Bad Bunny Sparks Massive Grammy Buzz

By: Kaylen Schauf 

The full list of 2026 Grammy Award nominations just dropped, and one name grabbed global attention in nearly every major category: Bad Bunny. The Puerto-Rican powerhouse is nominated in six categories for his spectacular seventh album alongside other pop culture icons like Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and Kendrick Lamar. His success story is one of many to be celebrated on Feb. 1, Music's Biggest Night.  

Bad Bunny on his “World's Hottest Tour” in 2022. Photo by Elranki. 

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as talented rapper, singer and producer Bad Bunny, took the 2026 Grammy nominations by storm with “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” earning a nomination for Album of the Year and its title track, “DtMF,” appearing under Record and Song of the Year. Bad Bunny is the only artist to ever earn an Album of the Year nomination for a Spanish-language album, first in 2022 with “Un Verano Sin Ti,” and now with his wildly popular sixth solo studio album. The Latin American icon is also the sole artistic director behind the cover of “DTMF” which is nominated for Best Album Cover. Winning a few major award categories next February would be a wonderful compliment to Bad Bunny's many successes in 2025. These successes include surpassing 100 million album sales, booking the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show and selling out a world tour within just a few hours. However, he faces some tough competition from the other nominees: 

For Album of the Year: “Man's Best Friend” by Sabrina Carpenter, “MAYHEM” by Lady Gaga, “GNX” by Kendrick Lamar, “SWAG” by Justin Bieber, “CHROMAKOPIA” by Tyler, The Creator, “MUTT” by Leon Thomas and “Let God Sort Em Out” by Clipse.  

For Record of the Year: “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter, “Anxiety” by Doechii, “WILDFLOWER” by Billie Eilish, “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga, “luther” by Kendrick Lamar ft. SZA, “The Subway” by Chappell Roan and “APT.” by ROSÉ ft. Bruno Mars.  

For Song of the Year: “Abracadabra,” “Anxiety,” “APT.,” “luther,” “Manchild,” “WILDFLOWER” and “Golden” (the most successful single from the movie “KPop Demon Hunters”). It's worth noting that this award goes to the songwriters behind each single, a credit that Bad Bunny does hold on “DtMF.” 

Jack Antonoff vs Jack Antonoff: Double Producer Trouble 

  Another songwriter with a particularly fascinating set of nominations for the 2026 Grammys is Jack Antonoff, a well-established musician and producer who works with many high-profile artists including Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Lana del Rey, Doja Cat and more. This award season, his work was nominated twice in all three major categories: Album, Record and Song of the Year. For both Song and Record of the Year, Antonoff could receive the award for his contributions to either “luther” by Kendrick Lamar ft. SZA or “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter. Looking at the artists’ respective albums, Antonoff co-wrote and produced nearly all of the tracks on “GNX” and a majority of “Man's Best Friend” alongside Carpenter and fellow producer John Ryan. Antonoff has already won 11 Grammy awards, including Best New Artist in 2011 as part of the band Fun and Producer of the Year three consecutive times (2022-24). With seven nominations for 2026, that total is likely to grow. 

The Best New Artists of 2025: A TikTok Takeover 

KATSEYE dressed for “Gabriela” music video. Photo by sgXCLUSIVE. 

Social media has become a powerful tool for music promotion, and many of the Best New Artist nominees got their first big hit by making it a trendy TikTok audio. Gen Z-ers (and any other avid TikTok users) will surely recognize the names of many of the 2026 contenders: Addison Rae, Olivia Dean, KATSEYE, The Marías, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young. KATSEYE used TikTok to start a dance trend to their hit “Gabriela” that has over half a million posts and “No One Noticed” by The Marías also has over half a million posts, which show mostly cute videos of couples or traveling. Addison Rae's most popular song, “Diet Pepsi,” got another wave of momentum when a ‘sound’ of Ben Platt performing the piece at Las Culturistas Culture Awards went viral, and sombr created more hype for his album by making many videos to his own songs such as “do i ever cross your mind,” “12 to 12” and “back to friends.” Audiences loved “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean with over one million users posting videos to it, and Alex Warren's releases of “Ordinary” and “Ordinary (Wedding Version)” each earned over one million posts as well. However, despite the strong fan bases of TikTokers like Addison Rae and Alex Warren, the artist whose voice went most viral was undoubtedly Lola Young whose breakout single “Messy” appeared in over two million posts. As young artists continue harnessing their abilities to create viral internet sensations with their work, many more social media stars will likely appear in this high-profile category in the future.  

No Wins, No Worries: Clipse's Comeback Could Rewrite Their Grammy Story 

Clipse in 2007. Photo by jilliann.  

There's a clear underdog in the Album of the Year contest and it's not “MUTT.” The members of hip-hop duo Clipse, Pusha T and Malice have been nominated for multiple Grammys in the past (both together and separately) but never managed to win. In the 2026 nomination list, they are the only artists that have zero previous wins. The competition ranges from Leon Thomas with one Grammy to Kendrick Lamar with 22. Despite the Clipse's disadvantage on paper, many critics praised the chemistry and synergy between the reunited pair and with features from artists like Lamar, Pharrell Williams, John Legend and Tyler, The Creator the album has done well on the R&B and hip-hop charts. Even if the duo doesn't secure Album of the Year, they have several chances to win their first Grammy in the categories of Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance and Best Music Video.  

#Grammys #GrammyNominations #BadBunny #KATSEYE #JackAntonoff #Clipse