68th Grammy Nominations Arrive With Big Stars

It is that time of year again when the music world collectively holds its breath, refreshes social media and pretends to be chill about something that absolutely is not chill at all. Grammy nomination day has arrived. And yes, there is drama.

The Recording Academy revealed nominations for the 68th annual Grammy Awards across 95 categories, including the major four: album of the year, record of the year, song of the year and best new artist. The show will take place February 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, which means everyone now has approximately three months to argue.

Sure, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter are all in the mix as expected. But the biggest shock came from a global smash that many counted out for awards attention.

“KPop Demon Hunters” made a major splash. The song “Golden,” performed by HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI), earned nominations in best pop duo or group performance and best song written for visual media. Even more jaw-dropping, it slid right into the song of the year category, sharing space with the likes of Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish. The animated film’s soundtrack also scored a nomination for best compilation soundtrack.

More than 23,000 entries were submitted for Grammy consideration this year. Most do not make it past the first round. Some names missing from the list were more noticeable than others.

The Weeknd famously declared the Grammys were in his past after snubs for his album “After Hours,” but earlier this year he returned to the Grammy stage for a surprise performance. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said, “Criticism is OK. I heard him, and I felt his conviction,” highlighting changes within voting membership and diversity initiatives. Still, his latest album “Hurry Up Tomorrow” received zero nominations. It seems the truce may need more time.

Keith Urban and MGK were also among those left on the outside looking in.

As it turns out, not many artists can pull off what Kendrick Lamar consistently does. For the second year in a row, he leads the pack with nine nominations, including record and song of the year for “luther,” his duet with SZA, and album of the year for “GNX.”

Lady Gaga, already a 14 time Grammy winner, continues her reign with seven nominations. Her bright and bold single “Abracadabra” competes across top categories, while her album “Mayhem” enters the race for album of the year and best pop vocal album. She is not easing up anytime soon.

Album of the year
“DeBI TiRAR MáS FOToS” Bad Bunny
“SWAG” Justin Bieber
“Man's Best Friend” Sabrina Carpenter
“Let God Sort Em Out” Clipse, Pusha T and Malice
“MAYHEM” Lady Gaga
“GNX” Kendrick Lamar
“MUTT” Leon Thomas
“CHROMAKOPIA” Tyler, The Creator

Record of the year
“DtMF” Bad Bunny
“Manchild” Sabrina Carpenter
“Anxiety” Doechii
“WILDFLOWER” Billie Eilish
“Abracadabra” Lady Gaga
“luther” Kendrick Lamar With SZA
“The Subway” Chappell Roan
“APT.” ROSÉ, Bruno Mars

Song of the year
“Abracadabra” Lady Gaga
“Anxiety” Doechii
“APT.” ROSÉ, Bruno Mars
“DtMF” Bad Bunny
“Golden (From "KPop Demon Hunters")” HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI
“luther” Kendrick Lamar With SZA
“Manchild” Sabrina Carpenter
“WILDFLOWER” Billie Eilish

Best new artist
Olivia Dean
KATSEYE
The Marias
Addison Rae
sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young

And if you do not see Taylor Swift or Beyoncé, do not panic. Both sat out the eligibility window this cycle. Neither star released new music within the eligibility period of Aug. 31, 2024 to Aug. 30, 2025.

For now, the stage is set. The discourse is loud. And music fans everywhere have found something new to argue about until February. See the full list of nominees in all 95 GRAMMY Categories ahead of Music's Biggest Night here.