2026 Caribbean Music Awards Nominees: Lady Lava, Machel Montano, Ayetian & More
Categoria: Musica
Over 250 individual artists received nods at this year's ceremony.
Por Billboard | 10/06/2026
The Caribbean Music Awards are back! Related Caribbean Up-And-Comer of the Month: Lu City Is Shaking Up the Worlds of Pop & Hip-Hop With a Saint Lucian Twist Brandy & Monica, Kes the Band & Tems Dazzle at Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival 2026: 5 Best Moments Every 2025 Caribbean Music Awards Performance, Ranked Announced Wednesday afternoon (June 10), Trinidadian cross-genre powerhouse Lady Lava leads the nominations for the 2026 Caribbean Music Awards, with nine nods across seven categories. Fast-rising Jamaican dancehall star Ayetian, King of Soca Machel Montano and Grenadian soca sensation V’ghn follow with seven nominations each. Last year’s big winner, Shenseea , adds six more nominations to her career total, thanks, in large part, to Moliy’s “Shake It to the Max.” A crossover hit that reached No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 , “Shake It to the Max,” which also features Disco Neil, Silent Addy and Skillibeng, reigns as this year’s most-nominated song, with recognition in three separate categories. It’s a sweet moment of vindication for a track that was deemed ineligible to compete at February’s Grammy Awards — a decision that sent shockwaves through the global music industry and found gamma. CEO Larry Jackson deeming the decision as “devoid of any common sense.” The Caribbean Music Awards recognizes artists, producers and industry professionals who have significantly contributed to the Caribbean music landscape. This year’s nominations list includes more than 250 nominees across 40-plus categories spanning a diverse range of genres including reggae, soca, dancehall, calypso, R&B and gospel. Building on its commitment to cultural expansion and genre inclusivity, this year’s ceremony introduces an expansive slate of new categories, including Dennery artist and song of the year, zess song of the year, konpa song of the year, chutney soca artist and song of the Year, jab artist and song of the year and French Caribbean song of the year. While Skillibeng also collects six nominations this year, Masicka , Popcaan , Valiant , Vybz Kartel and Yung Bredda each earn five nods, highlighting their continued dominance across dancehall and soca. In addition, several acts earned four nominations each, including Full Blown , Jesse Royal, Joé Dwèt Filé, Kes , Lila Iké , Lola Doll, Mical Teja, Mikado and Voice. Keznamdi , who won the 2026 Grammy for best reggae album for his Blxxd & Fyah LP, picked up two nominations, as did Chronixx, whose Exile was crowned Billboard’s No. 1 Best Caribbean Album of 2025 . Other big names on this year’s nominees list include Tyla , Nicki Minaj , Bad Bunny , Shakira , Sting , Fridayy , Davido , and Burna Boy . The Caribbean Music Awards are presented by the Caribbean Elite Group, which also produces Caribbean Elite Magazine – a print and digital publication that highlights Caribbean