The nominees for this year’s Grammy Awards were announced on November 7, 2025, including well-known pop stars like Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish, as well as up-and-coming artists like Alex Warren and Addison Rae, nominated for Best New Artist.
The Grammy Award is an American music award presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, also known as the Recording Academy. The annual ceremony recognizes artists, producers, and songwriters spanning all different genres such as pop, reggae, rap, country, R&B, and more. To be eligible for this award, “the recording or music video must be released in the United States between October 1 of the previous year and midnight September 30 of the given Grammy year.” This is why some artists like Taylor Swift aren’t able to be nominated for their new work, like Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl.
The Grammys offer many different categories to win an award, but the most popular categories are Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist. Record of the Year nominees include “DtMF” by Bad Bunny, “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter, and “The Subway” by Chappell Roan. Record of the Year “is for the best sound recording of the year.” It recognizes the song’s production, a key part of a smash hit. Songs of the Year nominees are very similar to the Record of the Year nominees; however, “Golden” from the blockbuster K-pop Demon Hunters made the list. Song of the Year “is for the best-written song and goes to the songwriter(s).” The songwriters and artists are both nominated to win this award. Lady Gaga’s Mayhem, Justin Bieber’s SWAG, Leon Thomas’ MUTT, and more have been nominated for Album of the Year. Last, the nominees for Best New Artist are Olivia Dean, KATSEYE, The Marias, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, and Lola Young. Best New Artist nominees “must have achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and impacted the musical landscape.” They don’t necessarily have to be brand-new artists. For example, Sabrina Carpenter was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2025 Grammy Awards, although her first album was released 10 years ago.
The Recording Academy also awards performances such as Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best R&B Performance, and Best Country Solo Performance. Some of these nominees include “Defying Gravity” by Cynthia Arivo and Ariana Grande, “Golden” by HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI, “Gabriela” by KATSEYE, “APT” by ROSÉ, and “30 for 30” by SZA with Kendrick Lamar. These nominees are recognized for their collaboration and ability to cooperate with each other. Other nominees include “YUKON” by Justin Bieber and “Heart Of A Woman” by Summer Walker for Best R&B Performance, as well as “Good News” by Shaboozy and “Somewhere Over Laredo” by Lainey Wilson.
The CdM community loves Tate McRae and will be cheering her during the show. McRae was just nominated for her first Grammy for Best Dance Pop Recording for her hit “Just Keep Watching,” written for the F1 soundtrack. Zoe Smith and Makayla Blackburn, 9th graders at CdM, both said they were rooting for Tate McRae. “I’m excited to see Tate’s outfit,” Blackburn said, as celebrities at the award show always give it their all when it comes to fashion.
Although some outstanding artists were nominated, others weren’t, and many fans argued that they should have been. Smith, when asked if there were any artists she was upset about not being nominated, said, “Yes, Megan Moroney.” Moroney was not eligible for a Grammy; however, her album Am I Okay? has millions of streams, and her two newest singles, “6 Months Later” and “Beautiful Things,” peaked top 70 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards will be streaming live on CBS on February 1, 2026, at 5 pm PT. Make sure to tune in to see who will win for each category.
