Final Grammy Awards Predictions: Meet the front-runners and challengers ahead of major showdown

As the 2026 Grammy Awards approach, music fans and industry experts are weighing up who might take home the most coveted trophies on music’s biggest night. The 68th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on 1 February 2026 in Los Angeles, hosted by Trevor Noah, and are set to honour outstanding achievements across genres. This year’s field is packed with strong contenders — from global superstars to rising talents — in categories ranging from Album of the Year to Best New Artist and beyond.

Grammys 2026 Predictions for Main Categories

Album of the Year

Front-runner: Bad Bunny

Strong challenger: Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga

Record of the Year

Front-runner: Kendrick Lamar & SZA

Strong challenger: Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish

Song of the Year

Front-runner: Golden

Strong challenger: Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Kendrick & SZA

Best New Artist

Front-runner: Olivia Dean

Strong challenger: Leon Thomas, Sombr

Pop Solo Performance

Front-runner: Sabrina Carpenter — 'Manchild'

Strong challenger: Lady Gaga — 'Disease' or Justin Beiber - 'Diasies'

Pop Vocal Album

Front-runner: Lady Gaga — “Mayhem”

Strong challenger: Sabrina Carpenter — “Man’s Best Friend”

Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Front-runner: Elton John & Brandi Carlile — “Who Believes in Angels?”

Strong challenger: Laufey — “A Matter of Time”

Pop Duo/Group Performance

Front-runner: Rosé & Bruno Mars — “APT.”

Strong challenger: KPop Demon Hunters — “Golden”

Visual Media Song

Front-runner: “Golden” — “KPop Demon Hunters”

Strong challenger: “I Lied to You” — “Sinners”

Visual Media Compilation

Front-runner: 'KPop Demon Hunters'

Strong challenger: 'Wicked', 'F1'

Musical Theater Album

Front-runner: 'Maybe Happy Ending'

Strong challenger: 'Death Becomes Her'

Music Film

Front-runner: “Music by John Williams”

Strong challenger: “Raye: Live at the Royal Albert Hall”

Music Video

Front-runner: Doechii — 'Anxiety'

Strong challenger: Sabrina Carpenter — 'Manchild'

Latin Pop Album

Front-runner: Karol G — “Tropicoqueta”

Strong challenger: Natalia Lafourcade — “Cancionera”

Country Album

Front-runner: Kelsea Ballerini — “Patterns”

Strong challenger: Tyler Childers — “Snipe Hunter”

Rap Album

Front-runner: Kendrick Lamar — “GNX”

Strong challenger: Tyler, the Creator — “Chromakopia”

Progressive R&B Album

Front-runner: FLO — “Access All Areas”

Strong challenger: Durand Bernarr — “Bloom”

R&B Album

Front-runner: Leon Thomas — “MUTT”

Strong challenger: Teyana Taylor — “Escape Room”

Rock Album

Front-runner: Deftones — “Private Music”

Strong challenger: Yungblud — “Idols”

Best Album Cover

Front-runner: “Debí Tirar Más Fotos”

Strong challenger: “Chromakopia”

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

Front-runner: Amy Allen

Strong challenger: Tobias Jesso Jr.

Across the board, this year’s Grammy predictions underscore the diversity of contemporary music and the growing global influence of different sounds and voices.

While Album of the Year and the General Field categories — which also include Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist — draw the most attention, the full slate of awards honours excellence in fields as varied as musical theatre, Latin Pop, visual media song, and music film.

With strong favourites like Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Olivia Dean and Sabrina Carpenter leading the race, the 2026 Grammy Awards promise to be a fascinating showcase of musical achievement.