State Champ Radio Grammys
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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 […]
Does this mean The Weeknd and the Grammys are on the outs again?
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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 […]
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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 […]
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For months, it looked like the Grammy race for best new artist was likely to come down to Alex Warren and sombr. But a couple of things happened in the past few weeks to make the race more competitive – Olivia Dean exploded with a top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 (“Man I Need”) and a top 10 album on the Billboard 200 (The Art of Loving). And the Recording Academy ruled Leon Thomas eligible, even though he won a Grammy three years ago for co-writing SZA’s “Snooze.” Now, we have a real race.
With the nominations set to be announced next Friday (Nov. 7), all four of these artists certain to be nominated for best new artist, along with Lola Young. After that, it gets harder to choose, but the field will be rounded out with three other nominees, culled from a list of 337 eligible names.
Final-round voting begins Dec. 12 and extends to Jan. 5. So Dean has about six weeks for her profile to continue building before the first votes are cast.
If Dean (or Young) winds up winning, this will be the ninth year in a row that a solo woman has been named best new artist. The streak started in 2018 with Alessia Cara and has continued with Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Olivia Rodrigo, Samara Joy, Victoria Monét and Chappell Roan.
If Warren, somber or Thomas takes the prize, they’d be the first male artist to win since Chance the Rapper in 2017.
The Marías, which span multiple genres and languages, also have a good chance of being nominated. If they were to win, they’d be the first group (defined as an act with three or more members) to take the prize since fun. in 2013. Three other groups are seen as having a reasonably good shot at a nod: Sleep Token, KATSEYE and The Red Clay Strays.
Some of the top contenders have already won new artist prizes at other shows. Warren won best new artist at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 7. Thomas won best new artist at the BET Awards on June 9. Zach Top, Ella Langley and The Red Clay Strays won the new male, female, and duo/group prizes at the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 8. Myles Smith won the rising star award at the Brit Awards on March 1.
Even some acts that won new artist awards in 2024 are eligible. Megan Moroney won new artist of the year at the 2024 Country Music Association Awards and new female artist of the year at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards. The Red Clay Strays won emerging artist of the year at the 2024 Americana Music Honors & Awards.
(The Grammys in recent years have erred on the side of being inclusive in this category. In previous eras, they almost seemed to be looking for nitpicky reasons to kick artists out – just ask the people around Whitney Houston and Richard Marx who are probably still smarting over their exclusions.)
BigXthaPlug and Bailey Zimmerman, who collaborated on the top five Hot 100 hit “All the Way,” are competing against each other here. Sleep Token and Ken Carson, who both landed No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, are eligible. So is Role Model, who made a vivid impression late in the eligibility year with his irresistible breakthrough hit “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.”
Other strong contenders, not already mentioned, include Ravyn Lenae, Mariah the Scientist, Addison Rae, Jessie Murph, Gigi Perez, Riley Green, October London, Sam Fender, Reneé Rapp, PinkPantheress, Tucker Wetmore, ATEEZ, Central Cee, Lil Tecca, Parker McCollum and Keke Palmer.
The eligibility period for the 68th Grammy Awards is Aug. 31, 2024, through Aug. 30, 2025. While the Grammys set a minimum number of releases an artist must have to qualify in this category (five singles/tracks or one album), there is no maximum. Instead, the Grammys’ rules and guidelines booklet says nominations for the honor hinge on when “the artist had attained a breakthrough or prominence” — and it delegates that determination to a screening committee.
Artists are allowed to appear on the entry list for best new artist three times, after which they are ruled ineligible for future consideration.
Here are the eight leading nominees for best new artist. The artists are shown in alphabetical order, which is how they’ll be listed on the Grammy nominees list.
Olivia Dean
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Now that Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop team has posted its Grammy predictions for four of the R&B categories in the 68th annual race — best R&B performance, best traditional R&B performance, best R&B song and best R&B album — it’s time to review the top prospects in the fifth and final category: best progressive R&B album.
Recent winners in the category include Lucky Daye (Table for Two, 2022), Steve Lacy (Gemini Rights, 2023) and SZA (SOS, 2024). Thanks to a tie, two winners took home the gramophone in 2025: longtime independent artist Avery Sunshine (So Glad to Know You) and the R&B/hip-hop super duo NxWorries comprised of Anderson .Paak and producer Knxwledge (Why Lawd?).
Formerly known as best urban contemporary album, the category was renamed best progressive R&B album in 2020. In recognizing “excellence in albums of progressive R&B vocal tracks,” per the Recording Academy’s definition, such entries are rooted in many of the elements comprising R&B but also embrace additional sounds including hip-hop, rap, pop, dance and electronic music. The rulebook further defines the category’s music as having “an emphasis on experimentation and innovation, often through unconventional song structures, dynamic production techniques and multi-genre influences that challenge traditional R&B conventions.”
Albums released between Aug. 31, 2024 and Aug. 30, 2025 fitting this category include familiar vets like Bilal (Adjust Brightness), Gallant (Zinc), Jessie Reyez (Paid in Memories), Kali Uchis (Sincerely) and Allen Stone (Mystery). A host of upstarts also waved the progressive banner in their own inimitable styles, such as SAILORR (From Florida’s Finest), Laila! (Gap Year), Jordan Adetunji (A Jaguar’s Dream) and Cautious Clay (The Hours: Morning).
In addition to those on-the-cusp contenders, there are others of note to consider. Chief among them is the group FLO (Access All Areas), KWN (With All Due Respect), Destin Conrad (Love on Digital), Fridayy (Some Days I’m Good, Some Days I’m Not), UMI (People Stories) and Kelela (In the Blue Light).
With such a cornucopia of projects to choose from, predicting the nods in this category isn’t an easy task. One scenario could have Kali Uchis, Destin Conrad, Fridayy and Jessie Reyez fighting for the last spot. Or perhaps there could be another surprise from left field a la Avery Sunshine at the 67th annual ceremony.
So which five albums will score nods for best progressive R&B album when the Recording Academy unveils its slate on Nov. 7? Check out Billboard’s predictions below.
PARTYNEXT DOOR & Drake, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U
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Last week, Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop team shared our nominee predictions in three of the five R&B categories for the 68th annual Grammy Awards: best R&B performance, best traditional R&B performance and best R&B song. Here, we’re going to forecast which projects are most likely to make the cut in the best R&B album category.
Recent best R&B album winners include Jazmine Sullivan (Heaux Tales, 2022), Robert Glasper (Black Radio III, 2023), Victoria Monét (Jaguar II, 2024) and Chris Brown (11:11 [Deluxe], 2025). Before we predict the five nominees for the 2026 Grammy derby, which will be presented Feb. 1, here’s a quick refresher regarding the Recording Academy’s category definition for best R&B album.
It’s been four years since the Grammys’ best contemporary R&B album category was discontinued and its name changed to best R&B album. The revamped category brought together albums featuring infusions of contemporary hip-hop and those featuring more traditional R&B leanings under one roof. According to the academy’s current rulebook, best R&B album — vocal or instrumental — “recognizes artistic excellence in albums of R&B music.”
This year’s crop of R&B albums represents a diverse range of styles, long-anticipated returns and breakthroughs by a mix of established and rising stars — including several prior Grammy winners and nominees.
Among the long-anticipated returns is that of Teyana Taylor. Winning raves for her role in the Leonardo DiCaprio thriller One Battle After Another, she elicited strong buzz this summer for her BET Awards performance of “Fire Girl” and “Long Time.” Those songs plus the single “Bed of Roses” are from her anticipated first new album in five years Escape Room.
Another long-awaited moment arrived this year with the release of Justin Bieber’s seventh studio album SWAG. While one of its notable tracks, “Yukon,” is entered in the R&B category, the album is instead among the pop vocal album entries. This calls to mind the 2020 Grammys when Bieber questioned his Changes album being placed in the pop category versus R&B.
On the breakthrough front, one of this year’s heralded arrivals was Ravyn Lenae with the R&B/pop crossover lead single “Love Me Not,” alongside another popular track “Love Is Blind” — both from her critically acclaimed sophomore set Bird’s Eye. Her album, however, isn’t eligible for a nod as it was released Aug. 9, 2024, and the eligibility period for the 68th annual Grammys was Aug. 31, 2024-Aug. 30, 2025.
Additional artists who received attention this year include Alex Isley (WHEN), Thee Sacred Souls (Got a Story to Tell) and Eric Benét (The Co-Star).
So now let’s have a drumroll, please, as we share our fearless forecast of who will comprise the five slots when the best R&B album nominations are revealed on Nov. 7.
Leon Thomas, Mutt
