This year’s list, unveiled on Friday, features Nigerian Afrobeats stars Davido, Burna Boy, and Ayra Starr, among those nominated in the Best African Music Performance category.
Other nominees in the category include Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin and South African singer Tyla.
Best African Music Performance (2026) list includes Love by Burna Boy, With You by Davido featuring Omah Lay, Hope & Love by Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin, Gimme Dat by Ayra Starr featuring Wizkid and PUSH 2 START by South African star, Tyla.
This year’s category does not feature previous contenders such as Asake, Yemi Alade, Lojay, and last year’s winner, Tems.
In 2025, the Best African Music Performance nominations included Yemi Alade’s “Tomorrow”, Asake’s “MMS” with Wizkid, Chris Brown’s “Sensational” featuring Davido and Lojay, Burna Boy’s “Higher,” and Tems’ “Love Me Jeje.”
The category, introduced in 2024, saw South African singer Tyla emerge as its first-ever winner.
Beyond his African Music recognition, Burna Boy also earned a spot in the Best Global Music Album category.
He is the only Nigerian artiste nominated in that category this year.
The nominees for Best Global Music Album (2026) include Sounds Of Kumbha by Siddhant Bhatia, No Sign of Weakness by Burna Boy, Éclairer le Monde (Light the World) by Youssou N’Dour, Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live) by Shakti, Chapter III: We Return To Light by Anoushka Shankar featuring Alam Khan and Sarathy Korwar, and Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo by Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia.
Last year, Nigerian stars Rema and Tems were nominated in the same category for their albums HEIS and Born in the Wild, respectively.
Expanded Categories For 2026
The 2026 Grammys will introduce two new categories, Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover, broadening the Academy’s recognition of diverse music artistry.
According to the Recording Academy, the move reflects “a commitment to honouring the evolving ways music is created and experienced.”
The nominees were announced during a livestream featuring artists including Chappell Roan, Doechii, KAROL G, Mumford & Sons, Sabrina Carpenter, and Sam Smith.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards, music’s highest honours, with nine, the Recording Academy announced Friday, fresh off winning five Golden Grammys at the last gala.
Lady Gaga ranked second among performers with seven nods for her “Mayhem” album, followed by a trio of artists tied at six, Bad Bunny, pop princess Sabrina Carpenter and R&B singer-songwriter Leon Thomas.
Winners will be decided by the Recording Academy’s voting members, comprising artists, songwriters, producers, and engineers.
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
Full List Of Nominees
Song of the year
- Lady Gaga – Abracadabra
- Doechii – Anxiety
- Rosé & Bruno Mars – APT
- Bad Bunny – DtMF
- Hunter/x – Golden
- Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA – Luther
- Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild
- Billie Eilish – Wildflower
Record of the year
- Bad Bunny – DtMF
- Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild
- Doechii – Anxiety
- Billie Eilish – Wildflower
- Lady Gaga – Abracadabra
- Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA – Luther
- Chappell Roan – The Subway
- Rosé & Bruno Mars – APT
Album of the year
- Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos
- Justin Bieber – Swag
- Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
- Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out
- Lady Gaga – Mayhem
- Kendrick Lamar – GNX
- Leon Thomas – Mutt
- Tyler, the Creator – Chromakopia
Best new artist
- Olivia Dean
- Katseye
- The Marias
- Addison Rae
- Sombr
- Leon Thomas
- Alex Warren
- Lola Young
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 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 Rock Album
- Private Music — Deftones
- I Quit — Haim
- From Zero — Linkin Park
- Never Enough — Turnstile
- Idols — Yungblud
Best Metal Performance
- “Night Terror” — Dream Theatre
- “Lachryma” — Ghost
- “Emergence” — Sleep Token
- “Soft Spine” — Spiritbox
- “Birds” — Turnstile
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 — Givēon
- Why Not More? — Coco Jones
- The Crown — Ledisi
- Escape Room — Teyana Taylor
- Mutt — Leon Thomas
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 Musical Theatre Album
- Buena Vista Social Club
- Death Becomes Her
- Gypsy
- Just In Time
- Maybe Happy Ending
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 Global Music Album
- Sounds Of Kumbha – Siddhant Bhatia
- No Sign of Weakness – Burna Boy
- Eclairer le monde – Light the World – Youssou N’Dour
- Mind Explosion – Shakti
- Chapter III: We Return To Light – Anoushka Shankar Featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar
- Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo – Caetano Veloso And Maria Bethânia
Best Global Music Performance
- EoO – Bad Bunny
- Cantando en el Camino – Ciro Hurtado
- JERUSALEMA – Angélique Kidjo
- Inmigrante Y Que? – Yeisy Rojas
- Shrini’s Dream – Shakti
- Daybreak – Anoushka Shankar Featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar
Best Country Solo Performance
- Nose On The Grindstone – Tyler Childers
- Good News – Shaboozey
- Bad As I Used To Be – Chris Stapleton
- I Never Lie – Zach Top
- Somewhere Over Laredo – Lainey Wilson
Best Spoken Word Poetry Album
A Hurricane in Heels: Healed People Don’t Act Like That (partially recorded live @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
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, songwriters
- Amen – Pastor Mike Jr.; Adia Andrews, Michael McClure Jr., David Lamar Outing II & Terrell Anthony Pettus, songwriters
- Come Jesus Come – Cece Winans Featuring Shirley Caesar
Best Gospel Album
- Sunny Days – Yolanda Adams
- Tasha – Tasha Cobbs Leonard
- Live Breathe Fight – Tamela Mann
- Only On The Road Live – Tye Tribbett
- Heart Of Mine – Darrel Walls, PJ Morton
Best Reggae Album
- Treasure Self Love – Lila Iké
- Heart & Soul – Vybz Kartel
- BLXXD & FYAH – Keznamdi
- From Within – Mortimer
- No Place Like Home – Jesse Royal
Best Children’s Music Album
- Ageless – 100 Years Young, Joanie Leeds & Joya
- Buddy’s Magic Tree House – Mega Ran
- Harmony – FYÜTCH & Aura V
- Herstory – Flor Bromley
- The Music Of Tori And The Muses – Tori Amos
Best Comedy Album
- Drop Dead Years – Bill Burr
- PostMortem – Sarah Silverman
- Single Lady, Ali Wong
- What Had Happened Was – Jamie Foxx
- Your Friend – Nate Bargatze, Nate Bargatze
Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording
Elvis, Rocky & Me – The Carol Connors Story, Kathy Garver
Into The Uncut Grass, Trevor Noah
Lovely One: A Memoir, Ketanji Brown Jackson
Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Dalai Lama
You Know It’s True: The Real Story Of Milli Vanilli, Fab Morvan
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
A Complete Unknown, Timothée Chalamet
F1® The Album, (Various Artists)
KPop Demon Hunters, (Various Artists)
Sinners, (Various Artists)
Wicked, (Various Artists)
Best Music Video
Young Lion, Sade, Sophie Muller, video director – Sade & Aaron Taylor Dean, video producers
Manchild – Sabrina Carpenter, Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia, video directors; Aiden Magarian, Nathan Scherrer & Natan Schottenfels, video producers
So Be It – Clipse, Hannan Hussain, video director; Daniel Order, video producer
Anxiety, Doechii, James Mackel, video director; Pablo Feldman, Jolene Mendes & Sophia Sabella, video producers
Love, OK Go, Aaron Duffy, Miguel Espada & Damian Kulash Jr., video directors; Petra Ahmann, video producer
Best Music Film
Devo, Devo, Chris Smith, video director; Danny Gabai, Anita Greenspan, Chris Holmes & Chris Smith, video producers
Live At The Royal Albert Hall, RAYE, Paul Dugdale, video director; Stefan Demetriou & Amy James, video producers
Relentless, Diane Warren, Bess Kargman, video director; Peggy Drexler, Michele Farinola & Kat Nguyen, video producers
Music By John Williams, John Williams, Laurent Bouzereau, video director; Sara Bernstein, Laurent Bouzereau, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Meredith Kaulfers, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg & Justin Wilkes, video producers
Piece By Piece, Pharrell Williams, Morgan Neville, video director; Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Mimi Valdes & Pharrell Williams, video producers
Best Album Cover
CHROMAKOPIA, Shaun Llewellyn & Luis “Panch” Perez, art directors (Tyler, The Creator)
The Crux, William Wesley II, art director (Djo)
Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, art director (Bad Bunny)
Glory, Cody Critcheloe & Andrew J.S., art directors (Perfume Genius)
Moisturizer, Hester Chambers, Ellis Durand, Henry Holmes, Matt de Jong, Jamie-James Medina, Joshua Mobaraki & Rhian Teasdale, art directors (Wet Leg). …channelstv.com
Stay Updated on the 2026 Grammys!
From Davido and Burna Boy to Ayra Starr, the Best African Music Performance category is heating up! Don’t miss the full list of nominees, category insights, and exclusive updates from music’s biggest night.
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