The nominations for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards were announced on Friday, November 14. Many popular artists were nominated at this year’s award show, including Kendrick Lamar, who leads all nominated artists with nine nominations throughout the different categories. With the excitement regarding the nominations, here are some early predictions as to who the Recording Academy will likely select and who is most deserving of the award.
Record of the Year- “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBynw9Isr28
The Record of the Year goes to one song that exceeds expectations in production and overall performance. Although the competition is stacked, there are three tracks that stand out amongst the rest and appear to be the most likely to win the award: “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, “APT.” by Rosé and Bruno Mars, and “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga. All three records have had immense success on the charts but also stand out among the rest of the nominations. Although Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish have amazing songs nominated for the category, the three have not only won more at different award shows like the VMAs, but the production and performance comes from a place of artistic expression that is so unique. Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra”, however, is the perfect example of a Record of the Year winner. The storytelling and usage of sounds and vocals provides the listener with a record they can not avoid listening to. In addition, Lady Gaga’s song is innovative and beautifully represents her artistry in one of her best hits yet. Although the battle for Record of the Year could easily go to “APT.” or “Luther”, Lady Gaga appears to be the stand out for the award as of right now.
Album of the Year- GNX by Kendrick Lamar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwUQ_5iV9pY&list=OLAK5uy_nr2Gbry1tH6kks2gabRq1k3sjR0ByDnKg
The Album of the Year has frequently been one of the most competitive categories at the Grammys, but this year, the competition seems like a battle between only a few: Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, and Kendrick Lamar. Even with those three, Kendrick Lamar feels like the one most likely and most deserving of the award. Although stars like Justin Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter’s albums were very popular, Lamar’s album, GNX, shows a perfect representation of the rise of hip hop and rap, especially in his own artistry and writing style. Lamar was incredibly successful at last year’s award show, winning both Record and Song of the Year, meaning that the Academy is already familiar and has shown immense praise to his work. Additionally, Lamar’s album is consistent and showcases a story that is personal and entertaining. It seems very rare that GNX will not be one of the top contenders before Grammy’s night, and it seems that Kendrick Lamar could easily take home another coveted award.
Song of the Year- “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA (songwriters: Jack Antonoff, Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Matthew Bernard, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Ink, Kendrick Lamar, Solána Rowe, Mark Anthony Spears & Kamasi Washington)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNY_2TEmzho
Where Record of the Year honors production and performance, the Song of the Year award goes to writing style and how the story is told through its lyrics. Every song nominated has a special meaning and stands out, but Kendrick Lamar once again appears to make his name known. Although the front runners for the award are similar to the ones leading the charge in the Record of the Year race, “Luther” is another testament to Lamar’s artistry, and it could be argued that if Lamar is the choice for Album of the Year, one of his songs should likely also come through with a victory. The song also includes a multitude of impressive songwriters like Jack Antonoff, who has previously written for Taylor Swift, and includes both Lamar and SZA. “Luther”, additionally connects to the ideas of protecting loved ones even in the intensity of the outside world, a concept very familiar and polarizing with audiences.
Best New Artist- Leon Thomas or Katseye
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejEzHE5ZMT8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjnB56tSCQI
The battle for Best New Artist might be the most confusing and challenging one yet. Some of the biggest rising stars like Addison Rae and Sombr could easily be recipients of the award as well as Alex Warren who rose to fame with his song “Ordinary”. The only problem in their way is that Rae and Sombr may be too niche for the Academy to fully grasp, and the fact that the Academy didn’t even nominate Warren’s “Ordinary” for any awards is not a good sign. Additionally most of the nominated artists are not nominated for any other awards leaving influential band, The Marias, and breakthrough vocalist Olivia Dean in similar positions. Only three nominated artists are nominated for awards outside the Best New Artist category: Katseye, Leon Thomas, and Lola Young. Comparatively, Lola Young may be the least popular of the nominees based solely on how strong the other nominees are. That leaves Leon Thomas and international girl group Katseye as the main contenders. Thomas is nominated for six awards including Album of the Year for Mutt, whereas Katseye may be nominated for only one other award, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Gabriela”. Despite this, Katseye’s influence on the younger generation and their success with streaming on their hits like “Gnarly” or “Touch”, can not go unnoticed. Additionally, Leon Thomas is less known by Grammy Award fans, and his artistry might not be popular enough to earn the award. Overall, each nominee has their respective qualities that could push them to win the award, but they also each have their respective flaws that make it hard to determine who exactly will win. Based on the Academy’s decisions they have already made, Leon Thomas and Katseye might be the most likely to win the coveted award.
As the Grammy Award nominations have been announced, it is expected that Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga are the main front runners for the big categories and could be the main winners when the awards are announced. The 2026 Grammys will take place on Sunday, February 1 and can be viewed on CBS or streamed live.
