<\/p>\n
Releasing an album isn\u2019t just about putting a set of songs out into the world.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s about sharing a cohesive piece of the artist\u2019s inner world, opening a portal that anyone can enter and discover something completely new. Each LP reveals a depth of creativity and spirit that just doesn\u2019t exist very often in everyday life. For the artist, it\u2019s an act of transformation; for listeners, it\u2019s an invitation into something raw and resonant, the kind of experience that can shift how we feel, how we think, how we live.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>Recording Academy<\/span><\/a> is proud to present the <\/span>2026 GRAMMYS<\/span><\/a> nominees for <\/span>Album Of The Year<\/span><\/a>: <\/span>Bad Bunny<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Justin Bieber<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Sabrina Carpenter<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Clipse<\/span><\/a>, P<\/span><\/a><\/strong>usha T<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Malice<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Lady Gaga<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Kendrick Lamar<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Leon Thomas<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Tyler, The Creator<\/span><\/a>. Their eight LPs each brim with unparalleled artistic and technical skill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This year\u2019s potential winners include several previous Album Of The Year nominees who have yet to take home the award, as well as a few first time nominees. No matter who takes home the golden gramophone, the winner will be a powerful first.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Learn more about the nominees below and read the full 2026 GRAMMYS nominations list ahead of Music’s Biggest Night on <\/span>Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026<\/span><\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n From his upcoming performance at the Super Bowl halftime show to yet another in a long string of genre-defining and -defying albums, Bad Bunny remains at the center of the pop conversation. With his DeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS<\/span><\/a>, the Puerto Rican megastar returns to the Album Of The Year Category for the first time since 2023’s<\/span> Un Verano Sin Ti<\/span> was nominated.<\/span><\/p>\n DeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS<\/span> (“I Should Have Taken More Photos”) immediately establishes a new, confident chapter in Bunny\u2019s creative journey. Both a creative reset and a homecoming, this deeply Puerto Rican record holds onto its roots with a depth and sincerity that\u2019s both personal and political.<\/span><\/p>\n The 17-track project finds Bad Bunny sounding grounded, reflective, and newly centered, embracing maturity without losing his edge. <\/span>DeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS<\/span> blends traditional Puerto Rican sounds \u2014 salsa, bomba, plena, and early reggaeton \u2014 into lush, forward-looking blends thanks in part to trusted collaborators such as MAG, <\/span>Tainy<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>La Pacienca<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A polychrome, far-reaching set, the album feels intimate even at its most extreme, weaving through love, loss, and cultural memory. But <\/span>DeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS<\/span> is more than diaristic expression; it\u2019s a powerful outward statement and reclamation. Recorded entirely in Puerto Rico with local collaborators, it\u2019s a proud assertion of identity and defiance. And while Bad Bunny has always been a proud proponent of Puerto Rico, its musical traditions and its people, the full-throated bravado and expression of strength on <\/span>DeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS<\/span> will make it a landmark album for the country for years to come. In <\/span>returning home<\/span><\/a>, Bad Bunny has crafted his most spiritually and sonically rooted work yet.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Considering he\u2019s been entrenched in the heart of the music industry for decades, it\u2019s tempting to think of Justin Bieber alongside a tier of aging pop stars \u2014 and by that virtue, expect him to be trying out some harebrained reinvention scheme. But in reality, he\u2019s only recently entered his 30s, and the radiant <\/span>SWAG<\/span> shows that he\u2019s still in his pop prime.<\/span><\/p>\n Bieber\u2019s seventh album glides between genre touchstones without losing footing, a 20-track album equal parts confidence and confession. Featuring the likes of <\/span>Gunna<\/span><\/a>, Sexyy Red, and Lil B (and production assists from <\/span>Dijon<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Daniel Caesar<\/span><\/a>, Mk.gee, and longtime collaborator <\/span>Eddie Benjamin<\/span><\/a>), <\/span>SWAG<\/span> leans into the the titular energy of hip-hop without sacrificing soul.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout the mix, Bieber\u2019s voice remains the anchor, tender when it needs to be, silky when it wants to be, and always unmistakably Biebs. Whether touching on smooth R&B, glossy pop, gospel, or even new jack swing, those vocals keep things distinctly warm and human. Tracks like “Go Baby,” “Devotion” and “Yukon” are lived-in love songs that transcend cliche and <\/span>shimmer with emotional clarity<\/span>. Elsewhere, he plays with texture and tempo, balancing romantic sincerity with the playful energy that first made him a star.<\/span><\/p>\n This is Bieber’s third nomination for Album Of The Year, with 2022’s <\/span>Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)<\/span> his most recent run at the award. And where that record buoyed and bopped<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>SWAG<\/span> has a smoother confidence, the work of someone at peace with their talent and looking to see where it might go next. To that end, the album represents a truly personal reset: it\u2019s Bieber\u2019s first since parting ways with former manager\/guru <\/span>Scooter Braun<\/span><\/a> and his first as a new father.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n About a decade and a half since his GRAMMYS debut, Bieber continues to reinvent what pop stardom looks and sounds like. <\/span>SWAG<\/span> proves that sometimes evolution comes down to discovering the confidence to sound exactly like yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n After conquering pop with <\/span>Short n\u2019 Sweet<\/span><\/a>, Sabrina Carpenter is already back for another bite. Less than a year after her GRAMMY-winning breakout, the former <\/span>child star<\/span><\/a> dropped <\/span>Man\u2019s Best Friend<\/span> \u2014 a sharp, cheeky and emotionally unguarded follow-up that proves lightning can strike twice.<\/span><\/p>\n Some stars may have ridden the pop high of <\/span>Short \u2018n Sweet<\/span> for years, so when Carpenter announced her followup it came as quite the shock. But considering the whirlwind year that accompanied its predecessor, it\u2019s no surprise that the singer decided she had enough inspiration for new material. And despite being inspired by the hectic energy of celebrity life and a public breakup, <\/span>Man\u2019s Best Friend<\/span> features an effortless energy that pulses through every synth shimmer and sly one-liner. “I felt so at ease making <\/span>Man\u2019s Best Friend<\/span>,” she told fans in an <\/span>email<\/span><\/a> about the record. “This one felt like riding a bike.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Reuniting with writer\/producers <\/span>Jack Antonoff<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Amy Allen<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>John Ryan<\/span><\/a>, Carpenter leans into her signature blend of flirtation and finesse. Across 12 tracks, she unpacks her emotional core with the wit of someone who\u2019s survived love and loss and then tried again. Whether in disco dreamscape, country-pop catharsis or neon pop glow, <\/span>Man\u2019s Best Friend<\/span> carries the authenticity, easy charm, and fluid energy of its creator.<\/span><\/p>\n The LP carries the sass and sparkle of <\/span>Short n\u2019 Sweet<\/span> but balances it with a deepened vulnerability, Carpenter exploring her soft spots without losing her bite. But even at her most vulnerable, there\u2019s always room for a punchline or jab; Carpenter remains delightfully, defiantly herself. With <\/span>Man\u2019s Best Friend<\/span>, Carpenter is cementing her place as one of pop\u2019s sharpest tongues: sassy, self-aware, and entirely unstoppable.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n A lot has happened in the eighteen years since Clipse\u2019s last album, but not the steely intensity of Pusha T and Malice. The brothers\u2019 new album, <\/span>Let God Sort Em Out<\/span>, isn\u2019t a reunion tour, it\u2019s a fiery exclamation point reinforcing their place as rap royalty.<\/span><\/p>\n Nearly two decades after <\/span>Til the Casket Drops<\/span>, Clipse returned to their throne, supported once again by longtime collaborator <\/span>Pharrell Williams<\/span><\/a>. The result is an uncompromising masterclass that reasserts Clipse\u2019s dominance while peeling back the mask on fame, faith and grief.<\/span><\/p>\n Over Pharrell\u2019s stripped-down, diamond-edged production, Clipse show no sign of rust or reunion cash-grab laziness. The album opens with a gut-punch meditation on the loss of their parents and explodes outward, building from a confessional platform to the coke rap bravado that made them legends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n From there, it\u2019s all fire and precision, Pusha and Malice delivering bars with iron fists while Pharrell balances <\/span>Hell Hath No Fury<\/span> minimalism with his trademark cinematic flair. Not to mention, the guest list is absolutely stacked, with spots from <\/span>John Legend<\/span><\/a>, Kendrick Lamar, <\/span>Nas<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>The-Dream<\/span><\/a>, and Tyler, The Creator, among others<\/span><\/p>\n Let God Sort Em Out<\/span> proves no one delivers truths quite like Clipse. An Album Of The Year GRAMMYS nomination further establishes their status as one of rap’s most incisive acts.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Seven official studio records in, Lady Gaga is still finding ways to bring massive ideas and expression into the pop sphere. Yet <\/span>MAYHEM<\/span> works in a controlled chaos unlike anything else in Gaga’s catalog. With four Album Of The Year nominations under her belt, the Little Monsters are hoping that <\/span>MAYHEM<\/span> will add to her impressive 14 GRAMMYS wins.<\/span><\/p>\n MAYHEM<\/span> shows Gaga deftly wrangling sonic chaos that would fell a lesser artist: She maintains a strong hold on her pop roots, while incorporating dance-floor and disco experimentation of her previous releases. She <\/span>added<\/span><\/a> that the record is an “integration of who I am in real life and who I am on stage, and how I really started to celebrate bringing those two things together.” Rather than characters, <\/span>MAYHEM<\/span> feels like a team of Gagas inhabiting the same space, each true and tied to her heart while retaining the frenetic energy of her performative style. The fashion choices surrounding <\/span>MAYHEM<\/span> reflected Gaga’s harnessing of her varied parts, with the usually color-blasted pop star donning asymmetrical black.<\/span><\/p>\n MAYHEM<\/span> is also a showcase of Gaga\u2019s collaborative alchemy. Her fianc\u00e9, Michael Polansky, is listed as an executive producer, while high-profile board whisperers like <\/span>D’Mile<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Andrew Watt<\/span><\/a>, and Cirkut join in the fun. Add to that features from <\/span>Bruno Mars<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Gesaffelstein<\/span><\/a> and you get an album that unites past, present, and future across an impressive 53-minute run-time. Balancing intimate balladry, playful provocation, and electrifying theatrics, <\/span>MAYHEM<\/span> celebrates every Gaga out there, both within herself and her listeners.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Few people in history have had as good a time at the GRAMMYS as Kendrick Lamar did just last year, with <\/span>“Not Like Us” netting five golden gramophones<\/span><\/a>. That brought his career total to 22. And now with <\/span>GNX<\/span>Bad Bunny \u2014 <\/span>DeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Justin Bieber \u2014 <\/span>SWAG<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Sabrina Carpenter \u2014 <\/span>Man\u2019s Best Friend<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Clipse, Pusha T & Malice \u2014<\/span> Let God Sort Em Out<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Lady Gaga \u2014 <\/span>MAYHEM<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Kendrick Lamar \u2014 <\/span>GNX<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n