Popcast debates Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga ahead of the 2026 Grammys

The New York Times Popcast episode “Bad Bunny vs. Kendrick Lamar vs. Lady Gaga! Who Should Win at the Grammys” examines the 2026 Grammy Awards, which the piece says will be broadcast Sunday on CBS; the episode was published Jan. 29, 2026, and runs about 50:44. It is hosted by Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli.

The conversation on the episode asks whether contemporary pop belongs to Bad Bunny, described as “the radical star of reggaeton and Latin trap” who has forged a novel career and will headline the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 8, or to Kendrick Lamar, “more than a year after ‘Not Like Us’ turned his quarrels with Drake into a worldwide zeitgeist.” Popcast also considers whether the field favors established stars such as Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber or up-and-comers like Sabrina Carpenter and Addison Rae.

The discussion covers the four major Grammy categories — album of the year, record of the year, song of the year and best new artist — as well as nominations in rap, country and alternative formats. The episode’s production credits are listed in the article: produced by Sophie Erickson and Kate LoPresti, edited by Pat Gunther, engineered by Nick Pitman and with audio editing by Pedro Rafael Rosado.

The piece invites listeners to connect with Popcast via its Facebook group, Discord channel and the email popcast@nytimes.com. What is known: the Popcast episode previews nominees and debates who should win across categories and formats.

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