{"id":1531684,"date":"2026-01-26T18:07:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1531684"},"modified":"2026-01-26T18:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:07:09","slug":"grammys-2026-predictions-who-will-and-should-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1531684","title":{"rendered":"Grammys 2026 Predictions: Who Will and Should Win?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Columns<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Grammys 2026 Predictions: Who Will and Should Win?<\/h1>\n
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Can Kendrick repeat? Will a K-pop star finally win Record of the Year? And who snags the inaugural Best Album Cover?<\/div>\n
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By <\/span>Walden Green<\/span>, Alex Suskind<\/span>, Hattie Lindert<\/span>, Nina Corcoran<\/span>, and Jazz Monroe<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Dijon (Image by Chris Panicker, photos via Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Grammy Awards return this Sunday, February 1, and will once again be hosted by Trevor Noah. It\u2019s the comedian\u2019s sixth\u2014and, according to him, final\u2014time leading the ceremony. Topping this year\u2019s list of nominees is Kendrick Lamar, with nine nods, including appearances in three categories he won in 2025: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Rap Performance. For the second-most nominees, it\u2019s a three-way tie between Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff, and Mayhem<\/em> producer Cirkut, who have seven apiece.<\/p>\n

Whether any of these artists come home with a golden gramophone, though, remains to be seen. To find out, you\u2019ll have to watch this year\u2019s main ceremony, which will be broadcast live from Los Angeles\u2019 Crypto.com Arena, beginning at 8 p.m. EST on CBS and Paramount+. In the meantime, check out our predictions for who should and will win in key categories at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.<\/p>\n

\"Grammy<\/span><\/p>\n
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Grammy Nominations 2026: See the Full List Here<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Record of the Year<\/div>\n
    \n
  • Bad Bunny: \u201cDTMF\u201d<\/li>\n
  • Billie Eilish: \u201cWildflower\u201d<\/li>\n
  • Chappell Roan: \u201cThe Subway\u201d<\/li>\n
  • Doechii: \u201cAnxiety\u201d<\/li>\n
  • Kendrick Lamar & SZA: \u201cLuther\u201d<\/li>\n
  • Lady Gaga: \u201cAbracadabra\u201d<\/li>\n
  • Ros\u00e9 & Bruno Mars: \u201cApt.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • Sabrina Carpenter: \u201cManchild\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Should Win<\/strong>: Lady Gaga: \u201cAbracadabra\u201d<\/p>\n

    Will Win<\/strong>: ROS\u00c9, Bruno Mars: \u201cAPT.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Come Grammys season, ubiquity usually trumps all else; the more beaten into the cultural short-term memory, the better. In those terms, the 2026 Record of the Year race appears tight. Promo for Chappell Roan\u2019s latest loosie \u201cThe Subway\u201d has been plastered across its namesake public transit system all year. Lady Gaga\u2019s \u201cAbracadabra\u201d premiered during last year\u2019s Grammys. Bad Bunny, one of the biggest artists in the world right now, will bring \u201cDtMF\u201d to the Super Bowl halftime show on February 8. And not only has Doechii\u2019s single \u201cAnxiety\u201d been floating around for years, it\u2019s all but pre-existing IP, lightly reworking a Gotye song that won this category in 2013.<\/p>\n

    But if there\u2019s one contender that was completely inescapable in 2026, it\u2019s \u201cAPT.\u201d Even with Academy darlings like Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and Billie Eilish in the mix, \u201cAPT.\u201d is the kind of \u201ceven Grandma\u2019s getting into it\u201d pick Grammy voters love to laud. Bruno Mars is also a frequent flier in the Record of the Year category and Ros\u00e9\u2019s BLACKPINK beginnings fit the Grammys\u2019 recently-peaked interest in Korea\u2019s star-making machine. (If \u201cAPT.\u201d takes the statuette, she\u2019ll be the first K-pop artist to win the category.)<\/p>\n

    But if it\u2019s top-to-bottom production and performance the Grammys are allegedly after, \u201cAbracadabra\u201d should win. The MAYHEM<\/em> single doesn\u2019t exactly warrant a Lifetime Achievement nod. But after a decade of the Academy pointedly rewarding Gaga\u2019s more traditionalist work, seeing her clinch her first Record of the Year for a song sharing more DNA with \u201cSwine\u201d than \u201cShallow\u201d would be extremely satisfying. \u2014Hattie Lindert<\/p>\n

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    Album of the Year<\/div>\n
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    • Bad Bunny: Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos<\/em><\/li>\n
    • Clipse, Pusha T & Malice: Let God Sort Em Out<\/em><\/li>\n
    • Justin Bieber: Swag<\/em><\/li>\n
    • Kendrick Lamar: GNX<\/em><\/li>\n
    • Lady Gaga: Mayhem<\/em><\/li>\n
    • Leon Thomas: Mutt<\/em><\/li>\n
    • Sabrina Carpenter: Man\u2019s Best Friend<\/em><\/li>\n
    • Tyler, the Creator: Chromakopia<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Should Win<\/strong>:<\/em> Bad Bunny: Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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      Will Win<\/strong>: Lady Gaga: Mayhem<\/em><\/p>\n

      Is it just me or is this Album of the Year field padded out\u2014even more than usual\u2014with releases that have little to no chance of actually winning? Man\u2019s Best Friend<\/em> and Swag<\/em> are both impressive feats of pop craftsmanship, but feel minor compared to their older siblings; the inclusion of Let God Sort Em Out<\/em> says more about Pharrell\u2019s cultural cachet than it does Grammy voters\u2019 taste for coke rap; and if it seems like GNX<\/em> and Chromakopia<\/em> came out literal years ago, that\u2019s because they did.<\/p>\n

      Leon Thomas\u2019 Mutt<\/em> is the only record on this list I haven\u2019t heard, which, based on the last five years of winners, means he has a solid 20% chance of taking home the trophy, but really, this is a two-horse race. In one lane, Lady Gaga, who successfully married her classic theatrics with a newfound air of hard-won grace in the rollout around Mayhem<\/em>. In the other, Bad Bunny\u2014never quite a Grammys darling, but a perennial presence in the awards\u2019 M\u00fasica Urbana categories. Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos<\/em> is Benito\u2019s most musically audacious project and his most expressly political. As the Trump administration threatens to send ICE agents to his Super Bowl Halftime Show, the Recording Academy has the rare chance to throw its weight behind an artist at the exact moment when his work is as urgent, ambitious, and necessary as it\u2019s ever been. \u2014Walden Green<\/p>\n

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      Song of the Year<\/div>\n
        \n
      • Bad Bunny: \u201cDTMF\u201d<\/li>\n
      • Billie Eilish: \u201cWildflower\u201d<\/li>\n
      • Doechii: \u201cAnxiety\u201d<\/li>\n
      • Huntr\/x: \u201cGolden\u201d<\/li>\n
      • Kendrick Lamar & SZA: \u201cLuther\u201d<\/li>\n
      • Lady Gaga: \u201cAbracadabra\u201d<\/li>\n
      • Ros\u00e9 & Bruno Mars \u201cAPT.\u201d<\/li>\n
      • Sabrina Carpenter: \u201cManchild\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Should Win<\/strong>: Sabrina Carpenter: \u201cManchild\u201d<\/p>\n

        Will Win<\/strong>: Kendrick Lamar & SZA: \u201cLuther\u201d<\/p>\n

        Blurb:<\/strong> Surprised the Record of the Year and Song of the Year categories are roughly indistinguishable? Welcome to the Grammys. Although the former category technically focuses on production while the latter highlights songwriting, every year the winners for each end up looking like a spot-the-difference game. Much like my high-school\u2019s lacrosse coach, Grammy voters love to play favorites (how else does a buzzer-beater 2024 Billie Eilish single that received next to no FYC promotion end up in competition?) But that\u2019s not much of a divining rod this year, with so many familiar faces (Eilish, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga) against each other. Although the Academy invited the Latin Recording Academy to join their ranks this year, it\u2019s unclear how many of these members will actually get a vote, which could put Bad Bunny\u2019s well-deserving but all-Spanish \u201cDtMF\u201d at a disadvantage. And the surprise KPop Demon Hunters<\/em> smash \u201cGolden\u201d might eke out a win, but it\u2019s a surer thing elsewhere on the ballot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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        My money is on Kendrick Lamar and SZA\u2019s \u201cLuther.\u201d It spent the most time atop the Hot 100, Jack Antonoff had a hand in it, and it\u2019s far<\/em> less incendiary than the track that rightfully cinched Lamar this category last year. But if we\u2019re heading for another Antonoff-happy Grammys, he should be recognized for Sabrina Carpenter\u2019s \u201cManchild,\u201d the best distillation of the newly-minted superstar\u2019s delightful shtick yet and certainly the tightest lyrical showing here. If the Grammys can shower noms on Antonoff\u2019s less-impressive layups (looking at you, The Tortured Poets Department<\/em>), they ought to recognize his slam dunks, too. \u2014Hattie Lindert<\/p>\n

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        Best New Artist<\/div>\n
          \n
        • Addison Rae<\/li>\n
        • Alex Warren<\/li>\n
        • Katseye<\/li>\n
        • Leon Thomas<\/li>\n
        • Lola Young<\/li>\n
        • The Mar\u00edas<\/li>\n
        • Olivia Dean<\/li>\n
        • sombr<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Should Win:<\/strong> Addison Rae<\/p>\n

          Will Win:<\/strong> sombr<\/p>\n

          Infamously and inevitably, the Best New Artist category highlights artists who have been around for years and, oftentimes, already have multiple albums to their name. Even with that caveat, this year\u2019s batch feels noteworthy for the fact that three artists\u2014Alex Warren, Addison Rae, and sombr\u2014released a debut album within the Academy\u2019s designated eligibility window.<\/p>\n

          Turns out going viral is no longer the secret to fast-tracked financial wins, but also the path to Recording Academy recognition. Of course, it\u2019s largely out of an artist\u2019s hands: For Katseye, it barely took a year, during which the international girl group transcended K-pop corner stardom and entered crossover earworm success thanks to \u201cGnarly,\u201d while it took a decade for the Mar\u00edas\u2019 seductive dream-pop and dual-language lyrics to catch fire on TikTok. Olivia Dean and Leon Thomas sit squarely in the middle with two albums that take different approaches to R&B: The former indulges in classic soft-rock flair; the latter cuts straight to the chase with stuttering hi-hats and deeper vocal runs.<\/p>\n

          All of which is to say the playing field is fairly even at this point, except for the ample weight in Rae and sombr\u2019s corners. Addison<\/em> is a breathy dose of aughts pop tricks cashing in on the unabashed influences of today, from Lorde to Arca and beyond. Not only does Rae have stamps of approval from Charli XCX and Lana Del Rey, but she\u2019s still on the mind of girls and gays who refuse to leave the club\u2014or, at the very least, take off their headphones. Don\u2019t be surprised if voters are too planted on their couches to spot her influence. Instead, they\u2019ve likely clocked how omnipresent sombr is, from his drab Saturday Night Live<\/em> performance to his hit singles stuffing thick classic-rock basslines under gaudy disco vocals. It\u2019s all just generic enough to earn a vote. \u2014Nina Corcoran<\/p>\n

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          Producer of the Year, Non-Classical<\/h2>\n
            \n
          • Blake Mills<\/li>\n
          • Cirkut<\/li>\n
          • Dan Auerbach<\/li>\n
          • Dijon<\/li>\n
          • Sounwave<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Should Win:<\/strong> Dijon<\/p>\n

            Will Win:<\/strong> Cirkut<\/p>\n

            In recent years, the formula for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical success has been no secret: Simply be Jack Antonoff<\/em>, undisputed category daddy from 2022-24. If that is too big an ask, your best bet might be to hew to the Antonoff mold, as 2025 winner Dan Nigro did. By forming a songwriting partnership with a household name (in his case, Olivia Rodrigo), a producer can become synonymous with their success and save voters the trouble of asking tricky questions like what it means to be a great producer in a vacuum. This year\u2019s award, then, is destined to break from custom. Though each nominee has a formidable r\u00e9sum\u00e9 of A-list collaborators, none has an instant co-writing association with a single Academy darling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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            Dan Auerbach nearly fits the bill, but his flagship project, Black Keys\u2019 No Rain, No Flowers<\/em>, picked up zero nominations outright, and his recent production for the likes of Miles Kane and Moonrisers barely moves the needle. Blake Mills, a third-time nominee in the category, has oodles of goodwill but a recent slate\u2014Lucy Dacus, Perfume Genius, Japanese Breakfast\u2014that has similarly failed to grab voter lapels. A win for Sounwave, solely based on his co-production of Kendrick Lamar\u2019s GNX<\/em>, would feel generous for the least characterful album of Lamar\u2019s career. And while Dijon ought to clinch it on maverick factor alone\u2014both for his own Baby<\/em> songs and those he exported to Justin Bieber\u2019s Swag<\/em>\u2014it feels like the year of Cirkut. With seven nominations overall, the Canadian superproducer\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 lands one banger after another: Lady Gaga\u2019s \u201cDisease\u201d\u00a0and \u201cAbracadabra\u201d have basic muscle memory on their side, and his productions for the Weeknd, Jade, and Ed Sheeran showcase his Academy-baiting ease in sliding between pop pizzazz and radio-friendly mush. \u2014Jazz Monroe<\/p>\n

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            Best Pop Vocal Album<\/h2>\n
              \n
            • Justin Bieber: Swag<\/em><\/li>\n
            • Lady Gaga: Mayhem<\/em><\/li>\n
            • Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful<\/em><\/li>\n
            • Sabrina Carpenter: Man\u2019s Best Friend<\/em><\/li>\n
            • Teddy Swims: I\u2019ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Should Win:<\/strong> Lady Gaga: Mayhem<\/em><\/p>\n

              Will Win:<\/strong> Lady Gaga: Mayhem<\/em><\/p>\n

              Now here\u2019s one that Lady Gaga can and should run away with handily. Let\u2019s break it down. \u201cPop\u201d: She last won Best Pop Vocal Album in 2011 for The Fame Monster<\/em>, which reshaped pop music in its image, and Mayhem<\/em> is arguably her best full-length project since. \u201cVocal\u201d: Nobody has pipes like Gaga, and a decade-and-a-half of training for the stage and screen has made her a more dynamic, expressive singer. \u201cAlbum\u201d: Sure, after 17 tracks, Mayhem<\/em> limps to the finish line a bit, but show me a stronger run of pop singles (and could\u2019ve-been singles) from this year\u2019s eligibility period than \u201cDisease\u201d into \u201cAbracadabra\u201d into \u201cGarden of Eden\u201d into \u201cPerfect Celebrity.\u201d It\u2019s hard to imagine even last year\u2019s winner, Sabrina Carpenter, standing a chance against the grande dame<\/em> herself. \u2014Walden Green<\/p>\n

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              Best Dance\/Electronic Album<\/h2>\n
                \n
              • FKA twigs: Eusexua<\/em><\/li>\n
              • Fred Again..: Ten Days<\/em><\/li>\n
              • PinkPantheress: Fancy That<\/em><\/li>\n
              • R\u00fcf\u00fcs Du Sol: Inhale \/ Exhale<\/em><\/li>\n
              • Skrillex: F*ck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! <3<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                Should Win<\/strong>: FKA twigs: Eusexua<\/em><\/p>\n

                Will Win<\/strong>: PinkPantheress: Fancy That<\/em><\/p>\n

                Best Dance\/Electronic Album is geared to reward albums that shimmy right up to the border between marquee electronic music and widescreen pop. This is particularly true given how the dance categories are divided: While tracks are split into Best Dance Pop Recording and Best Dance\/Electronic Recording, no Best Dance Pop Album award exists. Had that category been invented this<\/em> year, you would imagine it was made for PinkPantheress. The UK producer-songwriter seamlessly integrates silky pop hooks into retro productions that would have slotted neatly into an HMV Dance rack in the late 1990s. Yet this now feels like the true zeitgeist, a pop record if ever there was one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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                Fancy That<\/em> might deserve to take this category, too, even if FKA Twigs\u2019s dazzling return-to-form Eusexua<\/em> feels like a more radical pick. Relative to the Recording Academy\u2019s dire track record in recognizing innovation, it is mildly heartening to see that Skrillex remains in favor after veering into more adventurous sounds; his latest mashes together a furiously hectic, tour-de-brute-force of dance underworlds with a reinvention of his trademark EDM pugilism. Unsurprisingly, no such reinvention is forthcoming from festival-lineup autofills R\u00fcf\u00fcs Du Sol or two-time Grammy winner Fred Again\u2026 Knowing the Grammys, however, Fred fatigue might just work in his favor: The populist producer has demonstrated an impressive ability to build dancefloors in the middle of the road without getting knocked down\u2014just the sort of bravery the Academy tends to reward. \u2014Jazz Monroe<\/p>\n

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                Best Rock Performance<\/h2>\n
                  \n
                • Amyl and the Sniffers: \u201cU Should Not Be Doing That\u201d<\/li>\n
                • Hayley Williams: \u201cMirtazapine\u201d<\/li>\n
                • Linkin Park: \u201cThe Emptiness Machine\u201d<\/li>\n
                • Turnstile: \u201cNever Enough\u201d<\/li>\n
                • Yungblud, Nuno Bettencourt & Frank Bello: \u201cChanges (Live From Villa Park \/ Back to the Beginning)\u201d [ft. Adam Wakeman & II]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  Should Win:<\/strong> Hayley Williams: \u201cMirtazapine\u201d<\/p>\n

                  Will Win:<\/strong> Turnstile: \u201cNever Enough\u201d<\/p>\n

                  The best rock songs should make you acutely aware of the blood pumping through your veins. That might explain how Amyl and the Sniffers ended up with a well-deserved nomination this year thanks to \u201cU Should Not Be Doing That.\u201d No matter how palatable the fiery Australian punk band has become, watching singer Amy Taylor parade around in assless chaps and wag her tongue reminds you what unpredictability looks like.<\/p>\n

                  Surprisingly, the rest of the nominations are even more memorable. The old guard nod goes to Linkin Park for \u201cThe Emptiness Machine,\u201d a striking pick because of what\u2019s missing\u2014the late Chester Bennington\u2019s iconic, belatedly revered vocals. Yungblud\u2019s live rendition of the Black Sabbath classic \u201cChanges\u201d gets an emotional charge usually absent from his melodramatic shtick due not to the faithfulness with which he delivers it (though that\u2019s appreciated for once), but the massive crowd wistfully singing along in Ozzy\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n

                  It\u2019s funny that two of the best bandleaders in rock known for freeform dance moves and a comfortability howling on the mic, Hayley Williams and Brendan Yates, are facing off with their own tight-knit pop-rock songs. \u201cNever Enough\u201d is Turnstile\u2019s grand return and a continuation of Glow On<\/em> in sound. With a split vote, Turnstile could pull ahead through sheer radio airplay alone. It\u2019s not a shame, per se, but it does make Hayley Williams\u2019 single that much punchier by comparison. Williams sing-screams her way through \u201cMirtazapine,\u201d an ode to the medication that helps us overcome depression, with enough vehemence and maniacal laughter to get you jumping along. \u2014Nina Corcoran<\/p>\n

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                  Best Alternative Music Album<\/div>\n
                    \n
                  • Bon Iver: SABLE, fABLE<\/em><\/li>\n
                  • The Cure: Songs of a Lost World<\/em><\/li>\n
                  • Hayley Williams: Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party<\/em><\/li>\n
                  • Tyler, the Creator: Don\u2019t Tap the Glass<\/em><\/li>\n
                  • Wet Leg: Moisturizer<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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                    Should Win:<\/strong> Wet Leg: Moisturizer<\/em><\/p>\n

                    Will Win:<\/strong> The Cure: Songs of a Lost World<\/em><\/p>\n

                    All five artists up for Best Alternative Music Album have earned nominations in the past, two of whom\u2014Bon Iver and Wet Leg\u2014won in this exact category. There\u2019s the personification of millennial indie-rock\u2019s big breakthrough now settling into its yacht-rock groove with SABLE, fABLE<\/em>, the punk-goes-pop star going solo on her own terms with Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party<\/em>, and the shapeshifting rapper who intentionally counteracts hip-hop\u2019s stylistic stereotypes with the \u201880s dance-indebted Don\u2019t Tap the Glass<\/em>. In fact, everyone here already has a Grammy except for the Cure, whose music has influenced generations\u2014and likely their fellow nominees. Why wouldn\u2019t their long-awaited, perpetually delayed, comeback album Songs of a Lost World<\/em> win? At the bare minimum, it would eradicate the go-to ammo for damaging the Recording Academy\u2019s credibility: You\u2019re telling me the Cure never won a single award?<\/em><\/p>\n

                    And yet, if we\u2019re not looking at the past, Wet Leg should bring home the trophy. Even with the relentless accolades behind their previous album, they aren\u2019t an easy shoo-in\u2014most of all because Moisturizer<\/em> is less immediate, slower-paced, and more nuanced than their self-titled debut. In allowing lead singer and guitarist Rhian Teasdale to get lost, Wet Leg found a stronger, more affecting side of themselves as a band. If the Alternative Music categories at the Grammys remain one of the few spots for younger artists to shine, then Wet Leg\u2019s Moisturizer<\/em> speaks to what\u2019s popular in the present moment while demonstrating where the next generation of alternative artists might veer tomorrow. \u2014Nina Corcoran<\/p>\n

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                    Best Rap Song<\/h2>\n
                      \n
                    • Clipse: \u201cThe Birds Don\u2019t Sing\u201d [ft. John Legend, Voices of Fire]<\/li>\n
                    • Doechii: \u201cAnxiety\u201d<\/li>\n
                    • Glorilla: \u201cTGIF\u201d<\/li>\n
                    • Kendrick Lamar: \u201cTV Off\u201d [ft. Lefty Gunplay]<\/li>\n
                    • Tyler, the Creator: \u201cSticky\u201d [ft. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      Should Win:<\/strong> Tyler, the Creator: \u201cSticky\u201d [ft. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne]<\/p>\n

                      Will Win:<\/strong> Clipse, John Legend, Voices of Fire, Pusha T & Malice: \u201cThe Birds Don\u2019t Sing\u201d<\/p>\n

                      It\u2019s an annual tradition to mock the mainstream jetsam you find in Grammy rap nominations, but 2026\u2019s Best Song nods are far less embarrassing than years\u2019 past, with some worthy contenders: Tyler, the Creator\u2019s cross-generational posse cut, \u201cSticky\u201d; Kendrick Lamar\u2019s beat-flipping hyphy single, \u201cTV Off\u201d; and GloRilla\u2019s rowdy hype anthem, \u201cTGIF\u201d (Glo actually appears twice in this category, thanks to her guest spot on \u201cSticky\u201d).<\/p>\n

                      While Tyler may deserve the gold\u2014not only for smarty pairing himself with Glo, Sexyy Red, and Lil Wayne but for coaxing a far better verse out of Weezy than anything he did on Tha Carter VI<\/em>\u2014expect voters to play it safe, skipping Doechii\u2019s \u00fcberviral \u201cAnxiety\u201d for the most heartfelt song in Clipse\u2019s catalog. The rap veterans\u2019 \u201cBirds Don\u2019t Sing\u201d is a middle-of-the-road tearjerker about their mother\u2019s passing and includes a hook by 13-time Grammy winner John Legend. It\u2019s as close to Grammy bait as you can get in a rap category.\u2014Alex Suskind<\/p>\n

                      \n

                      Best Album Cover<\/h2>\n
                        \n
                      • Bad Bunny: Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos<\/em><\/li>\n
                      • Djo: The Crux<\/em><\/li>\n
                      • Perfume Genius: Glory<\/em><\/li>\n
                      • Tyler, the Creator: Chromakopia<\/em><\/li>\n
                      • Wet Leg: Moisturizer<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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                        Should Win:<\/strong> Perfume Genius: Glory<\/em><\/p>\n

                        Will Win:<\/strong> Bad Bunny: Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos<\/em><\/p>\n

                        A new Grammys category is an exciting proposition because it lets today\u2019s voters create their own value system without the burden of decades of precedent. Although based on the inaugural class of Best Album Cover nominees, I could not possibly tell you what those values are. Beige, maybe? That\u2019s what the inclusion of Wet Leg\u2019s Moisturizer<\/em> (great album) and Djo\u2019s The Crux<\/em> (not-so-great album) would indicate. Meanwhile, Tyler, the Creator\u2019s noir-indebted portraiture serves more as stand-in for the entire visual universe that the hip-hop auteur built around Chromakopia<\/em>. (I\u2019m also partial to the deluxe cover.) Eric Rojas\u2019 photography for for Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos<\/em>\u2014a striking visual metaphor for the influx of U.S. tourism dollars into Puerto Rico during the 20th century\u2014more than earns its nod here, but it\u2019s the presence of Perfume Genius that\u2019s most surprising, and makes me think he\u2019s got a genuine shot at a win. From his striking early music videos to his scores for modern dance, Mike Hadreas would be a pacesetting standard-bearer for this category\u2019s future. Also, that waist is just undeniable. \u2014Walden Green<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

                        Source URL: http:\/\/pitchfork.com\/thepitch\/grammys-2026-predictions-who-will-win-and-who-should-win\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                        Columns Grammys 2026 Predictions: Who Will and Should Win? Can Kendrick repeat? Will a K-pop star finally win Record of the Year? And who snags the inaugural Best Album Cover? By Walden Green, Alex Suskind, Hattie Lindert, Nina Corcoran, and Jazz Monroe January 26, 2026 Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Dijon (Image by Chris Panicker, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[54],"class_list":["post-1531684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-pitchfork-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1531684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1531684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1531684\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1531684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1531684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1531684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}