Hi everyone. It’s Anthony Striford here from Anthony XO.Music. Today, I’m here with my predictions for the Grammys 2026.
On February 1, 2026, the 68th Grammy Awards will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. This year’s Grammys have already sparked plenty of controversy surrounding the nominations. When the Recording Academy announced the nominees last November, reactions came instantly. Some of the biggest stars were missing, including The Weeknd, Lorde, Ravyn Lenae, Benson Boone, Gracie Abrams, and more. At the same time, there were a few surprises, such as Leon Thomas, Billie Eilish, and Cirkut. Today, I’m not here to dive into those controversies. Instead, I’m going to focus on predicting the winners across the major categories.
Record Of The Year
Nominees:
Bad Bunny – DtMF
Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild
Doechii – Anxiety
Billie Eilish – WILDFLOWER
Lady Gaga – Abracadabra
Kendrick Lamar & SZA – luther
Chappell Roan – The Subway
ROSE & Bruno Mars – APT
This is easily one of the toughest categories at the Grammys this year. Every nominee here is hungry for the trophy. Starting with Bad Bunny’s “DtMF,” this song is undeniably a strong contender. It was hugely popular among Latin audiences and even peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The track also played a big role in Bad Bunny landing his Super Bowl performance opportunity. Overall, “DtMF” was arguably the most dominant Latin pop song of 2025. That said, with such heavy competition, it will be difficult for it to emerge as the winner.
Next up is Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild.” The song exploded upon release and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s widely seen as one of the standout tracks from her album Man’s Best Friend and one of the strongest pop songs of 2025. If “Manchild” wins Record of the Year, it wouldn’t be shocking at all. Still, given how competitive this category is, I’m not fully convinced it will take the trophy.
Doechii’s breakthrough single “Anxiety” was also one of the most praised songs of 2025, earning her major Grammy nominations. In my opinion, “Anxiety” is a stronger contender here than “WILDFLOWER,” “The Subway,” and even “Manchild.” The song dominated the rap conversation throughout the year, which gives it serious weight. However, it still faces tough competition from Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s “luther” and ROSE & Bruno Mars’s “APT.”
Last year, Billie Eilish walked away empty-handed despite multiple nominations, as Hit Me Hard and Soft didn’t win a single Grammy. This year, “WILDFLOWER” from that same album is nominated for Record of the Year. While it’s a solid track, a win here would surprise me, mainly because there are stronger contenders in this lineup.
Lady Gaga’s dance-pop track “Abracadabra” is another interesting nominee. The song was extremely popular upon release and was named one of the best songs of 2025 by several outlets. Since the Grammys are known for surprises, “Abracadabra” could definitely pull off a win, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it did.
Then there’s Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s “luther,” which many consider one of the strongest contenders. The song spent multiple weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was arguably the biggest rap song of 2025. Still, the Grammys don’t always reward pure numbers, so while “luther” is a frontrunner, I don’t see it as a guaranteed winner.
Chappell Roan’s “The Subway” was also popular in 2025, but compared to the rest of the field, I don’t see enough momentum for it to win in this category.
Finally, we have ROSE & Bruno Mars’s viral collaboration “APT.” The song went viral globally, broke records, and picked up several awards along the way. To me, this track feels like a perfect Grammy-style winner, and I can easily see it defeating some very heavy competition.
Final Prediction: ROSE & Bruno Mars – APT
Album Of The Year
Nominees:
DeBÍ TiRAR MaS FoTOS – Bad Bunny
SWAG – Justin Bieber
Man’s Best Friend – Sabrina Carpenter
Let God Sort ’Em Out – Clipse, Pusha T, Malice
Mayhem – Lady Gaga
GNX – Kendrick Lamar
MUTT – Leon Thomas
CHROMAKOPIA – Tyler, The Creator
Album of the Year is another extremely competitive category. At the top of my list is Kendrick Lamar’s GNX. The album broke multiple records upon release and features glossy production with plenty of standout tracks. It feels like a very safe Grammy pick.
Right behind it is Clipse’s Let God Sort ’Em Out, which I consider the most astonishing rap album of last year. The production is seamless, the performances are powerful, and it feels almost filler-free. If Clipse wins Album of the Year, it honestly wouldn’t surprise me. Albums like DeBÍ TiRAR MaS FoTOS, Mayhem, and CHROMAKOPIA are strong as well, but I see them more as underdogs compared to Kendrick and Clipse.
As for Leon Thomas, Sabrina Carpenter, and Justin Bieber, I don’t see them as top contenders here, though one of them winning would definitely qualify as a Grammy surprise.
Final Prediction: Clipse, Pusha T, Malice – Let God Sort ’Em Out or Kendrick Lamar – GNX
Song Of The Year
Nominees:
Abracadabra – Lady Gaga
Anxiety – Doechii
APT – ROSE & Bruno Mars
DtMF – Bad Bunny
Golden – Huntr/X
luther – Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Manchild – Sabrina Carpenter
WILDFLOWER – Billie Eilish
The Song of the Year nominees are very similar to Record of the Year, with Chappell Roan replaced by Huntr/X. In this category, my top two picks are “APT” and “Golden.” Both songs dominated charts and streaming throughout the year. “Golden,” from the K-POP Demon Hunters soundtrack, was one of the most streamed songs of 2025 and spent multiple weeks at No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Global 200, making it a very serious contender.
I see “Abracadabra,” “Anxiety,” “DtMF,” and “luther” as underdogs here. Any of them could win, and I wouldn’t be surprised. Meanwhile, “WILDFLOWER” and “Manchild” rank lower for me simply because of how competitive this category is, though a win for either would still make sense in a Grammy context.
Final Prediction: Huntr/X – Golden
Best New Artist
Nominees:
Olivia Dean
KATSEYE
The Marías
Addison Rae
sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young
Best New Artist is, in my opinion, the most competitive category this year. Almost every nominee had a strong year. My top two contenders are sombr and Olivia Dean. sombr dominated charts and streaming with breakout singles like “back to friends,” “undressed,” and “12 to 12.” His music was everywhere in 2025. On the other hand, Olivia Dean also had a huge year with songs like “Man I Need” and “So Easy (Fall In Love),” and her debut album received solid critical praise. For me, these two stand clearly at the top.
In the next tier, I’d place KATSEYE, The Marías, Alex Warren, and Leon Thomas. They all have a shot, but I see slightly less momentum compared to sombr and Olivia. Addison Rae and Lola Young sit at the bottom for me. Addison’s “Diet Pepsi” was well received, but her debut album didn’t leave a strong impact. Similarly, Lola Young’s “Messy” was widely acclaimed, but her latest album didn’t connect with me overall.
Final Prediction: sombr