The 2026 Grammys will be held Feb. 1, with fan favorites Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter and many others receiving nominations for their music this year. With several of these artists nominated across the big three awards — Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year — the 68th Grammy Awards are sure to be contentious.

Who will sweep the categories this year? The Daily Trojan’s music reporters have placed their bets on who will take home this year’s Grammys.

Record Of The Year: ‘DtMF’

This year’s selections for Record of the Year are varied in the deservedness of their respective nominations for and their approaches to impressive production.

There are a few radio hits that were thrown in to please the masses. Tracks like “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter, for example, are not the best-produced songs, nor are they the best in the category, but they had notable stays on the charts.

Some tracks redefined or reaffirmed public trust in the craftsmanship of these artists, including “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga — a self-produced track — and “The Subway,” arguably Chappell Roan’s greatest performance so far.

But “DtMF” by Bad Bunny? It’s beautifully mixed, deftly weaving traditional and electronic elements to create one of the most culturally significant tracks of the past decade. Though “Abracadabra” or “The Subway” wouldn’t be shocking choices, “DtMF” is the most deserving pick for Record of the Year.

– Anna Jordan, Chief Copy Editor

Album Of The Year: ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’

2025 has been a transformative year in music: Leon Thomas’ “MUTT” re-invigorated R&B and led him to become one of its first new mainstream artists in years; Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend” pushes the boundaries of unapologetic emotional and sexual expression; and Clipse’s “Let God Sort Em Out” brought polished lyricism and intensity back to hip-hop.

However, amid all of these achievements, one stands above the rest: Bad Bunny’s “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.” The album, which fuses house and reggaeton sounds, is not only 2025’s greatest commercial success, but also its biggest cultural statement, especially after a year of conservative media and politicians attacking Latin culture and identity.

Bad Bunny’s growing list of xenophobic critics will remain loud, but the Super Bowl won’t be the only event this February where Benito emerges as the room’s brightest star.

– Kailen Hicks, Arts & Entertainment Staff Writer

Song Of The Year: ‘DtMF,’ Bad Bunny

Powerful hardly begins to describe the lyrical excellence of Bad Bunny’s “DtMF.” The title track of his album, “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” is about Bad Bunny missing an ex-lover and wishing he had cherished her more, while finding solace in his family, alcohol and partying. One of the Puerto Rican artist’s most emotional tracks yet, the lyrics and music swell in all the right places and are sure to stir up memories of the one that got away.

While other pop hits in this category, like Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild,” are catchy and fun, “DtMF” captures a specific feeling of nostalgia, yearning and regret rolled into one.

Though Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “luther” and Billie Eilish’s “WILDFLOWER” also have emotional and gripping lyrics, “DtMF” cannot be matched, especially with lines like “Debí tirar más fotos de cuando te tuve,” meaning, “I should’ve taken more photos when I had you,” in English.

– Aden Max Juarez, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Best New Artist: The Marías

The Marías stand apart from their fellow nominees for their cool, groove-based music that combines jazz influences and indie pop to create an immersive echo chamber of sound waves that crash softly over the listener. While the other nominees in this category make catchy pop and R&B tracks, they pale in comparison to the dreamscapes that The Marías create through their synth-forward tunes and the multilingual narratives they weave.

While they may not have recently achieved the same level of mainstream and TikTok virality as their fellow nominees, they aren’t just making music that’s fun to listen to. They have a unique perspective, qualifying them for Best New Artist status.

Despite having had a nearly decade-long career, they’ve recently broken through in a major way. There is no doubt that The Marías are making some of the most interesting and exciting music today.

– Nina Kremer, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Producer of The Year, Non-Classical: Dijon

The Black Keys’ seven-time Grammy winner Dan Auerbach received his fifth nomination in the category. Cirkut had a historic year as one of the minds behind Lady Gaga’s “MAYHEM” and Song of the Year nominees “APT.” from ROSÉ and Bruno Mars as well as “Abracadabra.” Both Blake Mills and Sounwave make compelling cases for their work in support of Kendrick Lamar, Japanese Breakfast and Lucy Dacus.

Yet Dijon takes the cake as the most effervescent producer of this past year. One of the driving engines behind Justin Bieber’s “SWAG,” Pitchfork’s artist of the year also amazed with his own LP, “Baby:” Way to keep the Bieber connection, wink wink. A bold project filled with soul and experimentation, “Baby” broadened Dijon’s artistry to a new audience and down an awe-inspiring path that promises to excite more in the future.

– Fabián Gutiérrez, Soapbox Editor

Best Pop Solo Performance: ‘Manchild,’ Sabrina Carpenter

The five nominees feature a really eclectic collection of pop tracks, and that variety of sounds is a good thing. From Lola Young’s breakthrough single “Messy” to the aching Chappell Roan ballad “The Subway,” there’s a lot of unique songs to choose from here.

However, the Grammy Awards aren’t exactly known for defying convention. While their picks have become more interesting in the past few years — see: “Not Like Us” winning five awards — this is still the voting body that gave “Harry’s House” Album of the Year.

Mark me down for “Manchild,” a deliciously truthful Sabrina Carpenter ditty about how stupid men are. It’s arguably the most popular song of the five nominees and, perhaps more importantly, it’s the only nominee nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Last year, Carpenter won for “Espresso,” which was also nominated for Record of the Year, and recognition in the general field can give genre nominations like this a push.

– Sammy Bovitz, Arts & Entertainment Staff Writer

The Grammy Awards will take place Feb. 1 at The Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles at 5 p.m.