After the joy experienced watching Beyonce’s triumphant “Album of the Year” win for “Cowboy Carter” at 2025’s Grammy Awards, I wondered what type of musical year lie ahead and if/how the 2026 Grammy nominations would reflect the precedent set. Delving into the much-discussed and commonly debated AOTY category, kicking off 2025 with a politically polarizing Puerto Rico repping career-defining global phenomenon album, Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” firmly earned its spot here (this Bx born Boricua screamed “¡Wepa!” at the sight). Seeing Clipse’s returned resurgence with Pharrell produced “Let God Sort Em Out” also remained a highlight.
Exploring the list further, Kendrick Lamar continued his album dominance on “GNX”, with producer Jack Antonoff adding a new flavor to the well-established K Dot footprint and discography. Tyler, the Creator’s two genre-bending bold “Chromakopia” and party anthem-filled “Don’t Tap the Glass” offerings left their undeniable marks on the musical landscape, with the nod for“Chromakopia” marking the first time in Grammy history three rap albums were in the “Album of The Year” category. Bringing infectious, well-produced R&B back to the Billboard musical forefront, Best New Artist nominee Leon Thomas’ “Mutt” and Justin Bieber’s “Swag” notched their warranted positions. Boundary-breaking performance artist icon Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” and clever pop princess Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” rounded out the category with their worthy contributions.
Viewing the lineup of performances announced earlier in the month, I knew more announcements awaited us. Invited to a press conference on Monday with Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and Exec Producers Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins, the excitement for the busy week of events stood palpable. When I asked what makes a perfectly produced show and a great Grammys performance, Mason and Winston acknowledged the professionalism of their “best in the biz” production team, with Mason adding “artist authenticity” as a key element to an unforgettable stage moment. The media there received the breaking news that Harry Styles and Doechii would be presenters, with many other artists to be announced later in the week. And what a week it’s been, punctuated by various Grammy House events including the Best New Artist Spotlight and the Celebration of Black Creators which featured Pharrell, Kirk Franklin and Brandy receiving honors.
Even with all the artists announced, there are always surprises so I’m hyped and eager to watch on Sunday. Among the myriads of nominee performances, I’ll be especially excited to see the Best New Artist performances and the In Memoriam tributes to D’Angelo, Roberta Flack, and Ozzy Osborne featuring Lauryn Hill, Post Malone, Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, Slash and Duff McKagan.
Tune in to the Premiere ceremony Sun, Feb. 1, 2026, streaming on YouTube HERE, 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT and the primetime show on CBS or Paramount Plus, 8–11:30 p.m. live ET/5–8:30 p.m. live PT.
