apiece).

Doechii will compete in both record and song of the year for “Anxiety” (a song that first arrived in 2019), and two perennial Grammy favorites found their way into those categories, too: Billie Eilish (for “Wildflower”) and Bruno Mars, with his Rosé collaboration “Apt.”

Best new artist includes four acts we’ve put a spotlight on this year, including Lola Young, who I’d argue deserved a few more looks for “Messy.” (The NYT pop crew noted their own snubs and surprises here.)

Here’s the big news about the ballot and the full list of nominees in all 95 categories, along with some of our top coverage of the musicians you’ll be hearing from on Feb. 1.

Lady Gaga onstage wearing cartoonishly large white monster fingers and a gauzy white dress.

The New York Times

Grammy Awards 2026: The Full List of Nominees

Artists, albums and songs competing for trophies at the 68th annual ceremony were announced on Friday. The show will take place on Feb. 1, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Lorde, dressed in white, closes her eyes and tosses her head back, holding a mic with one hand to the side.

Scott A Garfitt/Invision, via Associated Press

Grammys Snubs and Surprises: Rap Reigns, but Lorde Won’t Slay

A look at the nominations’ unexpected story lines, including best new artist nominees with unusual paths and the event’s hesitancy around “KPop Demon Hunters.”

By Jon Caramanica, Joe Coscarelli, Jon Pareles and Lindsay Zoladz

KENDRICK LAMAR

Popcast

Kendrick Lamar’s Never-Ending Battles

The Los Angeles rapper returns with his (surprise) sixth album, itching to escape his Drake drama, but still benefiting from it.

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1 HR 6 MIN LISTEN

A black and white portrait of Kendrick Lamar is inset on top of an image from Lamar's "Pop Out" concert picturing fans cheering and holding up phones bathed in red concert lighting.

‘Not Like Us’ Reinvented Kendrick Lamar. Is the Super Bowl Ready for It?

After sweeping the Grammys on Sunday, Lamar’s ubiquitous Drake diss could be the centerpiece of the halftime show. That, it bears mentioning, is pretty strange.

By Joe Coscarelli

Critic’s Notebook

The World of Kendrick Lamar, in 6 Key Performances

On the heels of his victory lap at the Super Bowl halftime show, look back at how the rapper translates his rhymes into a distinct visual language.

By Niela Orr

A woman with pink hair sits atop the hood of a black car covered in vines, while a man seemingly in motion is poised near the car's trunk.

Critic’s Pick

Kendrick Lamar and SZA Bring Storms and Celebrations to the Stadium Stage

The rapper and R&B star are taking victory laps for smash hits and albums. But their co-headlining tour is still threaded with angst and reflection.

By Jon Caramanica

LADY GAGA

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The New York Times

Critic’s Pick

At Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball, a Pop Star Is Reborn

The singer and songwriter proved she’s operating at the peak of her powers during a two-and-a-half-hour set that drew sharp connections between her past and present.

By Lindsay Zoladz

Lady Gaga, in black hair, black clothes, a black hat and sunglasses resting just below her eyes.

Album Review

On ‘Mayhem,’ Lady Gaga Wants You to Party Like It’s 2009

She dances on the line between clever self-referentiality and less inspired rehashing on her new LP, committing to the over-the-top excess that first made her a star.

By Lindsay Zoladz

The Interview

Lady Gaga’s Latest Experiment? Happiness.

The pop superstar reflects on her struggles with mental health, the pressures of the music industry and why she’s returned to the sound that made her famous.

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48 MIN LISTEN

An illustration of Lady Gaga striking a pose and singing into a headset microphone.

Dark Pop Is In. But Gaga Is Mother.

Caryn Ganz, The New York Times’s pop music editor, joins Wesley Morris to talk about Lady Gaga and her Mayhem Ball tour.

Video by Jeremy Rocklin, Jamie Hefetz, Alfredo Chiarappa, Lauren Pruitt, Felice Leon and Brooke Minters

BAD BUNNY

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Popcast

Bad Bunny on His ‘Most Puerto Rican’ Album Yet

In an exclusive video interview, the world-conquering Latin superstar discusses why his new album is filled with traditional sounds and rhythms from his homeland.

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A bearded man in overalls, a backward baseball cap and wire-rimmed glasses smiles as he dances onstage.

Get to Know Bad Bunny in 9 Songs

Hear his first solo single up through a highlight from his latest LP, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”

By Jon Caramanica

It’s Usually Puerto Rico’s Slow Season. This Year, Bad Bunny’s in Town.

Bad Bunny’s three-month concert series in San Juan is spurring a short-term surge in Puerto Rico’s economy.

By Shefali S. Kulkarni and Amy Lombard

SABRINA CARPENTER

A woman in a tuxedo top, black skirt and cane grins while holding a microphone to one side and standing on a set of stairs.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Album Review

Will the Real Sabrina Carpenter Please Stand Up?

On “Short n’ Sweet” last year, the singer became one of pop’s new queens of quirk. On its follow-up, “Man’s Best Friend,” she’s hiding behind her characters.

By Jon Caramanica