The 2026 Grammy nominations, announced November 7, 2025, mark a significant moment in the Academy’s evolving global reach — and especially for K-pop.
While longtime juggernauts such as Kendrick Lamar (nine nominations) and Lady Gaga (seven nominations) lead the pack, the inclusion of K-pop artists signals a promising shift toward broader musical representation.
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K-Pop Makes History
For years, K-pop acts have sought major Grammy recognition; in 2026, the breakthrough arrived.
Rosé of BLACKPINK and her collaboration with Bruno Mars on the single “APT.” secured nominations for Song of the Year and Record of the Year, marking significant firsts for a K-pop soloist.
Likewise, “Golden” from the soundtrack of the film K?Pop Demon Hunters garnered a Song of the Year nod.
These nominations underline both a stylistic breakthrough and industry recognition for K-pop’s global influence.
These nominations reflect how the Grammys are adjusting to a global music landscape — languages, genres, and production hubs expanding beyond the U.S. mainstream. K-pop’s major presence this year confirms that what was once niche is now mainstream critical recognition.
For K-pop fans and industry watchers, Rosé’s solo recognition and Katseye’s Best New Artist nod signal that the barrier for K-pop won’t just be about nominations anymore — perhaps wins are next.
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FULL LIST OF NOMINEES
Below are the complete list of nominees, including the “Big Four” categories — Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist — with a mix of international and K-pop-related entries.
Album of the Year
DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS — Bad Bunny
Swag — Justin Bieber
Man's Best Friend — Sabrina Carpenter
Let God Sort Em Out – Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
Mayhem — Lady Gaga
GNX — Kendrick Lamar
Mutt — Leon Thomas
Chromakopia — Tyler, the Creator
Record of the Year
"DtMF" — Bad Bunny
"Manchild" — Sabrina Carpenter
"Anxiety" — Doechii
"Wildflower" — Billie Eilish
"Abracadabra" — Lady Gaga
"Luther" – Kendrick Lamar with SZA
"The Subway" — Chappell Roan
"APT." — Rosé, Bruno Mars
Song of the Year
"Abracadabra" — Lady Gaga, Henry Walter & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga)
"Anxiety" — Jaylah Hickmon, songwriter (Doechii)
"APT." — Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Chae Young Park, Theron Thomas & Henry Walter, songwriters (Rosé, Bruno Mars)
"DtMF" — Marco Daniel Borrero, Scott Dittrich, Benjamin Falik, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Hugo René Sención Sanabria, Tyler Thomas Spry & Roberto José Rosado Torres, songwriters (Bad Bunny)
"Golden" (from KPop Demon Hunters) — Ejae & Mark Sonnenblick, songwriters (HUNTR/X: Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami)
"Luther" — Jack Antonoff, Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Matthew Bernard, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Ink, Kendrick Lamar, Solána Rowe, Mark Anthony Spears & Kamasi Washington, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar with SZA)
"Manchild" — Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter)
"Wildflower" — Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
Best New Artist
Olivia Dean
Katseye
The Marias
Addison Rae
Sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young
Best Pop Vocal Album
Swag — Justin Bieber
Man's Best Friend — Sabrina Carpenter
Something Beautiful — Miley Cyrus
Mayhem — Lady Gaga
I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2) — Teddy Swims
Best Pop Solo Performance
"Daisies" — Justin Bieber
"Manchild" — Sabrina Carpenter
"Disease" — Lady Gaga
"The Subway" — Chappell Roan
"Messy" — Lola Young
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
"Defying Gravity" — Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
"Golden" (from KPop Demon Hunters) — HUNTR/X: Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami
"Gabriela" — Katseye
"APT." — Rosé, Bruno Mars
"30 for 30" — SZA with Kendrick Lamar
Best Dance Pop Recording
"Bluest Flame" — Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco
"Abracadabra" — Lady Gaga
"Midnight Sun" — Zara Larsson
"Just Keep Watching" (from F1® The Movie) — Tate McRae
"Illegal" — PinkPantheress
Best Rap Album
Let God Sort Em Out — Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
Glorious — GloRilla
God Does Like Ugly — JID
GNX — Kendrick Lamar
Chromakopia — Tyler, the Creator
Best R&B Album
Beloved — Giv?on
Why Not More? — Coco Jones
The Crown — Ledisi
Escape Room — Teyana Taylor
Mutt — Leon Thomas
Best R&B Performance
"Yukon" — Justin Bieber
"It Depends" — Chris Brown featuring Bryson Tiller
"Folded" — Kehlani
"Mutt (Live From NPR's Tiny Desk)" — Leon Thomas
"Heart of a Woman" — Summer Walker
Best Rock Album
Private Music — Deftones
I Quit — Haim
From Zero — Linkin Park
Never Enough — Turnstile
Idols — Yungblud
Best Rock Song
"As Alive as You Need Me to Be" — Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, songwriters (Nine Inch Nails)
"Caramel" — Vessel1 & Vessel2, songwriters (Sleep Token)
"Glum" — Daniel James & Hayley Williams, songwriters (Hayley Williams)
"Never Enough" — Daniel Fang, Franz Lyons, Pat McCrory, Meg Mills & Brendan Yates, songwriters (Turnstile)
"Zombie" — Dominic Harrison & Matt Schwartz, songwriters (Yungblud)
Best Alternative Music Album
Sable, Fable — Bon Iver
Songs of a Lost World — The Cure
Don't Tap the Glass — Tyler, the Creator
Moisturizer — Wet Leg
Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party — Hayley Williams
Best Metal Performance
"Night Terror" — Dream Theater
"Lachryma" — Ghost
"Emergence" — Sleep Token
"Soft Spine" — Spiritbox
"Birds" — Turnstile
Best Traditional Country Album
Dollar a Day — Charley Crockett
American Romance — Lukas Nelson
Oh What a Beautiful World — Willie Nelson
Hard Headed Woman — Margo Price
Ain't in It for My Health — Zach Top
Best Contemporary Country Album
Patterns — Kelsea Ballerini
Snipe Hunter — Tyler Childers
Evangeline vs. the Machine — Eric Church
Beautifully Broken — Jelly Roll
Postcards From Texas — Miranda Lambert
Best Country Solo Performance
"Nose on the Grindstone" — Tyler Childers
"Good News" — Shaboozey
"Bad as I Used to Be" (from F1® The Movie) — Chris Stapleton
"I Never Lie" — Zach Top
"Somewhere Over Laredo" — Lainey Wilson
Best Americana Album
Big Money — Jon Batiste
Bloom — Larkin Poe
Last Leaf on the Tree — Willie Nelson
So Long Little Miss Sunshine — Molly Tuttle
Middle — Jesse Welles
Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical
Amy Allen
Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Tobias Jesso Jr.
Laura Veltz
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Dan Auerbach
Cirkut
Dijon
Blake Mills
Sounwave
Best Music Film
Devo — Devo
Live at the Royal Albert Hall — Raye
Relentless — Diane Warren
Music by John Williams — John Williams
Piece by Piece — Pharrell Williams
Best Song Written for Visual Media
"As Alive as You Need Me to Be" (from Tron: Ares) — Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, songwriters (Nine Inch Nails)
"Golden" (from KPop Demon Hunters) — Ejae & Mark Sonnenblick, songwriters (HUNTR/X: Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami)
"I Lied to You" (from Sinners) — Ludwig Göransson & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Miles Caton)
"Never Too Late (from Elton John: Never Too Late)— Brandi Carlile, Elton John, Bernie Taupin & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Elton John, Brandi Carlile)
"Pale, Pale Moon" (from Sinners) — Ludwig Göransson & Brittany Howard, songwriters (Jayme Lawson)
"Sinners" (from Sinners) — Leonard Denisenko, Rodarius Green, Travis Harrington, Tarkan Kozluklu, Kyris Mingo & Darius Povilinus, songwriters (Rod Wave)
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (including film and television)
How to Train Your Dragon — John Powell, composer
Severance: Season 2 — Theodore Shapiro, composer
Sinners — Ludwig Göransson, composer
Wicked — John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers
The Wild Robot — Kris Bowers, composer
Best Musical Theater Album
Buena Vista Social Club — Marco Paguia, Dean Sharenow & David Yazbek, producers (original Broadway cast)
Death Becomes Her — Taurean Everett, Megan Hilty, Josh Lamon, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard & Michelle Williams, principal vocalists; Noel Carey, Sean Patrick Flahaven, Julia Mattison & Scott M. Riesett, producers; Noel Carey & Julia Mattison, composers/lyricists (original Broadway cast)
Gypsy — Danny Burstein, Kevin Csolak, Audra McDonald, Jordan Tyson & Joy Woods, principal vocalists; David Caddick, Andy Einhorn, David Lai & George C. Wolfe, producers (Jule Styne, composer; Stephen Sondheim, lyricist) (2024 Broadway cast)
Just in Time — Emily Bergl, Jonathan Groff, Erika Henningsen, Gracie Lawrence & Michele Pawk, principal vocalists; Derik Lee, Andrew Resnick & Bill Sherman, producers (Bobby Darin, composer & lyricist) (original Broadway cast)
Maybe Happy Ending — Marcus Choi, Darren Criss, Dez Duron & Helen J Shen, principal vocalists; Deborah Abramson, Will Aronson, Ian Kagey & Hue Park, producers; Hue Park, lyricist; Will Aronson, composer & lyricist (original Broadway cast)
Best Gospel Performance/Song
"Do It Again" — Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, songwriter
"Church" — Tasha Cobbs Leonard, John Legend; Anthony S. Brown, Brunes Charles, Annatoria Chitapa, Kenneth Leonard, Jr., Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Jonas Myrin, songwriters
"Still (Live)" — Jonathan McReynolds & Jamal Roberts; Britney Delagraentiss, Jonathan McReynolds, David Lamar Outing III, Orlando Joel Palmer & Terrell Demetrius Wilson, songwriter
"Amen" — Pastor Mike Jr.; Adia Andrews, Michael McClure Jr., David Lamar Outing II & Terrell Anthony Pettus, songwriters
"Come Jesus Come" — Cece Winans featuring Shirley Caesa
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 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 Latin Pop Album
Cosa Nuestra — Rauw Alejandro
Bogotá (Deluxe) — Andrés Cepeda
Tropicoqueta — Karol G
Cancionera — Natalia Lafourcade
¿Y ahora qué? — Alejandro Sanz
Best African Music Performance
"Love" — Burna Boy
"With You" — Davido featuring Omah Lay
"Hope & Love" — Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin
"Gimme Dat" — Ayra Starr featuring Wizkid
"Push 2 Start" — Tyla
Best Spoken Word Poetry Album
A Hurricane in Heels: Healed People Don't Act Like That (partially recorded live at City Winery & other places) — Queen Sheba
Black Shaman — Marc Marcel
Pages — Omari Hardwick & Anthony Hamilton
Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends at Treepeople — Saul Williams, Carlos Niño & Friends
Words For Days Vol. 1 — Mad Skillz
The winners will be announced at the ceremony taking place on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
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