Canadian music sensation Justin Bieber has emerged as a major contender for the 2026 Grammy Awards, securing four nominations including the prestigious Album of the Year category.
Bieber's Grammy Triumph
The Stratford, Ontario native received recognition for his latest work 'Swag', which earned a nomination for Album of the Year. His successful album also secured a Best Pop Vocal Album nomination, while individual tracks 'Daisies' and 'Yukon' received nods for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best R&B Performance respectively.
Notable Snubs and Surprises
In a surprising turn, Scarborough R&B artist The Weeknd received zero nominations despite submitting his 2025 release 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' in over a dozen categories. This continues the artist's complicated relationship with the awards show, having previously criticized the Grammys as "corrupt" in 2020 after receiving no nominations despite a commercially successful album.
Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. had acknowledged The Weeknd's criticism during the 2025 ceremony, stating "Over the past few years, we have listened, we've acted and we've changed."
Other Canadian Contenders
Halifax-raised producer Cirkut (born Henry Walter) earned seven nominations, including Album of the Year for his work on Lady Gaga's 'Mayhem' and Song of the Year nods for Gaga's 'Abracadabra' and 'Apt.' by Rosé and Bruno Mars.
Calgary's Tate McRae received her first Grammy nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording for 'Just Keep Watching' from the Brad Pitt racing film 'F1'.
Leading Nominees and Categories
Rapper Kendrick Lamar leads the nomination count with nine nods for his 2024 album 'GNX', including Album of the Year. This marks the third time Lamar has received simultaneous nominations in the major categories of record, song, and album of the year.
For the first time in Grammy history, three releases received nominations in both the rap album and album of the year categories: 'GNX', Clipse, Pusha T & Malice's 'Let God Sort Em Out', and Tyler, the Creator's 'Chromakopia'.
Other Album of the Year nominees include Sabrina Carpenter's 'Man's Best Friend', Bad Bunny's 'Debi Tirar Mas Fotos', and Leon Thomas' 'Mutt'.
Notable Firsts and Surprises
Actor Timothee Chalamet earned his first Grammy nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for 'A Complete Unknown', in which he portrays music legend Bob Dylan.
Bad Bunny made history with his critically acclaimed album 'Debi Tirar Mas Fotos', becoming only the second all-Spanish language album nominated for Album of the Year. The first was also Bad Bunny in 2023 for 'Un Verano Sin Ti'.
Producer Jack Antonoff returned to Grammy recognition with seven nominations, tied for second-most with Cirkut, primarily for his work with Lamar and Gaga.
The 68th Grammy Awards will air February 1, 2026 on CityTV, CBS, and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Only recordings commercially released in the United States between August 31, 2024, and August 30, 2025, were eligible for nominations.
