The 8 Albums Most Likely to Receive Grammy Nods for Album of the Year

Previous album of the year nods: 1

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (four weeks)

Notes: Three years ago, Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti became the first Spanish-language album to receive an album of the year nod. His follow-up album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, wasn’t nominated in this category, but his latest may put him back on track, and make him the only artist with two Spanish-language albums nominated in the top category.

Debí Tirar Más Fotos drew stronger reviews and had a more extended chart presence than Nadie Sabe… Also, Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl gig is putting him top-of-mind (and demonstrating a greater American mainstream embrace) right during Grammy voting season. Finally, the racist backlash to Bunny’s selection will stir a “backlash to the backlash” among many Grammy voters, who will want to show their support. 

If Bunny is nominated, he’ll become the first artist to be an album of the year contender in the same year that he was a Super Bowl halftime headliner since Justin Timberlake achieved both feats in 2004. JT was up for album of the year with his solo debut, Justified, and co-headlined the Super Bowl show with Janet Jackson (which gave us the phrase “wardrobe malfunction”), P. Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock and Jessica Simpson. Bunny would be the first sole headliner (not part of a multiartist show) who was nominated for album of the year in the same year that they headlined the Super Bowl show since U2 in 2002, which was up for the top Grammy with All That You Can’t Leave Behind.

Debí Tirar Más Fotosis also competing for a nod for best música urbana album, a category in which Bunny has won twice.

Previous album of the year nods: 1

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (one week)

Notes: Carpenter was nominated in this category last year for Short n’ Sweet. She is vying to become just the third artist in the past decade – following H.E.R. and Taylor Swift – to be nominated in this category in back-to-back years. H.E.R. was nominated with the compilation albums H.E.R. and I Used to Know Her in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Swift was nominated with the studio albums Folklore (which won) and Evermore in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

More Grammy Trivia: If she’s nominated, Carpenter will match the Carpenters (no relation), who had back-to-back album of the year nods in 1971-72.

Man’s Best Friend is also competing for a nod for best pop vocal album, an award Carpenter won last year with Short n’ Sweet. If she wins again in February, she’ll become the first artist to win in the category in back-to-back years.

Previous album of the year nods: 0

Billboard 200 peak: No. 4 (one week)

Notes: The members of Clipse, Pusha T and Malice, were listed alongside the duo’s name on the Grammy entry list and will presumably be listed that way on the final ballot as well, should they make it. Pharrell Williams, who has won producer of the year, non-classical three times, produced the set, which is also vying for a best rap album nod.

This is Clipse’s fourth album; its first in nearly 16 years. Clipse’s Grammy track record is scant but Let God drew the best first-week numbers of the duo’s career and drew considerable praise from media and fans for the strength of its material, all to a degree rarely seen for a veteran rap act. If Let God is nominated, it would honor this particular album, but it would also be something of a lifetime achievement award.

Previous album of the year nods: 3 for John, 2 for Carlile

Billboard 200 peak: No. 9 (one week)

Notes: This would be John’s fourth nod in this category, following Elton John (1971), Caribou (1975) and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1976). This would give John a 55-year span of album of the year nominations, a record topped only by Tony Bennett, whose nods spanned 59 years. Andrew Watt, who won producer of the year, non-classical in 2021, produced the album.

The album is also vying for a nod for best traditional pop vocal album. If it wins, this would be the fourth album category in which Carlile has prevailed. She won best Americana album twice for her albums By the Way, I Forgive You and In These Silent Days, best country album as a producer of Tanya Tucker’s While I’m Livin’ and best folk album as a producer of Joni Mitchell Live at Newport (Live).

Who Believes in Angels? didn’t really have legs commercially – it spent just two weeks on the Billboard 200 – and a CBS TV special based on the album, An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile, received just one Primetime Emmy nomination (in a technical category). But the artists are revered, and the story of their collaboration – a hot current artist teaming with a legend – is compelling.

Previous album of the year nods: 4

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (one week)

Notes: This would be Gaga’s fifth nomination in this category; her first for a contemporary pop album since Born This Way in 2012. Her other nods are for The Fame (2010), The Fame Monster (2011) and Love for Sale (a collab with Tony Bennettt, 2022).

Gaga has amassed 14 Grammys, but she has yet to win in a Big Four category – album, record and song of the year plus best new artist. That’s rather mind-boggling after all this time. Let’s hope that changes.

Gaga and Bruno Mars memorably performed “California Dreamin’” to boost Los Angeles wildfire relief on the 2025 Grammys. In April, she headlined the first night of Coachella.

Mayhem is also vying for a nod for best pop vocal album, a category in which Gaga won in 2011 with The Fame Monster. If she wins again in February, she’ll tie Adele, Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift for the most wins in the category.

Previous album of the year nods: 4

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (three weeks)

Notes: Lamar is vying to become the first rapper to receive five nominations in this category as a lead artist. He’s currently tied with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, with four album of the year nods. Lamar’s nods are for good kid, m.A.A.d. city (2014), To Pimp a Butterfly (2016), DAMN. (2018) and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2023). Lamar was also nominated for the Black Panther soundtrack (2019), but not as a lead artist. He was nominated as a featured artist, producer and songwriter.

As noted above, he would also become the first solo artist from any genre to be nominated in this category with five consecutive studio albums. Donald Fagen was nominated with five consecutive studio albums, but that combines solo and Steely Dan projects. The impressive run began with Steely Dan’s Aja and Gaucho, continued with Fagen’s first two solo albums, The Nightfly and Kamakiriad and culminated with Steely Dan’s album Two Against Nature, which won.

GNX also vying for a nod for best rap album, a category in which Lamar has won three times. If he wins in February for a fourth time, he’ll tie Ye as the runner-up to all-time category champ Eminem (six wins).

Previous album of the year nods: 0

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (three weeks)

Notes: The rapper was nominated in this category 13 years ago as a featured artist on Frank Ocean’s debut studio album, Channel Orange, but this would be his first nod in the category as a lead artist.

CHROMAKOPIA has ridden a slowly-cresting wave for Tyler, the Creator as with each release he posts better numbers while moving away from the shock-rap of his early material, consistently proving himself one of the most exciting and thoughtful artists in popular music, and one now celebrated both by critics and streaming audiences. 

The LP, which set a personal best for Tyler, the Creator for most weeks atop the Billboard 200, is also vying for a nod as best rap album. Tyler has won twice in the category for Igor and Call Me If You Get Lost. It’s hard to imagine him beating Lamar in that category, but if he does, they’ll be tied with three wins each.

Previous album of the year nods: 1

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (one week)

Notes: The crossover star was nominated for album of the year 10 years ago with Beauty Behind the Madness, but was passed over in this category with his next three studio albums – Starboy, After Hours and Dawn FM. When he wasn’t nominated in any categories at the 2021 ceremony for his megahit “Blinding Lights,” he announced a Grammy boycott. He made a surprise, bury-the-hatchet appearance on the Grammys in February, where he performed two songs from his just-released album Hurry Up Tomorrow, “Cry for Me” and “Timeless.” Will Grammy voters extend the rapprochement with a nod here?

Hurry Up Tomorrow is also vying for a nod for best pop vocal album. It would be The Weeknd’s first win in that category. He won twice for best urban contemporary album for Beauty Behind the Madness and Starboy.