Nominations for the 2026 annual Grammy Awards were announced on Nov. 7. The 68th annual Grammys will recognize outstanding achievement in recorded music released from Aug. 31, 2024, through Aug. 30, 2025. The ceremony will take place on Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on CBS and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+.
In the category of Best Musical Theater Album, five nominees have been named: “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Death Becomes Her,” “Gypsy,” “Just in Time” and “Maybe Happy Ending.” The category recognizes excellence in both the production and the performance of musical theater recordings. The recognition of five nominees signals that more than 40 albums were submitted to this category for consideration.
As the producers of the original Broadway cast recording, Marco Paguia, Dean Sharenow and David Yazbek are the individual nominees on behalf of “Buena Vista Social Club.” Paguia is also the orchestrator, arranger and music director of the Broadway production; he earned a 2025 Tony Award for Best Orchestrations as well as a 2025 Special Tony as part of the show’s onstage band. Yazbek is a creative consultant on the musical and Sharenow serves as musical supervisor.
“Death Becomes Her”’s nomination recognizes principal vocalists Taurean Everett, Megan Hilty, Josh Lamon, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard and Michelle Williams, as well as composer-lyricists Noel Carey and Julia Mattison and album producers Carey, Sean Patrick Flahaven, Mattison and Scott M. Riesett. Of note, this year a rule change allowed up to six principal vocalists to be nominated in this category. The nomination of the original Broadway cast album of “Death Becomes Her” is the first to reflect this change.
A new album of an old musical was also included. The album accompanying the 2024 Broadway revival of “Gypsy” is also among the nominees for Best Musical Theater Album. Principal vocalists Danny Burstein, Kevin Csolak, Audra McDonald, Jordan Tyson and Joy Woods, record producers David Caddick, Andy Einhorn, David Lai and George C. Wolfe are named with this nomination. The music on the album is by Jule Styne with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. However, they are not nominees for this award as this material had been previously considered by the Recording Academy.
The original Broadway cast album “Just in Time” is the fourth nominee in this category, with principal vocalists Emily Bergl, Jonathan Groff, Erika Henningsen, Gracie Lawrence and Michele Pawk and producers Derik Lee, Andrew Resnick and Bill Sherman. The album features songs by Bobby Darin; similar to Styne and Sondheim, Darin is not posthumously nominated.
Finally, the original Broadway cast recording of “Maybe Happy Ending” rounds out this category. Lyricist Hue Park and composer-lyricist Will Aronson are nominated alongside principal vocalists Marcus Choi, Darren Criss, Dez Duron and Helen J Shen. Aronson and Park also produced the album alongside fellow nominees Deborah Abramson and Ian Kagey. Park and Aronson won a Tony for their score; Criss won for his performance and the show won Best Musical.
Outside of the Best Musical Theater Album category, Broadway has made an impressive mark. The first movie in the two-part “Wicked” film adaptation has earned three nominations. “Wicked” is a nominee for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, which honors the principal artists and/or ‘in studio’ producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album. On behalf of “Wicked,” composers John Powell and Stephen Schwartz have been nominated for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, which judges the score of a film or TV project. Finally, Powell and Schwartz have been nominated in the category of Best Instrumental Composition for “Train to Emerald City” featured in the movie. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were jointly nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Defying Gravity.”
The Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category declared six nominees, including Jennifer Hudson (who appeared on Broadway in 2015’s “The Color Purple” and is a Tony-winning producer of “A Strange Loop”) and Barbra Streisand (a two-time Tony Award nominee for “I Can Get It for You Wholesale” and “Funny Girl” and a Special Tony recipient).
Bill Burr, who made his Broadway debut last season in “Glengarry Glen Ross,” was nominated for Best Comedy Album. Sarah Silverman, who co-wrote the book and lyrics for her musical “The Bedwetter” (which has been playing regional theaters), is also named in this category.
Throughout the 95 total categories, other Broadway alumni have been nominated. In addition to her nomination for “Wicked,” Erivo earned a nod for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella. Broadway veteran Marc Kudisch was recognized for his vocal contribution to the opera recording “Kouyoumdjian: Adoration.” Reba McEntire, who played the title character in “Annie Get Your Gun,” was nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Ledisi, whose credits include “Caroline, or Change” and “Hair,” earned two nominations for Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best R&B Album. Gloria Estefan, whose life and music was the basis for “On Your Feet!,” garnered a nod for Best Tropical Latin Album as did Ruben Blades, who starred in “The Capeman.” Yolanda Adams, who was just announced as the new Miss Liza Jane in “Hell’s Kitchen,” was nominated for Best Gospel Album.
Sabrina Carpenter, who has cemented herself as a pop star of the mainstream music world and earned multiple nominations, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year, did spend some time on Broadway. She was cast as Cady Heron in “Mean Girls,” but only had a chance to perform twice before the COVID-19 shutdown.
The full nominations for each of the categories mentioned above are below. Click here for the complete nominations in all 95 categories.
Best Musical Theater Album
“Buena Vista Social Club”
Marco Paguia, Dean Sharenow & David Yazbek, producers (Original Broadway Cast)
“Death Becomes Her”
Taurean Everett, Megan Hilty, Josh Lamon, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard & Michelle Williams, principal vocalists; Noel Carey, Sean Patrick Flahaven, Julia Mattison & Scott M. Riesett, producers; Noel Carey & Julia Mattison, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)
“Gypsy”
Danny Burstein, Kevin Csolak, Audra McDonald, Jordan Tyson & Joy Woods, principal vocalists; David Caddick, Andy Einhorn, David Lai & George C. Wolfe, producers (Jule Styne, composer; Stephen Sondheim, lyricist) (2024 Broadway Cast)
“Just In Time”
Emily Bergl, Jonathan Groff, Erika Henningsen, Gracie Lawrence & Michele Pawk, principal vocalists; Derik Lee, Andrew Resnick & Bill Sherman, producers (Bobby Darin, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)
“Maybe Happy Ending”
Marcus Choi, Darren Criss, Dez Duron & Helen J Shen, principal vocalists; Deborah Abramson, Will Aronson, Ian Kagey & Hue Park, producers; Hue Park, lyricist; Will Aronson, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
A Complete Unknown
Timothée Chalamet
F1® The Album
(Various Artists)
KPop Demon Hunters
(Various Artists)
Sinners
(Various Artists)
Wicked
(Various Artists)
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television)
How To Train Your Dragon
John Powell, composer
Severance: Season 2
Theodore Shapiro, composer
Sinners
Ludwig Göransson, composer
Wicked
John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers
The Wild Robot
Kris Bowers, composer
Best Instrumental Composition
First Snow
Remy Le Boeuf, composer (Nordkraft Big Band, Remy Le Boeuf & Danielle Wertz)
Live Life This Day: Movement I
Miho Hazama, composer (Miho Hazama, Danish Radio Big Band & Danish National Symphony Orchestra)
Lord, That's A Long Way
Sierra Hull, composer (Sierra Hull)
Opening
Zain Effendi, composer (Zain Effendi)
Train To Emerald City
John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers (John Powell & Stephen Schwartz)
Why You Here / Before The Sun Went Down
Ludwig Göransson, composer (Ludwig Göransson Featuring Miles Caton)
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Defying Gravity
Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
**Golden [From "KPop Demon Hunters"]**
HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI
Gabriela
KATSEYE
**APT.**
ROSÉ, Bruno Mars
30 For 30
SZA Featuring Kendrick Lamar
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Wintersongs
Laila Biali
The Gift Of Love
Jennifer Hudson
**Who Believes In Angels?**
Elton John & Brandi Carlile
Harlequin
Lady Gaga
A Matter Of Time
Laufey
The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume 2
Barbra Streisand
Best Comedy Album
Drop Dead Years
Bill Burr
PostMortem
Sarah Silverman
Single Lady
Ali Wong
What Had Happened Was…
Jamie Foxx
Your Friend, Nate Bargatze
Nate Bargatze
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
Be Okay
Cynthia Erivo, arranger (Cynthia Erivo)
A Child Is Born
Remy Le Boeuf, arranger (Nordkraft Big Band & Remy Le Boeuf)
Fight On
Andy Clausen, Addison Maye-Saxon, Riley Mulherkar & Chloe Rowlands, arrangers (The Westerlies)
Super Mario Praise Break
Bryan Carter, Charlie Rosen & Matthew Whitaker, arrangers (The 8-Bit Big Band)
Best Opera Recording
Heggie: Intelligence
Kwamé Ryan, conductor; Jamie Barton, J'Nai Bridges & Janai Brugger; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Houston Grand Opera; Gene Scheer)
Huang Ruo: An American Soldier
Carolyn Kuan, conductor; Hannah Cho, Alex DeSocio, Nina Yoshida Nelsen & Brian Vu; Adam Abeshouse, Silas Brown & Doron Schachter, producers (American Composers Orchestra; David Henry Hwang)
Kouyoumdjian: Adoration
Alan Pierson, conductor; Miriam Khalil, Marc Kudisch, David Adam Moore, Omar Najmi, Naomi Louisa O’Connell & Karim Sulayman; Mary Kouyoumdjian, producer (Silvana Quartet; The Choir Of Trinity Wall Street)
O'Halloran: Trade & Mary Motorhead
Elaine Kelly, conductor; Oisín Ó Dálaigh & John Molloy; Alex Dowling & Emma O'Halloran, producers (Irish National Opera Orchestra; Mark O’Halloran)
Tesori: Grounded
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Ben Bliss, Emily D’Angelo, Greer Grimsley & Kyle Miller; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus; George Brant)
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
A Song To Sing
Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton
Trailblazer
Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson
Love Me Like You Used To Do
Margo Price & Tyler Childers
Amen
Shaboozey & Jelly Roll
Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame
George Strait, Chris Stapleton
Best Traditional R&B Performance
Here We Are
Durand Bernarr
UPTOWN
Lalah Hathaway
LOVE YOU TOO
Ledisi
Crybaby
SZA
VIBES DON'T LIE
Leon Thomas
Best R&B Album
BELOVED
GIVĒON
**Why Not More?**
Coco Jones
The Crown
Ledisi
Escape Room
Teyana Taylor
MUTT
Leon Thomas
Best Tropical Latin Album
Fotografías
Rubén Blades, Roberto Delgado & Orquesta
Raíces
Gloria Estefan
Clásicos 1.0
Grupo Niche
Bingo
Alain Pérez
Debut y Segunda Tanda, Vol. 2
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Best Gospel Album
Sunny Days
Yolanda Adams
Tasha
Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Live Breathe Fight
Tamela Mann
Only On The Road Live
Tye Tribbett
Heart Of Mine
Darrel Walls, PJ Morton
