More voters means fiercer competition, and that’s a good thing for the Grammy Awards.
The 3,800 music creators and professionals who joined the Recording Academy in 2025 – many of them young, female and people of color – impacted the 2026 nominations by producing one of the most diverse slates in decades.
So how will the nearly 15,000 voting members cast their ballots? Can leading nominee Kendrick Lamar – with nine - maintain the momentum from his category sweep of five awards last year?
Super Bowl halftime headliner Bad Bunny, with six nods, is inarguably the biggest global music star at the moment, but will his music – engaging in any language – translate to wins in major categories such as album and record of the year?
Will child-actor-turned-songwriter-turned-singer Leon Thomas capitalize on his six nominations, including best new artist?
