Ella Langley’s dream year is likely to culminate in a sweep when the nominations for the 69th annual Grammy Awards are announced on Monday (Nov. 16).
Thanks to a rule change in the best new artist category that was announced in June, which allows an artist to be entered four times instead of three, Langley could be nominated in four of the six general field categories — album, record and song of the year plus best new artist. If that happens, Langley will become the first country crossover artist to achieve the feat since Bobbie Gentry in 1968.
We first previewed the Grammy nominations in these marquee categories back in July. Starting today, we’re going to update those predictions, as needed. First up, album of the year, probably the most prestigious and coveted of the 100 Grammy Awards. On Tuesday, we’ll look at record and song of the year. On Wednesday, we’ll take on best new artist.
For the fourth year in a row, there will be eight nominees in each of these categories. The eligibility period for the 69th annual Grammy Awards ran from Aug. 31, 2025, through Aug. 28, 2026.
The field of likely album of the year contenders hasn’t changed much since we first previewed them in July. I bumped Don Toliver’s Octane up from “Within Reach” to the top tier, taking the place of RAYE’s This Music May Contain Hope., which is competing with a more commercially successful album by another classy English pop-soul singer, Olivia Dean. Both albums could make it, of course, but with many strong albums vying for just eight slots on the final ballot, something’s gotta give.
Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift are both going for history. If McCartney is nominated for The Boys of Dungeon Lane, it will be his record-extending 10th career nomination in this category. If Swift is nominated for The Life of a Showgirl, it will be her eighth nod in this category — more than anyone else in Grammy history for strictly solo albums. Swift is a better bet: She has been nominated in this category with each of her last four regular studio albums. McCartney was last nominated here in 2006.
We show the deluxe editions of hit albums by Noah Kahan and Rosalía because those are the ones that were entered in the Grammy competition.
A total of 683 albums were on the eligibility list in this category. Here are our best guesses for who will be nominated — listed in alphabetical order, followed by a shortlist of other possibilities, also listed in alphabetical order.
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Olivia Dean, The Art of Loving
Dean, the reigning Grammy winner for best new artist, is among 16 artists who are set to announce the Grammy nominations on a livestream on Nov. 16. Does that mean Recording Academy insiders already know she’s going to sweep the nominations? I doubt it. But they probably suspect she will. This is the English singer’s second studio album. Dean produced it alongside Julian Bunetta, Leon Michels and John Ryan, among others. Bunetta and Ryan were both nominated in this category for work with Sabrina Carpenter in 2025, with Ryan also being nominated for work with the singer in 2026. Michels was nominated for work with Mary J. Blige and Lizzo, both in 2023.
Billboard 200 peak: No. 3
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Noah Kahan, The Great Divide: The Last of the Bugs
This is Kahan’s fourth studio album and his first to top the Billboard 200. This would be his first nomination in this category. He was up for best new artist at the 2024 ceremony, but lost to Victoria Monét. He co-produced the album with Gabe Simon and Aaron Dessner. The latter was nominated in this category for three Taylor Swift albums: folklore (which won), evermore and The Tortured Poets Department.
Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (three weeks)
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Ella Langley, Dandelion
This is vying to become the first album by a core country artist to land an album of the year nod since Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour, which won in 2019. Langley co-produced this, her sophomore album, with Miranda Lambert and Ben West. If Langley is nominated here, she won’t be the first Ella to land an album of the year nod: Ella Fitzgerald was nominated at the inaugural Grammy ceremony in 1959 for Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book.
Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (three weeks)
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Bruno Mars, The Romantic
If The Romantic, which Mars co-produced with D’Mile, is nominated here, it will be Mars’ first album to both top the Billboard 200 and land an album of the year nod. Two Mars albums — Doo-Wops & Hooligans and 24K Magic — were nominated in this category (24K Magic won), but neither of them reached No. 1.
Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (one week)
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Olivia Rodrigo, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love
Rodrigo’s first two albums, SOUR and GUTS, were nominated here. Her third album seems sure to follow suit, which would make Rodrigo the first artist to be nominated with her first three studio albums since Billie Eilish. Daniel Nigro produced all three of Rodrigo’s albums. you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love is vying to become the second album with a 10-word title to land an album of the year nod, following Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.
Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (four weeks so far)
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Rosalía, LUX (Complete Works)
Last year, when the Recording Academy invited members of the Latin Recording Academy to join its ranks, nearly 1,000 took the organization up on the offer. Their votes helped Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS become the first Spanish-language album to win album of the year. This year, Rosalía could become the first woman artist to land an album of the year nod with a Spanish-language album. Rosalía co-produced the album, her fourth studio set.
Billboard 200 peak: No. 4
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Taylor Swift, The Life of a Showgirl
As previously noted, Swift’s last four studio albums (excluding rerecordings) were nominated in this category. If The Life of a Showgirl also makes it, she’ll become just the second artist in Grammy history (following her one-time collaboration partner Kendrick Lamar) to be nominated with five consecutive studio albums. Swift produced her 12th studio album with Max Martin and Shellback. The album has spent 15 weeks atop the Billboard 200, just two weeks shy of Swift’s personal best, which she set with The Tortured Poets Department. Swift’s five pre-Showgirl albums with the longest runs at No. 1 all received album of the year nods.
Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (15 weeks)
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Don Toliver, Octane
Toliver’s fifth studio album was his first to top the Billboard 200. It spawned a pair of top 20 Hot 100 hits, “Body” and “E85.” Oliver was nominated in this category as a featured artist on Kanye West’s Donda five years ago, but this would be his first nomination as a lead artist. Toliver was among the producers of the album, which features Travis Scott, Yeat and Rema, among others. Last year, three rap albums were nominated in this category. This appears to be the rap album with the strongest chance of making it this year.
Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (one week)
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Within Reach
Phoebe Bridgers, Lost Weekend; Brandi Carlile, Returning to Myself; Charli xcx, Music, Fashion, Film; Ariana Grande, Petal; Kehlani, Kehlani; Steve Lacy, Oh yeah?; Madonna, Confessions II; Paul McCartney, The Boys of Dungeon Lane; Kacey Musgraves, Middle of Nowhere; RAYE, This Music May Contain Hope.; Harry Styles, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.; Sienna Spiro, Visitor; Tame Impala, Deadbeat
