Merlin Celebrates 20% of 2026 GRAMMY Awards Nominations

The Recording Academy has announced the 68th annual GRAMMY® Awards nominations! The awards will take place on February 1st, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA. This year, Merlin members received over 80 nominations across more than 40 categories. Congratulations to our members and their artists on this incredible accomplishment! Below is an inexhaustive list of nominations.

Best Rock Performance

• “Mirtazapine,” Hayley Williams (Post Atlantic, Secretly)
• “U Should Not Be Doing That”, Amyl and the Sniffers (Rough Trade Records, Beggars)

Best Metal Performance

• “Soft Spine,” Spiritbox (Rise Records, BMG)

Best Rock Song

• “Glum,” Daniel James & Hayley Williams (Post Atlantic, Secretly)

Best Alternative Music Performance

• “Everything Is Peaceful Love,” Bon Iver (Jagjaguar, Secretly)
• “mangetout,” Wet Leg (Domino Recording Co.)
• “Parachute,” Hayley Williams (Post Atlantic, Secretly)

Best Alternative Music Album

• SABLE, fABLE, Bon Iver (Jajaguar, Secretly)
• moisturizer, Wet Leg (Domino Recording Co.)
• Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, Hayley Williams (Post Atlantic, Secretly)

Best Traditional R&B Performance

• “LOVE YOU TOO,” Ledisi (Listen Back Entertainment, BMG)
• “Here We Are,” Durand Bernarr (DSING Records, Create Music Group)

Best Progressive R&B Album

• LOVE ON DIGITAL, Destin Conrad (Above Ground Entertainment, EMPIRE)
• Come As You Are, Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon (Sounds of Crenshaw, EMPIRE)
• Bloom, Durand Bernarr (DSING Records, Create Music Group)
• Adjust Brightness, Bilal (ONErpm)

Best R&B Album

• The Crown, Ledisi (Listen Back Entertainment, BMG)

Best R&B Song

• “Overqualified,” James John Abrahart Jr & Durand Bernarr (DSING Records, Create Music Group)

Best Melodic Rap Performance

• “WeMaj,” Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon Featuring Rapsody (Sounds of Crenshaw, EMPIRE)

Best Spoken Word Poetry Album

• Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends at Treepeople (Live), Saul Williams & Carlos Niño & Friends (International Anthem Recording Co., Redeye)

Best Jazz Performance

• “Windows – Live,” Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade (Candid Records, Exceleration)
• “Noble Rise,” Lakecia Benjamin Featuring Immanuel Wilkins & Mark Whitfield (Ropeadope, Symphonic)
• “Four”, Michael Mayo (Mack Avenue, Exceleration)

Best Jazz Vocal Album

• Elemental, Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap (Mack Avenue, Exceleration)
• We Insist 2025!, Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell (Candid Records, Exceleration)
• Fly, Michael Mayo (Mack Avenue, Exceleration)

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

• Trilogy 3 (Live), Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade (Candid Records, Exceleration)
• Fasten Up, Yellow Jackets (Mack Avenue, Exceleration)

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

• Without Further Ado, Vol 1, Christian McBride Big Band (Mack Avenue, Exceleration)
• Lumen, Danilo Pérez & Bohuslän Big Band (Prophone Records, Naxos)
• Some Days Are Better: The Lost Scores, Kenny Wheeler Legacy Featuring The Royal Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra & Frost Jazz Orchestra (Greenleaf, Redeye)

Best Musical Theater Album

• Buena Vista Social Club (Original Broadway Cast), Marco Paguia, Dean Sharenow & David Yazbek (World Circuit Limited, BMG)

Best Country Solo Performance

• “Good News,” Shaboozey (EMPIRE)
• “Somewhere Over Laredo,” Lainey Wilson (BMG)

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

• “Amen,” Shaboozey & Jelly Roll (EMPIRE)
• “Trailblazer,” Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson (BMG)

Best Country Song

• “Good News,” Shaboozey (EMPIRE)
• “Somewhere Over Laredo,” Lainey Wilson (BMG)

Best Contemporary Country Album

• Beautifully Broken, Jelly Roll (BMG)

Best American Roots Performance

• “Richmond on the James,” Alison Krauss & Union Station (Down The Road, Exceleration)
• “Beautiful Strangers,” Mavis Staples (ANTI-, Epitaph)

Best American Roots Song

• “Middle”, Jesse Welles (Stem)

Best Americana Performance

• “Godspeed,” Mavis Staples (ANTI-, Epitaph)
• “Horse”, Jesse Welles (Stem)

Best Americana Album

• Middle, Jesse Welles (Stem)

Best Folk Album

• Under The Powerlines, Jesse Welles (Stem)

Best Bluegrass Album

• Arcadia, Alison Krauss & Union Station (Down The Road, Exceleration)

Best Global Music Performance

• “Inmigrante Y Que?,” Yeisy Rojas (CD Baby)
• “Cantando en el Camino,” Ciro Hurtado (CD Baby)

Best Contemporary Blues Album

• Family, Southern Avenue (Alligator Records, Exceleration)

Best Regional Roots Music Album

• For Fat Man, Preservation Brass & Preservation Hall Jazz Band (Sub Pop)

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

• “Headphones,” Lecrae (Reach Records)

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

• Reconstruction, Lecrae (Reach Records)

Best Roots Gospel Album

• Good Answers, Karen Peck & New River (Daywind Records)

Best Recording Package

• Danse Macabre: De Luxe, Duran Duran (BMG)
• Loud Is As, Tsunami (Secretly Group)
• And The Adjacent Possible, OK Go (Symphonic)
• The Spins, Mac Miller (Rostrum)

Best Album Cover

• Glory, Perfume Genius (Beggars)
• moisturizer, Wet Leg (Domino Recording Co.)

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

• For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women), Japanese Breakfast (Dead Oceans, Secretly)
• Arcadia, Alison Krauss & Union Station (Down The Road / Exceleration)

Best Engineered Album, Classical

• Standard Stoppages, Third Coast Percussion (Cedille Records / Naxos)

Best Music Video

• “Young Lion,” Sade (Red Hot Organization / Redeye)

Best Historical Album

• Roots Rocking Zimbabwe – The Modern Sound Of Harare’ Townships 1975-1980 (Analog Africa No.41), Various Artists (Analog Africa / Exceleration)
• Super Disco Pirata – De Tepito Para El Mundo 1965-1980 (Analog Africa No. 39), Various Artists (Analog Africa / Exceleration)

Best Comedy Album

• Drop Dead Years, Bill Burr (Stem)

Best Immersive Audio Album

• All American F***boy, Duckwrth (Them Hellas/The Blind Youth, Stem)

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

• “Something in the Water (Acoustic-Ish),” Lawrence (Beautiful Mind, Stem)

Best Choral Performance

• “Lang: Poor Hymnal,” Steven Bradshaw, Michael Hawes, Lauren Kelly, Rebecca Siler & Elisa Sutherland; The Crossing (Cantaloupe Music / Naxos)

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

• “Standard Stoppages,” Third Coast Percussion (Cedille Records / Naxos)
• “La Mer – French Piano Trios,” Neave Trio (CD Baby)
• “Lullabies for the Brokenhearted,” Lili Haydn and Paul Cantelon (Downtown)

Best Classical Instrumental Solo

• “Inheritances,” Adam Tendler (New Amsterdam Records / !K7 Music)
• “Hope Orchestrated,” Venezuela Strings Recording Ensemble (CD Baby)

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

• Black Pierrot, Sidney Outlaw and Warren Jones (Lexicon Classics / Symphonic)
• In This Short Life, Devony Smith (Lexicon Classics / Symphonic)
• Schubert Beatles, Theo Hoffman (Symphonic)

Best Classical Compendium

• The Dunbar/Moore Sessions, Vol. II, Will Liverman (Lexicon Classics / Symphonic)
• Cerrone: Don’t Look Down, Sandbox Percussion (New Amsterdam Records / !K7 Music)

Best Contemporary Classical Composition

• Okpebholo: Songs in Flight, Shawn E. Okpebholo (Cedille Records / Naxos)

Best Regional Roots Music Album

• Church of New Orleans, Kyle Roussel (CD Baby)

Best Reggae Album

• Treasure Self Love, Lila Iké (Symphonic)

Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album

• According to the Moon, Cheryl B. Engelhardt, GEM, Dallas String Quartet (Symphonic)

Best Children’s Music Album

• The Music of Tori and the Muses, Tori Amos (Downtown)

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

• Blake Mills (Dead Oceans/Secretly, Matador Records/Beggars)

Best Tropical Latin Album

• BINGO, Alain Pérez (JOP, Puntilla)

Best Dance/Electronic Album

• EUSEXUA, FKA Twigs (Young/XL Recordings, Beggars)