Lady Gaga earns seven Grammy nominations, making her the most-nominated woman of 2026, with Mayhem and Harlequin both competing for album awards in different categories. LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 13: Singer Lady Gaga accepts the Best Pop Vocal Album award for “The Fame Monster” onstage during The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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Lady Gaga is tied with songwriter and producer Jack Antonoff and hitmaker Cirkut as the second most-nominated people at the Grammys this year, with seven chances to win a piece of gold. The three come in behind Kendrick Lamar, who racked up nine total nods – one of the most impressive accumulations in one night.
Gaga is the most-nominated woman and the second most-nominated musical artist, as the other two are largely known for their behind-the-scenes work.
The fact that Gaga has earned multiple nods at the upcoming 2026 Grammy Awards is not surprising. In fact, she was expected to lead the charge, including with multiple shots to win in some of the biggest and most competitive fields.
What is notable about the superstar’s Grammy nominations this time around is that she has two different albums in the running, and both stand a very good shot at coming out on top.
Mayhem Leads Lady Gaga’s 2026 Grammy Campaign
Mayhem is the big nominee between Gaga’s two albums that have a real chance at collecting some hardware on Grammy night. The full-length, which helped return the singer to her dark dance-pop roots, is up for both Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. Those who have been predicting the potential nominees and likely winners have selected Mayhem as a frontrunner in both fields.
Lady Gaga’s Album Of The Year Nomination
This latest nod marks Gaga’s fifth time competing for Album of the Year, a prize she still has yet to claim. The icon was first up for the honor in 2010 for her debut full-length The Fame, and then in the subsequent two years for The Fame Monster EP and Born This Way. Gaga last found herself in the Album of the Year category a few years back alongside Tony Bennett with Love for Sale.
Mayhem is also Gaga’s fifth nod in the Best Pop Vocal Album category, though she’s racked up that number of moments of recognition with different titles than in the Album of the Year vertical.
The Fame won Best Electronic/Dance Album instead of the pop trophy. The Fame Monster was her first and so far only triumph in one of the most competitive verticals at the Grammys. Born This Way, Joanne and Chromatica all ended up losing to bigger sets.
Harlequin Competes For Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 08: Singers Lady Gaga (L) and Tony Bennett, winners of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for ‘Cheek to Cheek,’ pose in the press room during The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the STAPLES Center on February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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In addition to Mayhem, Gaga’s Harlequin is also a potential winner in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category, which highlights throwback-sounding releases in the vein of big-band pop that was popular when the Grammys were first introduced in the late 1950s.
Harlequin brings Gaga to this arena for the third time, and so far, her track record is perfect. Both of the singer-songwriter and actress’s projects with Bennett — Cheek to Cheek and Love for Sale — collected the honor, and she may win once more in just a few months.
Two Albums, Two Eras, One Grammy Favorite
Harlequin and Mayhem were released in different years, with the full-length that accompanied her movie Joker: Folie à Deux dropping in 2024, while Mayhem arrived in spring 2025. They are both eligible this time around, as the eligibility period ran from September 1, 2024, through August 30, 2025.
Will Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Win a Grammy?
Between the two, Mayhem seems like the more likely winner.
The fact that it earned multiple nods and has enjoyed a much longer shelf life thanks to hits like “Disease” and “Abracadabra” suggests that Grammy voters will pick it over the long-forgotten Harlequin. That project suffered as the film it was connected to was widely panned and underperformed at the box office, so the singer moved on from it quickly.
That said, Gaga is a favorite, and in a field like Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, sometimes the most famous name emerges as the victor.
Mayhem already won a Grammy, even though it’s nominated this year. Lead single “Die With a Smile,” Gaga’s collaboration with Bruno Mars, collected Best Pop Duo/Group Performance last year. The cut was also nominated for Song of the Year but lost out to “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will air live on both CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday, February 1, 2026.