State Champ Radio Grammys
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The 2026 Grammy nominations were announced Friday (Nov. 7), with Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga highlighting some of the biggest categories. Within the traditional Big Four categories — record of the year, song of the year, album of the year and best new artist — Interscope led all record labels with eight nominees among the 32 slots, giving parent company Universal Music Group (UMG) a commanding 21 of those 32 nods. What’s more, Interscope’s leadership structure means its total is even higher: Interscope Capitol includes Capitol (two nominations), Motown (two nominations) and the joint HYBE/Geffen partnership that signed KATSEYE (one nomination), meaning that Interscope Capitol led the way with 13 total nominations in those four categories.
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That marks the fifth time in the past eight years Interscope has led among labels. Interscope artists that received those nominations were Billie Eilish (record, song), Kendrick Lamar (record, song, album) and Lady Gaga (record, song, album). Capitol’s nominations were for Doechii (record, song), Motown’s came for Leon Thomas (album, best new artist) and KATSEYE’s nomination was for best new artist.
In second among labels with six nominations is Island Records, which achieved a few feats of its own. For the second year in a row, the label had two nominees for best new artist. This year, those two honorees are Olivia Dean and Lola Young, while last year, Carpenter and Chappell Roan were both nominated (Roan ultimately took home the award). Island — which led all labels last year, when Carpenter and Roan were both nominated in all of the Big Four categories — also saw additional nominations for Carpenter (record, song and album) and Roan (record), each of whom has received nominations in those categories for the second year in a row. Carpenter now joins Taylor Swift (who has done it twice) as the only artists to receive album of the year nominations in back-to-back years since the categories were expanded from five to eight nominees for the 2019 ceremony.
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Island is also part of a larger structure in REPUBLIC Collective, which encompasses Republic Records, Def Jam and more. REPUBLIC Collective, overall, received eight nominations, as “Golden” from the Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack was nominated for song of the year for Republic Records and Justin Bieber’s SWAG album, released by Def Jam, was recognized for album of the year.
In third among labels is Atlantic, which got song and record nominations for ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.,” as well as best new artist nominations for Alex Warren and The Marías. In fourth is Rimas, home to Bad Bunny, who saw his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS album nominated for album of the year, while its title track “DtMF” got song and record nominations. Columbia also grabbed two nominations — album of the year for Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA and best new artist for Addison Rae — while Roc Nation Distribution got a nod for releasing Clipse’s album of the year-nominated Let God Sort Em Out and Warner Records kept its best new artist success alive with a nod for Sombr, marking the seventh best new artist nod the label has racked up in the past six years.
Among label groups, the aforementioned UMG dominated with 21 nominations, while Warner Music Group accounted for five, the indies collectively garnered four and Sony Music had two.
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A ripped piece of paper floats in front of EJAE’s face as she giggles with her castmates Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna over a video call. “My manager gave me a list of adjectives to use,” she says over Zoom, unable to stop herself from cackling.
Nuna immediately smirks. “Read them for us,” she shouts. The catalog includes gems like “incredible,” “humble,” “privileged,” and “accomplished,” but all three women immediately lock onto the inclusion of “breathtaking” on this list. “‘Breathtaking’ is good,” Ami laughs.
They’re all accurate words to describe exactly how the three members of the semi-fictional girl group HUNTR/X feel on Friday (Nov. 7), considering that EJAE, Ami and Nuna have just earned four Grammy nominations for their work together on the breakout hit Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters.
Alongside two standard nominations related to music for film — “Golden” earned a nod for best song written for visual media while the movie’s soundtrack notched a nomination for best compilation soundtrack for visual media — HUNTR/X also received two major category nominations, for best pop duo/group performance, and for song of the year, both for “Golden.”
So yes, “breathtaking” feels like a good word to describe the trio’s feelings. “The breaths have been snatched from our bodies,” Nuna says. “Our hearts are being pulled in so many different directions. But above all, I think we’re just very, very, very grateful to be a part of what feels like a very cultural and historic moment, and something that as kids we would have we craved so bad to see. Being a part of it is just really surreal.”
The nominations are just the latest piece of what has been a cultural takeover for KPop Demon Hunters. Not only has the film become Netflix’s most-watched movie in the platform’s history, but the music from the soundtrack — written primarily by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick and a host of other well-established K-pop songwriters — has dominated the charts. “Golden” spent a whopping eight weeks at the summit of the Hot 100 and remains steady at No. 2 this week. The entirety of the soundtrack, meanwhile, earned two weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, and remains at No. 2 today.
For EJAE, who spent the last decade writing hit songs for K-pop acts like aespa, Twice and others, earning a Grammy nod specifically for her songwriting in the song of the year category is a fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
“It means so much, because I [was asked] in an interview once, ‘What’s a goal that you have?’ And mine was to get an award as a songwriter,” she says. “I don’t see many Asian women or Korean women in this industry, it’s hard to find, songwriter-wise. And so I hope that this can inspire others to keep going, because it felt impossible.”
The group’s nominations don’t only make history as a film-music crossover — they also make history for K-pop as a genre. With their four nominations, HUNTR/X becomes the first K-pop girl group to earn Grammy nominations, and one of two acts (alongside ROSÉ of Blackpink) to earn nominations in the same year, another first for the genre. Previously, only BTS had scored major nominations at the annual ceremony.
That lack of representation in the past is part of why many in the industry have begun asking whether or not K-pop should be represented with its own categories at the annual ceremony. For their part, all three members of HUNTR/X agree that K-pop does deserve to have space created for it at the Grammys. “It’s been proven that this is a genre that can really stand its own in the U.S. space, so it would make sense for this genre to be represented alongside so many other genres that are important to culture,” Nuna says.
With a soundtrack that has dominated music spaces around the globe for the past four months, KPop Demon Hunters has repeatedly defied expectations — which is in no small part why Ami feels particularly proud to be representing her community at the biggest music awards in the world. “As Korean women, from a very young age, we are taught to be quiet, to not be seen,” she says. “That really causes some weird cognitive dissonance early on, as Korean women who we are pursuing the art self expression where we have to be seen. We have to be loud and bold.”
But the singer makes it abundantly clear that while she, EJAE and Nuna remain incredibly grateful for their success, all three of them worked incredibly hard to earn these four nominations. “[KPop Demon Hunters] took nine years to create, there were endless demos, we have a legendary songwriter who has gone through the work of the industry, we have Audrey Nuna out on her own being an independent artist, we have the struggle that comes with being a solo Asian artist in America,” she says, her voice slowly rising. “We’ve had every door shut. We’ve been told, ‘You’re not good enough. You need to do more. You’re too Korean. You’re not American enough.’ So we deserve this. We worked very hard for this, and we are honored to have earned it.”
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After winning his first Grammy this year for best R&B song with SZA’s “Snooze,” Leon Thomas could sweep almost every R&B category at the 68th annual Grammy Awards, as the nominations were announced Friday morning (Nov. 7).
While the continued success of his Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit “Mutt” has proven Thomas is no underdog anymore, its “Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk” version is up for best R&B performance. (The original version was commercially released on Aug. 8, 2024, during the eligibility period for the 2025 Grammy Awards, and it was submitted for consideration then. Thomas released the 5-song Mutt (Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk) EP on Aug. 15, 2025, which qualifies for next year’s ceremony.) Its parent album, which shares the same title, is nominated for best R&B album, while its tracks “Vibes Don’t Lie” and “Yes It Is” are up for best traditional R&B performance and best R&B song, respectively.
Following Thomas, Durand Bernarr has the second most nominations in the R&B field with three: best traditional R&B performance (“Here We Are”), best R&B song (“Overqualified”) and best progressive R&B album (Bloom). He only scored his first Grammy nod ever this year in the best progressive R&B album category. “Folded,” arguably the biggest song of Kehlani’s career to date, has earned her her first Hot 100 top 10 hit and No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs (charts dated Nov. 8), and now two Grammy nods for best R&B performance and best R&B song. While Kehlani has yet to win a Grammy, they’re poised to take home the gold for the first time next year.
“I’m not big [on letting] any award validate how great your art is. But it’s nice when the system in place or the hierarchy of what you’re doing in art recognizes that what you’re doing is great,” Kehlani told Billboard earlier this year while reflecting on her debut commercial mixtape You Should Be Here, which earned the star her first Grammy nod 10 years ago for best urban contemporary album.
Ledisi could snag her first best traditional R&B performance win in five years with “Love You Too,” the lead single from her 12th studio album The Crown, which is up for best R&B album. After the deluxe edition of 11:11 won best R&B album this year, Chris Brown returns to the best R&B performance field one year later with “It Depends,” featuring Bryson Tiller, which is also up for best R&B song. This week, “It Depends” rose to the No. 1 spot on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and spends a fifth week atop Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. And one week before Summer Walker’s third studio album Finally Over It drops, its lead single “Heart of a Woman” earns two nomination for best R&B performance and best R&B song.
Five years ago, Teyana Taylor called out the Recording Academy for the male-dominated best R&B album category after she dropped her third studio album The Album. “Y’all was better off just saying best MALE R&B ALBUM cause all I see is d–k in this category,” she wrote on X. Now, she’s up for her first Grammy ever in this female-dominated category, with Escape Room coming alongside Ledisi with The Crown and Coco Jones with her debut album Why Not More? Bilal’s first album in nine years, Adjust Brightness, earns the dynamic singer/songwriter/musician his first Grammy in 10 years for best progressive R&B album. After their “Peaches” collaboration with Daniel Caesar scored Justin Bieber and Giveon a hefty sum of nominations at the 2022 Grammy Awards, where both lost in every category they were up in, both could avenge themselves in the R&B field, as Bieber is up for best R&B performance (with “Yukon”) for the first time since “Peaches” and Giveon is up for best R&B album (for Beloved) for the first time since Take Time scored a nod in 2021.
U.K. R&B acts like kwn and Odeal have made a lot of noise from across the pond this year, but FLO is the only one nominated for a Grammy next year, as the girl group earns its first nod for best progressive R&B album with its debut album Access All Areas. And after five songs from SZA’s blockbuster 2022 album SOS earned Grammy nods at the 2024 awards ceremony, where SZA was the most-nominated artist with nine total nods, one more is added to her collection: “Crybaby,” from the deluxe Lana edition of SOS, is up for best traditional R&B performance.
While Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. welcomed The Weeknd back with open arms during the ceremony earlier this year, where he performed “Cry for Me” and “Timeless” with Playboi Carti, Grammy voters did not. His repeat shut out includes “Baptized in Fear” from his sixth studio album Hurry Up Tomorrow not being included in the best R&B song slate. Ravyn Lenae also surprisingly received zero nominations despite her R&B/pop crossover hit “Love Me Not” reaching No. 5 on the Hot 100 and, as Billboard’s awards editor Paul Grein put it, being “played on every pop radio station in America every hour on the hour during the voting period.” While “Love Me Not” competed in the pop field, “Love Is Blind” from the same Bird’s Eye album was submitted for best R&B song, and received no love.
Drake and PartyNextDoor’s “Somebody Loves Me” is nominated for best melodic rap performance, but its parent album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U isn’t up for best progressive R&B album as some might’ve expected. Mariah the Scientist’s breakthrough year isn’t captured by the 2026 nominations either, as “Burning Blue,” her first Hot 100 top 40 hit and first Rhythmic Airplay chart-topper, is looked over for both best R&B performance and best R&B song, and its parent album Hearts Sold Separately, her highest-charting Billboard 200 album (No. 11), isn’t up for best R&B album.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, airing live on CBS and Paramount+ Premium at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
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Bad Bunny continues to expand his winning streak this year. On Friday (Nov. 7), the Puerto Rican superstar not only received six nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards, but also made history as the first Latin artist to appear in three main categories in the same year: album of the year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, and song of the year and record of the year for “DTMF.”
This is the second time Benito is competing for the album of the year award, having previously done so in 2023 with Un Verano Sin Ti. Additionally, “DTMF” is only the second Spanish-language track to be nominated for both record of the year and song of the year, following “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee (featuring Justin Bieber). Bad Bunny is also nominated for best música urbana album, best global music performance for “EoO,” and best album cover as the art director for his LP’s artwork.
Also in the main categories, Mexican hitmaker Edgar Barrera received his third nomination for songwriter of the year, non-classical, this time for writing or cowriting hits for artists including Young Miko, Karol G, Carín León, Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera, Manuel Turizo, Shakira and Juanes. He is, once again, the only nominee for the award for writing songs in Spanish.
Other Latin artists are sprinkled throughout the categories. For the best global music performance award, in addition to Bad Bunny, Peruvian singer Ciro Hurtado is nominated for “Cantando en el Camino,” and Cuban artist Yeisy Rojas for “Inmigrante y Qué?” Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz are once again featured in the classical music categories, while the jazz and Latin jazz sections include Cuban musicians Paquito D’Rivera and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Mexican Arturo O’Farrill and Puerto Rican Miguel Zenón.
In the Latin music categories — which include pop, urban music, rock or alternative music, Mexican music and tropical music — there are superstars who have been nominated or awarded in the past, such as Gloria Estefan, Fito Páez, Karol G, Rauw Alejandro, Natalia Lafourcade and Alejandro Sanz, among others. It also includes first-time nominees such as Colombian singer Paola Jara and Argentine duo CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso.
Many of the artists who received nominations on Friday will first compete at the 2025 Latin Grammy Awards, which will be held Thursday (Nov. 13) in Las Vegas. At this ceremony, Bad Bunny leads with 12 nominations, followed by Edgar Barrera and CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, with 10 each.
Below are the nominees for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in the Latin and Latin Jazz categories. The winners will be announced in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 1, just a few days before the Super Bowl, where Bad Bunny will headline the halftime show.
Best Latin Pop Album
Cosa Nuestra, Rauw Alejandro
BOGOTÁ (DELUXE), Andrés Cepeda
Tropicoqueta, Karol G
Cancionera, Natalia Lafourcade
¿Y Ahora Qué?, Alejandro Sanz
Best Música Urbana Album
Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Bad Bunny
Mixteip, J Balvin
FERXXO VOL X: Sagrado, Feid
NAIKI, Nicki Nicole
EUB DELUXE, Trueno
SINFÓNICO (En Vivo), Yandel
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
Genes Rebeldes, Aterciopelados
ASTROPICAL, Bomba Estéreo, Rawayana, ASTROPICAL
PAPOTA, CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso
ALGORHYTHM, Los Wizzards
Novela, Fito Paez
Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano)
MALA MÍA, Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera
Y Lo Que Viene, Grupo Frontera
Sin Rodeos, Paola Jara
Palabra De To’s (Seca), Carín León
Bobby Pulido & Friends Una Tuya Y Una Mía – Por La Puerta Grande (En Vivo), Bobby Pulido
Best Tropical Latin Album
Fotografías, Rubén Blades, Roberto Delgado & Orquesta
Raíces, Gloria Estefan
Clásicos 1.0, Grupo Niche
Bingo, Alain Pérez
Debut y Segunda Tanda, Vol. 2, Gilberto Santa Rosa
Best Latin Jazz Album
La Fleur de Cayenne, Paquito D’Rivera & Madrid-New York Connection Band
The Original Influencers: Dizzy, Chano & Chico, Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Featuring Pedrito Martinez, Daymé Arocena, Jon Faddis, Donald Harrison & Melvis Santa
Mundoagua – Celebrating Carla Bley, Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta & Joey Calveiro
Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard, Miguel Zenón Quartet
Trending on Billboard The 2026 Grammy nominations were announced Friday (Nov. 7), with the academy once again once again selecting a group of dance/electronic producers across the four dance-focused categories. Skrillex and Kaytranada lead the nominees with two nods each. Skrillex, whose already got nine Grammys to his name, gets the 2026 nods for his […]
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Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
All Things LightJesse Brock, Jon Castelli, Tyler Johnson, Nick Lobel, Simon Maartensson, Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell, Anders Mouridsen, Ryan Nasci, Ernesto Olivera-Lapier, Ethan Schneiderman & Owen Stoutt, engineers; Dale Becker, mastering engineer (Cam)
ArcadiaNeal Cappellino & Gary Paczosa, engineers; Brad Blackwood, mastering engineer (Alison Krauss & Union Station)
For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)Joseph Lorge, Blake Mills & Sebastian Reunert, engineers; Patricia Sullivan, mastering engineer (Japanese Breakfast)
That Wasn’t A DreamJoseph Lorge & Blake Mills, engineers; Patricia Sullivan, mastering engineer (Pino Palladino, Blake Mills)
Best Engineered Album, Classical
Cerrone: Don’t Look DownMike Tierney, engineer; Alan Silverman, mastering engineer (Sandbox Percussion)
Eastman: Symphony No. 2; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2Gintas Norvila, engineer; Jennifer Nulsen, mastering engineer (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra)
Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk DistrictShawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer (Andris Nelsons, Kristine Opolais, Günther Groissböck, Peter Hoare, Brenden Gunnell & Boston Symphony Orchestra)
Standard StoppagesSean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, Bill Maylone, Judith Sherman & David Skidmore, engineers; Joe Lambert, mastering engineer (Third Coast Percussion)
YuleMorten Lindberg, engineer; Morten Lindberg, mastering engineer (Trio Mediæval)
Producer of the Year, Classical
Blanton Alspaugh• All Is Miracle – The Choral Music of Kyle Pederson (Timothy J. Campbell & Transept)• Heggie: Intelligence (Kwame Ryan, Janai Brugger, Jamie Barton, J’Nai Bridges & Houston Grand Opera)• Marsalis: Blues Symphony (Jader Bignamini & Detroit Symphony Orchestra)• Massenet: Werther (Robert Spano, Matthew Polenzani, Isabel Leonard & Houston Grand Opera)• The Mirage Calls (Charles Bruffy & Kansas City Chorale)• Sheehan: Ukrainian War Requiem (Michael Zaugg, Axios Men’s Ensemble & Pro Coro Canada)• Sun, Moon, Stars, Rain (Christopher Gabbitas & Phoenix Chorale)
Sergei Kvitko• Biedenbender: Enigma; River of Time (Kevin L. Sedatole & Michigan State University Wind Symphony)• Chiaroscuro (Vedrana Subotic)• Dancing in a Still Life (Tasha Warren)• Excursions (Vuorovesi Trio)• Four Hands. Two Hearts. One Hope. Ukrainian and American Music for Piano Duo (Mykhailo Diordiiev & Anastasiia Larchikova)• Here and Now – Trumpet Music by Virginia Composers (Jason Crafton, Richard Masters, Annie Stevens & Paul Langosch)• Lansky: Touch and Go (Gwendolyn Dease)• Orbiting Garden (William Hobbs)• Would That Loving Were Enough (Haven Trio)
Morten Lindberg• Fred Over Jorden (Peace to the World) (Elisabeth Holte, Kjetil Bjerkestrand & Uranienborg Vokalensemble)• Stjernebru (Anne Karin Sundal-Ask & Det Norske Jentekor)• Yule (Trio Mediæval)
Dmitriy Lipay• Heggie: Before It All Goes Dark (Joseph Mechavich, Megan Marino, Ryan McKinny & Music of Remembrance Ensemble)• Odyssey (Jorge Glem, Gustavo Dudamel & Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra Of Venezuela)• Ortiz: Yanga (Gustavo Dudamel, Alisa Weilerstein & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Elaine Martone• Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra)• Chopin & Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonatas (Brian Thornton & Spencer Myer)• Dear Mrs. Kennedy (Ryan Townsend Strand)• Eastman: Symphony No. 2; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra)• LeFrak: Romántico (Sharon Isbin, Lopez-Yañez & Orchestra Of St. Luke’s)• Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27 & Symphony No. 29 (Garrick Ohlsson, Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestrea)• The Poet & The Prodigy (Debra Nagy & Mark Edwards)• Shapes in Collective Space (Tallā Rouge)• Songs of Orpheus (Kelley O’Connor)
Best Immersive Audio Album
All American F***boyAndrew Law, immersive mix engineer (Duckwrth)
ImmersedJustin Gray, immersive mix engineer; Michael Romanowski, immersive mastering engineer; Justin Gray, Drew Jurecka & Morten Lindberg, immersive producers (Justin Gray)
An Immersive Tribute to Astor Piazzolla (Live)Andrés Mayo & Martín Muscatello, immersive mix engineers; Andrés Mayo & Martín Muscatello, immersive producers (Various Artists)
TearjerkersHans-Martin Buff, immersive mix engineer; Hans-Martin Buff, immersive producer (Tearjerkers)
YuleMorten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Arve Henriksen & Morten Lindberg, immersive producers (Trio Mediæval)
Best Instrumental Composition
“First Snow,” Remy Le Boeuf, composer (Nordkraft Big Band, Remy Le Boeuf & Danielle Wertz)
“Live Life This Day: Movement I,” Miho Hazama, composer (Miho Hazama, Danish Radio Big Band & Danish National Symphony Orchestra)
“Lord, That’s A Long Way,” Sierra Hull, composer (Sierra Hull)
“Opening,” Zain Effendi, composer (Zain Effendi)
“Train to Emerald City,” John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers (John Powell & Stephen Schwartz)
“Why You Here / Before the Sun Went Down,” Ludwig Göransson, composer (Ludwig Göransson Featuring Miles Caton)
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
“Be Okay,” Cynthia Erivo, arranger (Cynthia Erivo)
“A Child Is Born,” Remy Le Boeuf, arranger (Nordkraft Big Band & Remy Le Boeuf)
“Fight On,” Andy Clausen, Addison Maye-Saxon, Riley Mulherkar & Chloe Rowlands, arrangers (The Westerlies)
“Super Mario Praise Break,” Bryan Carter, Charlie Rosen & Matthew Whitaker, arrangers (The 8-Bit Big Band)
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
“Big Fish,” Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick, Nate Smith & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (Nate Smith Featuring säje)
“How Did She Look?,” Nelson Riddle, arranger (Seth MacFarlane)
“Keep an Eye on Summer,” Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier)
“Something in the Water (Acoustic-Ish),” Clyde Lawrence, Gracie Lawrence & Linus Lawrence, arrangers (Lawrence)
“What A Wonderful World,” Cody Fry, arranger (Cody Fry)
Best Orchestral Performance
“Coleridge-Taylor: Toussaint L’Ouverture; Ballade Op. 4; Suites From ’24 Negro Melodies,’” Michael Repper, conductor (National Philharmonic)
“Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie,” Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
“Ravel: Boléro, M. 81,” Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra Of Venezuela)
“Still & Bonds,” Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)
“Stravinsky: Symphony In Three Movements,” Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
Best Opera Recording
“Heggie: Intelligence,” Kwamé Ryan, conductor; Jamie Barton, J’Nai Bridges & Janai Brugger; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Houston Grand Opera; Gene Scheer)
“Huang Ruo: An American Soldier,” Carolyn Kuan, conductor; Hannah Cho, Alex DeSocio, Nina Yoshida Nelsen & Brian Vu; Adam Abeshouse, Silas Brown & Doron Schachter, producers (American Composers Orchestra; David Henry Hwang)
“Kouyoumdjian: Adoration,” Alan Pierson, conductor; Miriam Khalil, Marc Kudisch, David Adam Moore, Omar Najmi, Naomi Louisa O’Connell & Karim Sulayman; Mary Kouyoumdjian, producer (Silvana Quartet; The Choir Of Trinity Wall Street)
“O’Halloran: Trade & Mary Motorhead,” Elaine Kelly, conductor; Oisín Ó Dálaigh & John Molloy; Alex Dowling & Emma O’Halloran, producers (Irish National Opera Orchestra; Mark O’Halloran)
“Tesori: Grounded,” Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Ben Bliss, Emily D’Angelo, Greer Grimsley & Kyle Miller; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus; George Brant)
Best Choral Performance
“Advena – Liturgies For A Broken World,” Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Simon Barrad, Emily Yocum Black & Michael Hawes; Conspirare)
“Childs: In the Arms of the Beloved,” Grant Gershon, conductor (Billy Childs, Dan Chmlellnskl, Christian Euman, Larry Koonse, Lyris Quartet, Anne Akiko Meyers, Carol Robbins & Luciana Souza; Los Angeles Master Chorale)
“Lang: Poor Hymnal,” Donald Nally, conductor (Steven Bradshaw, Michael Hawes, Lauren Kelly, Rebecca Siler & Elisa Sutherland; The Crossing)
“Ortiz: Yanga,” Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Grant Gershon, chorus master (Los Angeles Philharmonic & Tambuco Percussion Ensemble; Los Angeles Master Chorale)
“Requiem of Light,” Steven Fox, conductor; Emily Drennan & Patti Drennan, chorus masters (Brian Giebler & Sangeeta Kaur; The Clarion Choir)
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
“Dennehy: Land Of Winter,” Alan Pierson & Alarm Will Sound
“La Mer – French Piano Trios,” Neave Trio
“Lullabies for the Brokenhearted,” Lili Haydn & Paul Cantelon
“Slavic Sessions,” Mak Grgić & Mateusz Kowalski
“Standard Stoppages,” Third Coast Percussion
Best Classical Instrumental Solo
“Coleridge-Taylor: 3 Selections From ’24 Negro Melodies,’” Curtis Stewart; Michael Repper, conductor (National Philharmonic)
“Hope Orchestrated,” Mary Dawood Catlin; Jesús David Medina & Raniero Palm, conductors (Venezuela Strings Recording Ensemble)
“Inheritances,” Adam Tendler
“Price: Piano Concerto In One Movement In D Minor,” Han Chen; John Jeter, conductor (Malmö Opera Orchestra)
“Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos,” Yo-Yo Ma; Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
“Shostakovich: The Piano Concertos; Solo Works,” Yuja Wang; Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
Alike – My Mother’s Dream, Allison Charney, soloist; Benjamin Loeb, conductor (National Symphonia Orchestra)
Black Pierrot, Sidney Outlaw, soloist; Warren Jones, pianist
In This Short Life, Devony Smith, soloist; Danny Zelibor, pianist; Michael Nicolas, accompanist
Kurtág: Kafka Fragments, Susan Narucki, soloist; Curtis Macomber, accompanist
Schubert Beatles, Theo Hoffman, soloist; Steven Blier, pianist (Rupert Boyd, Julia Bullock, Alex Levine, Andrew Owens, Rubén Rengel & Sam Weber)
Telemann: Ino – Opera Arias For Soprano, Amanda Forsythe, soloist; Robert Mealy, Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors (Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra)
Best Classical Compendium
Cerrone: Don’t Look Down, Sandbox Percussion; Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Christopher Cerrone, Ian Rosenbaum, Terry Sweeney & Mike Tierney, producers
The Dunbar/Moore Sessions, Vol. II, Will Liverman; Jonathan Estabrooks, producer
Ortiz: Yanga, Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Dmitriy Lipay, producer
Seven Seasons, Janai Brugger, Isolde Fair, MB Gordy & Starr Parodi; Nicholas Dodd, conductor; Jeff Fair, Starr Parodi & Kitt Wakeley, producers
Tombeaux, Christina Sandsengen; Shaun Drew & Christina Sandsengen, producers
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Cerrone: Don’t Look Down, Christopher Cerrone, composer (Conor Hanick & Sandbox Percussion)
Dennehy: Land of Winter, Donnacha Dennehy, composer (Alan Pierson & Alarm Will Sound)
León: Raíces (Origins), Tania León, composer (Edward Gardner & London Philharmonic Orchestra)
Okpebholo: Songs in Flight, Shawn E. Okpebholo, composer (Will Liverman, Paul Sánchez & Various Artists)
Ortiz: Dzonot, Gabriela Ortiz, composer (Alisa Weilerstein, Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Trending on Billboard The Recording Academy is unveiling the nominations for the 68th annual Grammy Awards on a livestream on its YouTube channel, and you can find out who is competing in the six highest-profile categories right here. We’ll show you the full list of nominees in each of those categories – along with our […]
Trending on Billboard
A couple of recent news items from the Recording Academy may give us some hints about what to expect when the Grammy nominations are announced on Friday Nov. 7.
On Monday (Nov. 3), the academy announced that they have added approximately 2,900 new voting members this year as part of their years-long effort to diversify the voting body. Of the newly-admitted members, 49% are age 39 and under, 60% are people of color and 30% identify as women.
Also, for the first time, invitations to join the Recording Academy were extended to all voting members of the Latin Recording Academy. Many accepted the offer. That’s a strong indicator that Bad Bunny could be headed for his second album of the year nod for Debí Tirar Más Fotos. He was already a likely nominee in that category, especially since Sept. 28, when he was announced as next year’s Super Bowl halftime headliner. Now, he seemingly can’t miss. The influx of Latin Recording Academy members also puts Karol G, who is entered with Tropicoqueta, in the album of the year conversation.
Last Thursday, the academy announced the names of the celebrities who will participate in Friday’s nominations livestream, including several artists who are vying for nods – Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Brandi Carlile, Doechii, Jon Batiste and the aforementioned Karol G. Just because someone has been invited to announce some nominees on the livestream doesn’t automatically mean they’re going to be nominated, but if you’re looking for every conceivable hint and clue (and we are!), it’s a positive sign. Would the academy really ask an A-lister like Carpenter to participate in their livestream if she was shut out in the nominations? (That would be “Manchild” behavior.)
Kendrick Lamar (GNX) and Lady Gaga (MAYHEM) are probably this year’s surest bets for album of the year nods. It would be the fifth nomination in the category as lead (or co-lead) artists for both artists. Neither has ever won in the category. If Lamar is nominated, he’ll become the first solo artist in Grammy history to receive album of the year nods for five consecutive studio albums.
Elton John and Coldplay could be headed for their fourth nods in the category – John for his collab with Carlile, Who Believes in Angels?; Coldplay for Moon Music. Carlile, Batiste (Big Money) and Justin Bieber (Swag) could be headed for their third nods in the category.
We could see history made on Friday, if three rap albums are nominated for album of the year. There have never been more than two rap albums nominated in any one year. Lamar’s GNX seems a lock for a nomination. Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out and Tyler, the Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA also have a good shot.
Two soundtracks are strong contenders – KPop Demon Hunters, which has been an inescapable pop-culture phenomenon, and Wicked, which stars a major pop star (Ariana Grande) as well as a near-EGOT (Cynthia Erivo). But in the last 30 years, just three soundtracks have been nominated for album of the year – and all three were linked to a top-name producer – Waiting to Exhale (Babyface), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (T Bone Burnett) and Black Panther (Kendrick Lamar).
Debut or breakthrough albums often make the album of the year finals. Leon Thomas’ second album, Mutt, and debut releases by Alex Warren (You’ll Be Alright, Kid) and sombr (I Barely Know Her) are contenders this year. Olivia Dean’s breakthrough album, The Art of Loving, was released after the end of the eligibility period (Aug. 31, 2024, to Aug. 30, 2025). It will be eligible here next year, though Dean is eligible for best new artist this year, and is among the front-runners in that category.
Other albums, not already mentioned, that are strong contenders include The Weeknd‘s Hurry Up Tomorrow, Tate McRae’s So Close to What, Laufey’s A Matter of Time, Bon Iver’s SABLE, fABLE, Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken, HAIM’s I Quit, Lorde’s Virgin and Kali Uchis’ Sincerely.
Here are the eight albums most likely to be nominated for album of the year. They are listed in alphabetical order by artist, as they will appear on the official Grammy nominations list. We show you how many album of the year nominations the artist has previously received as a lead artist and how high this album placed on the Billboard 200.
Bad Bunny, Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Image Credit: Eric Rojas
Trending on Billboard In addition to being likely to receive nominations on Friday Nov. 7, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Brandi Carlile, Doechii and more are set to announce the nominations on a livestream that begins at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET. Carpenter, who won two Grammys on the telecast in February, could be nominated for […]
