By Kaitie Harper, Kayla Harper,  Kyla Lemieux, Aiden Richards and Lex Robbins

The 68th annual Grammy awards show will be held on February 1, 2026. The Grammy’s is arguably the most prestigious and highly-acclaimed award ceremony in the music industry. Occurring annually, the ceremony gives out roughly 94 awards every year, from genre-specific categories to more general and broad ones.  Here’s our predictions for the four main categories: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist.

Record Of The Year

Record Of The Year awards a single track for the “performance, production and engineering, awarding artist, producer(s), recording engineer(s) and/or mixer(s)” (Grammy.com). Eligibility for this award includes singles and tracks that were initially released, or achieved success in the Eligibility year. (Grammy.com). This year’s nominees are as follows:

 

Nominations

“DtMF” – Bad Bunny

“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter

“Anxiety” Doechii

“WILDFLOWER” – Billie Eilish

“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga

“luther” – Kendrick Lamar & SZA

“The Subway” – Chappell Roan

“APT” ROSÉ & Bruno Mars

 

Predictions

Aiden: 

Doechii — “Anxiety”

Voters would choose it for its bold production. The vocals and theme are tightly aligned. It captures a cultural moment with precision.

Kaitie: 

“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter revived pop music this year, it was culturally impactful and fun!

Kayla: 

I predict that either “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter or “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga will take home Record of the Year at this year’s awards ceremony. Both of these songs were their own cultural pop phenomenons. However, of the two I think the award should go to Gaga’s “Abracadabra” as it shifted the pop landscape.

 

Kyla: 

For the category of record for the year, I personally would choose “The Subway” by Chappell Roan. Personally, this song defined my 2025 summer, and in my opinion the vocals in the piece are unmatched.

Despite this opinion, I predict that “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter will take the trophy in this category. Out of all the nominees, this song had the biggest impact in the industry this past year, getting more radio play than any song I’ve heard before.

Lex: 

Prediction: Bad Bunny, “DtMF”

Bad Bunny’s “DtMF” feels like the strongest contender on the board to be Record of The Year. “DtMF” isn’t just a hit; it’s a global moment. It checks a lot of boxes, but for me, the main ones are artistic confidence and undeniable presence.

Song Of The Year

Success in this category is based on “artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position.” (Grammy.com). Highlighting on the songwriting, eligibility for this award includes singles and tracks that were initially released, or achieved success in the Eligibility year. (Grammy.com). This year’s nominees are as follows:

Nominations:

“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga

“Anxiety” Doechii

“APT” ROSÉ & Bruno Mars

“DtMF” – Bad Bunny

“Golden” — From KPop Demon Hunters

“luther” – Kendrick Lamar & SZA

“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter

“WILDFLOWER” – Billie Eilish

 

Predictions:

Aiden: 

Huntr/x — “Golden”

The song shows strong songwriting. Lyrics and melody work without heavy production. Its structure is timeless and clear.

Kaitie: 

“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga. This was an iconic return to music for her, the song was really well written

Kayla: 

I think Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “luther” should win this category – his lyricism is never short of genius with his clever blend of figurative devices, word play while maintaining a catchy meter. I do think it’s likely Lamar could take this award home, however, I could also see it going to Gaga.

Kyla: 

In this category, my first choice would be “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga. Song of the year is all about the writers, and I think this song sounds unique in every way. It also had a massive radio year, in addition to being released during a 2025 Grammys commercial break. I personally think this song will take the award, since it seems to exceed all requirements.

Lex: 

Prediction: Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild” or Lady Gaga, “Abracadabra”

This category often comes down to songwriting craft, not chart performance. “Manchild” is sharp and witty, while “Abracadabra” leans more theatrical and bold. Either could take it, depending on whether voters are favoring cleverness or spectacle this year.

Album Of The Year

Albums nominated in this category are considered based on overall achievement among the producer(s), engineer(s), songwriter(s), vocalist(s), and other people involved in creating it. This award recognizes the album as a whole cohesive body of work. It does not take into consideration chart success or number of sales (most Grammy categories don’t). The list of nominees in this category for the 2025 ceremony is as follows:

Nominations:

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS – Bad Bunny

SWAG – Justin Bieber

Man’s Best Friend – Sabrina Carpenter

Let God Sort Em Out – Clipse

MAYHEM – Lady Gaga

GNX – Kendrick Lamar

MUTT  – Leon Thomas

CHROMAKOPIA – Tyler, The Creator

 

Predictions:

Aiden: 

Lady Gaga — Mayhem

The album is cohesive and fully realized. Voters respect its artistic vision and creativity. It balances innovation with accessibility.

OR

Sabrina Carpenter — Man’s Best Friend

The album shows growth and strong songwriting. It is consistent and has a clear voice. Voters value its maturity and appeal.

Kaitie: 

Man’s Best Friend – Sabrina Carpenter should win because it was easily Sabrina’s best album. It was a classic pop album and despite causing controversy it shined in the spotlight.

Kayla: 

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” swept at last year’s Grammy ceremony and I would love to see him have another successful year. GNX shocked the industry when it was surprised-dropped last November making a bold statement. However, I would also be happy to see Lady Gaga’s Mayhem take home the award.

Kyla: 

This is another category that I’d like to see Lady Gaga win. Her album Mayhem was unlike any other album released this year and marked a very positive shift in Gaga’s career, showing an even more experimental side of her that we hadn’t quite seen prior to this album. My prediction for the win is between Mayhem and Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend, as these albums seemed to reach the widest range of people out of the nominees.

Lex: 

Prediction: Kendrick Lamar, GNX

I would love to see Lady Gaga take home this award this year for MAYHEM, but I feel like it will go to another outstanding choice: Kendtrick Lamar’s GNX. If GNX is nominated, it’s hard to imagine it leaving completely empty-handed. It’s ambitious, bold, sharp, and forever solidified in pop culture.

Best New Artist

This category is not necessarily recognizing an artist who is brand new, releasing their debut in the eligible year, but rather an artist who has achieved breakthrough success in the eligible year. Nominations for this year are as follows:

Nominations:

Olivia Dean

KATSEYE

The Marias

Addison Rae

sombr

Leon Thomas

Alex Warren

Lola Young

 

Predictions:

Aiden: 

Alex Warren

He has strong fan engagement and steady streaming. Voters reward genuine audience connection.

OR

Sombr

The artist shows long-term potential. Voters value deliberate direction and sustainable growth.

Kaitie: 

Olivia Dean 100% should win because she’s very talented and vocally stands out from the other newer artists on this list. She’s got a unique vocal and writing style.

Kayla: 

The Best New Artist award has to go to Olivia Dean! She had a breakthrough year with her album, The Art Of Loving, reviving classic soul/neo-soul vibes alongside her stunning vocal performance. However, I could also see the Grammy’s awarding Best New Artist to sombr, Alex Warren or Addison Rae as they have had a prominent industry presence and breakthrough year, even though I don’t think they should win.

Kyla: 

Best new artist may be the trickiest out of all the categories, since each artist nominated had an absolutely exponential year. Personally, I’d like to see Olivia Dean take home the award. Between her feel-good lyricism, unique tracks, and 1960s-reminiscent vocals, Dean seems to be the most individual option out of the eight nominees. I absolutely think she has a solid chance at winning, as the Recording Academy definitely has a habit of choosing the unique options, as was made evident by Chappell Roan’s win at last year’s ceremony. However, I could just as easily see the title going to a more traditional pop act, such as Addison Rae.

Lex: 

Prediction: Olivia Dean or sombr

I believe this category will easily be one of the most interesting races of the night, but something tells me it will come down to either Olivia Dean or sombr. Both artists saw their careers take off significantly this past year and make great music. The Grammys have surprised before in this category, but I would place my bets on one of these two!