Here’s How Vybz Kartel, Lila Iké & More Reacted to Their 2026 Best Reggae Album Grammy Nominations: ‘This Is a New Tidal Wave for Reggae’

Nominated for: Heart & Soul

“I am profoundly grateful for this recognition, and it is difficult to fully articulate the depth of my appreciation,” the King of Dancehall exclusively told Billboard. “[It’s] exactly 464 days ago to the day I achieved a significant milestone with my freedom, and within this time span, I have been nominated twice. I am genuinely thankful that my artistic contributions have once again garnered such esteemed attention from the Recording Academy. And I want to send a heartfelt congratulations to all fellow nominees.”

Nominated for: Treasure Self Love

“Boy, I’m feeling a lot right now. It’s a mixture of feeling proud of myself, super happy, shocked and anxious,” Iké gushed to Billboard. “I feel so blessed. I’m really proud of myself. I know I put a lot of work into this album, and also it’s been such a long time coming. I feel great for my team — In.Digg.Nation Collective, Protoje, Lorna Bennett, everybody who worked really, really hard to get this album out there. I also feel like this year’s a really amazing representation of reggae music, so big respect to everyone that’s been nominated.”

Nominated for: No Place Like Home

“I’m incredibly excited to be acknowledged once again by the Academy,” Jesse Royal told Billboard. “This entire project has been a blessing. A little bit over a week before we released the project, l almost lost my life, and that shock showed me the brevity of life and that we really have to be intentional. We barely recorded anything in our studio, we wanted to not just capture the words and the songs on this project, but [also] the vibrations and the energy that come along with all the different spaces and places that we were writing and recording.”

“But we have to take the time out to acknowledge what is going on inna Jamaica and spread awareness in terms of just how much help and aid is really needed for Jamaica to really get back on [its] feet,” he continued. “We’ve contributed so much to the world, so it’s the world’s time to show some love back to Jamaica.”

Nominated for: From Within

“It’s an honor, man. This is like the highest music award ever, and we do this for much greater purposes, but it’s great when your effort is recognized,” Mortimer tells Billboard ahead of a show in Grenada on Saturday (Nov. 8). “I wish my mom was around to share [this] with her, but I will go and sit with her at her grave and tell her that we’ve come this far. Thank you. Respect to the Grammys for considering our work of heart and love.”

Nominated for: Blxxd & Fyah

“This Grammy nomination is a mega win not just for me and my music but for my whole independent label team that has been operating as a self-governing grassroots movement from the beginning till now,” Keznamdi said in an exclusive statement to Billboard. “We built Blxxd & Fyah from the ground up — no label, no big machine, just pure faith, vision, and fire music from the heart. To be Grammy-nominated by the most prestigious academy in the music industry is a big boost for us on a long and tough uphill climb.”

He continued: “I also have to big up my fellow nominees. My heart [swells] to know that this year’s nominations are fully an all-Jamaica line-up of basically youts. This is a new tidal wave for reggae… it gives us faith that reggae from the roots still has a forefront space at a global level. The work continues, the mission is to keep the fyah burning and carry the culture and Rastafari works forward globally.”