Grammys 2026: Who Wins Best Pop Vocal Album?
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album has a contiguous history of little more than three decades, but it actually goes back a lot further. It was founded in 1968 under the name “Best Contemporary Album.” The recipient that year was the classic Beatles album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” After this one ceremony, the category went into a hiatus until 1995, when it was revived under the name “Best Pop Album,” which would change in 2001 to the designation still in use today.
It remains to be seen whether any albums in this year’s lineup will become iconic on the level of the aforementioned Beatles album, but almost every name attached to them already enjoys this status.
Justin Bieber – “Swag”
Starting off the list is an album by a now five-time nominee in this Grammy category: Justin Bieber. “Swag” was released in July of 2025. Its genre is a mix of synth-pop and contemporary R&B. Bieber has already released a sequel – the surprise album “Swag II,” which came out in September and was not nearly so well-received as its predecessor. In total, Bieber has been nominated for 23 Grammys (counting this nomination, as well as three others for different categories this year) and won two: 2016’s Best Dance/Electronic Recording (for “Where Are Ü Now,” composed with the duo Jack Ü), and 2021’s Best Country Duo/Group Performance (for “10,000 Hours,” composed with Dan + Shay).
Sabrina Carpenter – “Man’s Best Friend”
Next up is last year’s winner in this very category: Sabrina Carpenter. The album in question is “Man’s Best Friend,” released in late August of last year. As you may have guessed from the standard cover, the title of this pop/soft rock album is not a reference to dogs. This same cover has invited some very understandable accusations of dehumanizing women with its soft-sadomasochistic imagery. For this reason, Carpenter released an innocuous alternative cover, the imagery of which is possibly an allusion to a 1957 picture of Marilyn Monroe.
“Man’s Best Friend” is also a Grammy nominee for Best Album of the Year, and one of the album’s songs, “Manchild,” has been nominated for four other awards. Carpenter has been nominated for a total of 12 Grammys (all either this year or last year) and won two last year: Best Pop Solo Performance (for “Espresso”) and, as mentioned before, Best Pop Vocal Album (for “Short n’ Sweet”).
Miley Cyrus – “Something Beautiful”
Miley Cyrus is yet another veteran of both the Grammys in general and this category in particular. The progressive pop album, “Something Beautiful,” released in May of last year, is her third album to receive this nomination. The most recent previous nomination was in 2024 for “Endless Summer Vacation.” She has also received seven nominations in other categories, including three wins, one of which – “Best Country Duo/Group Performance” for “Il Most Wanted,” composed with Beyoncé – was just last year. Best Pop Vocal Album is her only nomination this year.
Lady Gaga – “MAYHEM”
Lady Gaga’s latest synth-pop album, “MAYHEM,” released in March of last year, has been nominated both in this category and in that of Album of the Year. Gaga has also been nominated in five other categories this year, bringing her total list of Grammy nominations up to 45, of which she’s won 14 (most recently, last year’s Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Die with a Smile,” composed with Bruno Mars).
Teddy Swims – “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2)”
After four all-time icons and Grammy veterans, we end the list on a relative newcomer who may win his first Grammy Award this year. “I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2),” released in January of last year, is the second studio album by pop/R&B singer-songwriter Teddy Swims. (The title of the first one, released in September of 2023 and won Best International Album at the Los 40 Music Awards, goes without saying). At last year’s Grammys, he received one nomination for Best New Artist.
The When, Where, and Who of This Year’s Grammys
The 68th Grammy Awards will take place at the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. They will air live on CBS on Sunday, February 1, between 5:00 and 8:30 PM Pacific Standard Time, and they’ll be streamed on Paramount+. Comedian Trevor Noah, well-known as a veteran host of “The Daily Show,” will host the ceremony for the sixth consecutive time.
