The nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards were announced this morning, and among them was the announcement for Record of the Year. Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter are all nominated for the second year running, as is Kendrick Lamar for a collaboration with SZA. Rounding out the category are Bad Bunny, Doechii, Lady Gaga, Rosé, and Bruno Mars. See all of the 2026 Grammy nominations here.
After “Not Like Us” swept every category it was nominated in at the 2025 Grammys, including Record of the Year, Lamar is eyeing back-to-back wins with his SZA duet “Luther.” Mars and Rosé are nominated for their own collaboration, “Apt.”, from the Blackpink member’s solo debut Rosie, while Lady Gaga, who worked with Mars on 2024’s Song of the Year-nominated “Die With a Smile,” is recognized for her Mayhem single “Abracadabra.”
Eilish, meanwhile, extends a now-three-year streak of Record of the Year nominations, which began with “What Was I Made For?”, her contribution to the soundtrack for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie, and continued with the single “Birds of a Feather” from her 2024 album Hit Me Hard and Soft. Eilish’s 2026 entry, “Wildflower” also appears on Hit Me Hard and Soft—which came out out in March 2024, outside of this year’s eligibility window—but was re-released as a single in February.
The only difference between this year’s Record and Song of the Year categories is the presence of Roan, whose single “The Subway” takes the place of “Golden” by the animated K-pop group Huntr/x. Doechii is among the artists Roan beat out to take home the title of Best New Artist last year. Her one-off single “Anxiety” features a prominent sample of 2013 Record of the Year winner Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.”
The nominees for Record of the Year at the 2025 Grammys included Kendrick Lamar (“Not Like Us”), the Beatles (“Now and Then”), Beyoncé (“Texas Hold ’Em”), Chappell Roan (“Good Luck, Babe!”), Charli XCX (“360”), and others. Lamar won the award for “Not Like Us,” which also netted the Compton rapper prizes for Song of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video at the ceremony.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will air live, on Sunday, February 1, 2026, from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. Read up on all of Pitchfork’s coverage of the 2026 Grammy Awards, and revisit “Who Should Be Nominated at the 2026 Grammy Awards.”
Record of the Year
Bad Bunny – DTMF
Billie Eilish – Wildflower
Chappell Roan – The Subway
Doechii – Anxiety
Kendrick Lamar & SZA – Luther
Lady Gaga – Abracadabra
Rosé & Bruno Mars – Apt.
Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild
