2026 Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy Nominees:
• Swag, Justin Bieber
• Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter
• Something Beautiful, Miley Cyrus
• Mayhem, Lady Gaga
• I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2), Teddy Swims
The Analysis
This is a bit of an odd group of nominees for Best Pop Vocal Album. This year, the category features two nominees that were obvious choices — Lady Gaga and Sabrina Carpenter — and three head-scratchers.
Justin Bieber rarely wins Grammys, but he keeps getting nominated. Swag was a high-profile release that was well-received and produced a couple hits. But Grammy voters have shown they’re just not going to vote for him.
Miley Cyrus was a big winner a few years back for “Flowers.” But her latest effort, Something Beautiful, made almost no impact on the charts or popular culture. It did receive strong critical reviews, but it’s hard to see Miley winning this category.
And Teddy Swims is the most surprising nominee of all. He did set the all-time longevity record with “Lose Control,” which spent more than 100 weeks on the singles chart. But that song is not even on his nominated album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2).
Teddy has a great voice, and a good amount of support from his peers. That was evidently enough to earn a nod here, though he’s not going to win.
Admittedly, this wasn’t a big year for pop albums. Many of the genre’s biggest stars didn’t have an official release, including Taylor Swift, whose The Life of a Showgirl came out after the deadline and will be eligible in 2027.
But there were other contenders who would’ve made more sense here, including Sombr, Alex Warren, Tate McRae, and the Weeknd, who just made up with the Grammys after his 2021 snub, only to get snubbed again with zero nominations in 2026.
So the bottom line is that this award will come down to Carpenter or Gaga. Carpenter won last year for Short n’ Sweet, and with Man’s Best Friend, she has a good shot to become the first back-to-back winner in the history of the category.
Gaga’s Mayhem was one of the most talked-about albums of the year, thanks to its hit singles, noteworthy music videos, and the year’s most in-demand concert tour.
This is Gaga’s fifth nomination in this category. Her lone victory came in 2011 for The Fame Monster. Affection for Lady Gaga seems to be at an all-time high right now. It’s almost seen as something of a comeback story, even though she never really went away.
Best Pop Vocal Album Prediction
This one is Lady Gaga vs. Sabrina Carpenter. While the betting markets overwhelmingly favor Gaga, to me, this is a closer race than most people think. I still give Gaga the edge, but Carpenter is a Recording Academy favorite and probably has at least a 35% chance to pull off the upset.
Let’s hope that Gaga wins, though, because Mayhem was a fantastic return to form, and it would be a deserving winner. Of Gaga’s seven nominations in 2026, this is one of the most likely for her to win.
2026 Grammy Awards: Best Pop Vocal Album Prediction
Deserves to win: Mayhem, Lady Gaga
Will win: Mayhem, Lady Gaga
Should have been nominated: Hurry Up Tomorrow, The Weeknd
See also our complete list of 2026 Grammy predictions. And here’s a list of every Best Pop Vocal Album winner in history.
Last Updated on December 13, 2025