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A host of talent is on deck to announce the nominees, including Gayle King, Doechii, Lizzo, Mumford & Sons, Nicole Scherzinger, Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Smith, Angélique Kidjo, Brandi Carlile, CeCe Winans, David Foster, Jon Batiste, Little Big Town, Masaki Koike and last year's Chappell Roan.

Only recordings commercially released in the U.S. between Aug. 31, 2024 through Aug. 30, 2025 are eligible for nominations, so don’t expect to see included. But do expect to see among the nominees; it was released just under the wire on August 29.

That might have a little something to do with the new addition of a stand-alone category for Carpenter sparked considerable discourse when its artwork was revealed; it shows the pop star kneeling on the ground in a dog-like pose while an unseen person pulls her by the hair.

There are plenty of unknowns going into the nomination announcements, too. The most obvious contenders for album of the year did not release new full-lengths within the eligibility window — artists like Swift, Beyoncé and Adele. But there have been a few heavy hitters, like Kendrick Lamar's Lady Gaga's and Bad Bunny's If any of them took home the top prize, it would be for the first time.

Perhaps most mysterious of all is a change made to the best country album category. Following Beyoncé's historic win of best album and best country album at the for the latter category has been divided into two, with the creation of a best traditional country album category. The existing best country album category has been renamed best contemporary country album.

The 2026 Grammy Awards will air Feb. 1 live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Arena in Los Angeles.

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