Sabrina Carpenter to Perform at 2026 Grammy Awards

Pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter has been confirmed as the first performer for the 2026 Grammy Awards, scheduled for Sunday, February 1st. The artist, a six-time nominee this cycle, is in contention for major categories like Record, Album, and Song of the Year, thanks to her hit "Manchild" and album "Man's Best Friend." Her additional nods are for Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Music Video. Carpenter, who already holds two Grammy statuettes, arrives with considerable buzz after recently being named Variety's 2026 Hitmaker of the Year—an honor that often signals an artist's peak cultural moment.

This edition will be a landmark event, serving as the final Grammy ceremony broadcast on CBS. This concludes a partnership that started in 1973, spanning over five decades. The shift is due to a major 10-year deal inked in 2024, which will relocate the awards to Disney-owned networks beginning in 2027. For this last CBS broadcast, live and on-demand streaming will be available on Paramount+; subscribers to the Premium tier can watch live, while Essential tier users gain access on-demand the following day. The Recording Academy has promised more performer announcements in the weeks ahead.

Kendrick Lamar tops the list of nominees with an impressive nine, while Lady Gaga and producers Jack Antonoff and Cirkut each garnered seven. Carpenter finds herself in a notable cohort of six-time nominees that also includes Bad Bunny, Leon Thomas, and acclaimed mixing engineer Serban Ghenea. Other leading contenders with five nominations represent a wide sonic spectrum, from hip-hop acts Clipse and Doechii to R&B star SZA, punk band Turnstile, and Tyler, the Creator alongside producers Souwave and Andrew Watt. This eclectic mix highlights how streaming platforms have democratized reach, allowing artists from diverse genres to compete at the highest level and making award outcomes harder to predict than ever.

Fulwell Entertainment will produce the ceremony for the Recording Academy. The executive production team is helmed by Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor, Jesse Collins, and comedian Trevor Noah, who transitions from his former role as host to a behind-the-scenes capacity. As music industry analyst Dr. Alisha Chen observed, "The move from CBS to Disney represents the most significant broadcast transition for the Grammys since the show first landed on CBS. This final broadcast will be scrutinized not only for its winners but as a symbolic end of an era." Their challenge is to deliver a show that celebrates the year's outstanding music while providing a fitting send-off to a historic television partnership.