Beyond Grammy Nods: Another Side to the 2026 API Nominees

From recent releases and collaborations with celebrated legends to sweeping orchestrations and sultry beats, the 2026 Grammys are studded with Asian voices and instrumentations. For those who are looking for more music by these nominees, here are some recommendations that could be the beginning of an exploration of these artists’ discographies!

ROSÉ

If anyone ever doubted the crossover appeal of K-pop, ROSÉ’s historic feat in the 2026 Grammys should immediately quench that skepticism. One quarter of BLACKPINK, the New Zealand-born became the first Korean singer to score two nominations in the coveted general field, nabbing nods in Song and Record of the Year for her global smash-hit “APT.” with Bruno Mars, alongside an additional bid for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Beyond an earworm that became a vocal fixation, the song brings Korean culture to the forefront, providing a fun way to package representation.

Still, ROSÉ has a lot more to offer than upbeat radio-ready songs. Look no further than her debut solo album, rosie. It’s where her introspective sharpness shines best, delivering a diaristic lineup of R&B- and alt-pop-inspired songs that sonically and lyrically distinguish the soloist from the girl group member. One standout is “toxic till the end,” a synthy ballad where she laments about a doomed relationship.

Bruno Mars

A certified Grammy darling, Bruno Mars has won all his nominations since 2016 save for last year’s Song of the Year. Although his foray into the R&B soundscape — especially with his last solo album 24K Magic and projects with Anderson .Paak as Silk Sonic — has been earning him major props at the awards, Mars proves he hasn’t lost his pop sensibilities, especially through the ROSÉ-assisted “APT.”

Recommending his songs may be a little overdue considering most of hits are probably already part of any given person’s cultural zeitgeist. Still, fans would always find pleasure in spotlighting highlights of his deep cuts, such as the yearning “Somewhere in Brooklyn” from his debut or the sultry “After Last Night” from the latest Silk Sonic record.

EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI

As the saying goes, life imitates art, and in EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, and REI AMI’s case, it has never been more true. As the voices behind KPop Demon Hunters’s fictional girl group HUNTR/X, they became the first girl group since Destiny’s Child to top the Billboard Hot 100 with “Golden,” spending an impressive eight weeks there. It’s an even bigger feat for EJAE, who boasts writing credits for the chart-topper and five other songs from the film.

In tandem with ROSÉ, they became the first K-pop act to be nominated for Song of the Year, with additional nods in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Golden,” Best Remixed Recording for David Guetta’s spin on the song, and Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for the album. EJAE again flexes her balladic vocal chops in her recently released debut solo single, “In Another World,” while AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI follow more closely HUNTR/X’s hip hop and rap sensibilities in the Jack Harlow-assisted “Comic Sans” and “body bag” respectively.

Lola Young

It’s been a huge year for Lola Young. Like many of the latest breakthrough artists, her debut predates her first smash hit by years. Yet another epitome of the music industry’s slow-burning tendencies, it took five years for Young to earn mainstream success with “Messy,” the song that earned her a Best New Artist and Best Pop Solo Performance nomination. The hit single may be the TikTok-approved trendy bet on the British singer’s discography, but “why do i feel better when i hurt you?” from her latest album I’m Only F**king Myself is where the angsty ambience truly shines. The introspective, anecdotal lyricism is punctuated by the soulful, lo-fi beats, the ideal canvas for her Gen-Z grit.

KATSEYE

Coming off the heels of a prolific year — their sophomore EP BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, a GAP ad that took the internet by storm, and Lollapalooza stops as a prelude to their own headlining tour — it feels like KATSEYE is hitting their stride. To complement that, they have become the first girl group to be nominated for Best New Artist in 31 years and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance since its inception in 2012 with “Gabriela.”

While the Latin-tinged track is a definite highlight of their discography, the Jersey club ballad “Mean Girls” stands as the sextet’s diamond in the rough, hidden among internet-famous songs like “Gnarly” and “Gameboy” in BEAUTIFUL CHAOS’s tracklist. Underscored by loopy beats and floating melodies is a sincere, female-forward authenticity that is extended to “the T-girls and all the in-between girls,” an important step toward inclusivity among the current political environment.

Anderson .Paak

The other half of Silk Sonic is also no stranger to returning home with golden gramophones, harvesting them from the R&B and melodic rap fields before making a more commercial splash alongside Bruno Mars with “Leave the Door Open.” Spreading his wings further, he is in the running to nab the Best Dance/Electronic Song for “No Cap” with Disclosure in the 68^th ceremony.

The unit with Mars isn’t his only one. Alongside producer and songwriter Knxwledge, they make up the neo soul duo NxWorries, featuring a gorgeous discography that includes “Where I Go,” a track off their latest album Why Lawd? where H.E.R. jumped on. His solo offerings are just as interesting, such as the latest release with Amber Mark, “Don’t Remind Me.”

Laufey

While many Gen-Z artists continue to redefine pop in their own unabashed ways, Laufey carves a different niche for herself that sets her apart from her peers. Inhabiting the world of classical jazz and bossa nova while retaining a semblance of modern sensibilities, the Icelandic-Chinese singer quickly rose to be a favorite among those who embrace a different side of popular music. Off her second album that received a Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album nomination, A Matter of Time, “Lover Girl” has been making its rounds on TikTok. “Castle in Hollywood” offers a more diaristic peek into Laufey’s lyricism while keeping in line with the record’s more acoustic sound.

Kehlani

Ever since they debuted, Kehlani has time and time again proven their astute ingenuity for contemporary, soulful R&B. Their music becomes a lush canvas for their staunchly outspoken spirit and personal musings, and “Folded,” the track that earned her nominations in the Best R&B Performance and Song categories, is no different. Other songs shed light on different facets of their chromatic life. “What I Need,” their duet with Hayley Kiyoko, attest to their queerness, while “Next 2 U” showcases their unrelenting support for Palestine.

Tyla

Tyla is never one to shy away from her roots, embracing any opportunity to spotlight her Coloured South African heritage. It’s written all over her music since her national debut, and even more so as she garnered international recognition with her breakthrough single “Water,” which became the first-ever recipient of the Best African Music Performance gramophone. At the upcoming Grammys, it’s “PUSH 2 START” that becomes a contender to win.

While her upbeat songs are nothing less than a vibrant showcase of the amapiano genre — a modernized jazzy and soulful twist on traditional Johannesburg-hailed kwaito — slower ballads like “BLISS” are an invitation to ease into her signature sultry production and vocal stylings in an even more intimate way.

Anoushka Shankar featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar

While some artists on this list are celebrated for their vocals, Anoushka Shankar’s draw comes from her spellbinding sitar work. It’s a craft that has secured her a steady stream of Grammy recognition, including her first in 2003 for Best Global Music Album, becoming its youngest nominee. She scored nods again in the category at the upcoming 2026 iteration with her latest EP Chapter III: We Return to Light, with an additional nomination in Best Global Music Performance for “Daybreak,” both of which feature Alam Khan and Sarathy Korwar. Evoking a riverside yoga session, her songs boast a serene and lulling atmosphere, and her song “Unsaid,” which enlists Norah Jones’s vocals, is one of her discography’s highlights.

Shakti

Comprising violinist L.Shankar, tabla player Zakir Hussain, ghatam artist Vikku Vinayakram, and guitarist John McLaughlin, Shakti represents the amalgamation of Western sensibilities and the rich textures of Indian sounds, marrying jazz, Celtic folk and European classical music with Northern India’s Hindustani and Carnatic traditions from the South. It’s reflected in Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live), their album that was nominated for Best Global Music Album. It’s a category they’re no stranger to winning, after taking it home in 2024 for the record This Moment, which opens with the cinematic “Shrini’s Dream.”

Siddhant Bhatia

Siddhant Bhatia may not be a familiar name among pop audiences. The Delhi-hailed producer encapsulates the soul of India within an atmospheric hour in the Best Global Music Album nominee Sounds of Kumbha, packaged through twelve sweeping tracks that cascade into one another, trading between ambient music and layered chants. A little piece of that can also be felt in “Hum Tum Farewell Song,” a masterfully produced track from his own SoulTrax Studios.

Jacob Collier

Jacob Collier’s name is synonymous with cascading arpeggios, textured harmonies and unusual jazz-motivated chord progressions built upon by split-screen videos. He has gone so far from the kid who turned “Pure Imagination” to an acapella soundgarden to being nominated in the Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals — a category he has won four times before — for “Keep An Eye On Summer.” Evoking a cinematic sweep through rolling meadows and blades of grass that float in the breeze, the track comes fresh off his latest album, The Light For Days. It’s his signature musical style that permeates each of his offerings, including the Brandi Carlile-assisted “Little Blue,” a deeply personal letter to one’s anchor in life.

Turnstile

Behind the incendiary raptures of Turnstile are vocalist Brendan Yates, bassist Franz Lyons, guitarist Pat McCrory, drummer Daniel Fang, and recent addition Meg Mills, each lending their own gritty deftness to the razor-edged sonic explosions, most recently seen in their latest record NEVER ENOUGH, a Best Rock Album nominee that earned them major Grammy props. Among them are the title track for Best Rock Song and Performance, “SEEIN’ STARS” for Best Alternative Music Performance, and “BIRDS” for Best Metal Performance. Still, hidden among them is “SUNSHOWER,” a high-octane, visceral song that attests to the band’s eruptive world.

Linkin Park

California-hailed band Linkin Park’s name is synonymous with modern alt-rock and nu metal, especially since their globally recognized hit “Numb.” With a career spanning over twenty years, the Mike Shinoda-helmed band has six Grammy nods under their belt — two of which they won — with two additional ones in the upcoming 2026 ceremony via From Zero for Best Rock Album and its lead single, “The Emptiness Machine,” for Best Rock Performance.

Although sometimes considered lost among their archives, “Blackbirds” is a major highlight of the band’s discography, hidden within the video game 8-Bit Rebellion!. The song is a deeply introspective look into personal, dark struggles, its poignancy made more resonant with the late Chester Bennington’s soulful vocals.

Cast and crew of Maybe Happy Ending

Maybe Happy Ending signals yet another notch on the crossover appeal of Korean culture in the Western world, becoming the first Broadway musical originating in South Korea. Following Parasite’s Oscar and Squid Game’s Emmy wins, it completes the trifecta of major accolades in American entertainment after it won six Tony Awards in 2025 — including Best Actor in a Musical for Darren Criss, the first Asian winner in the category.

He stars opposite newcomer Helen J. Shen, who made her Broadway debut in the show. Their voices meld together as they weave the story of two robots in Seoul discovering humanity through their newfound relationship through meticulously written lyrics by Hue Park and Will Aronson’s delicate compositions. “The Rainy Day We Met,” “Never Fly Away,” and “When You’re in Love” are among major highlights, but the musical’s title track is where the whole hundred-minute run is synthesized into a bite-sized parcel that encapsulates the essence of Maybe Happy Ending.

Huang Ruo: An American Soldier

In October 3, 2011, Private Danny Chen, a Manhattan-born Chinese soldier, died of suicide two months after his deployment to Afghanistan, the result of extensive physical, emotional, and racially motivated abuse from his peers. It’s the story that serves as the basis of An American Soldier, a two-act opera written by David Henry Hwang. The majestically sumptuous score is achieved through an array of Asian instruments, including the Chinese opera and Indonesian button gongs, composed by Huang Ruo. He created an equally lush soundscape with Into the Vast World, a body of work played by the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra.

Looking to explore more music by API artists from around the globe? Check out some recent releases here!