Justin Bieber’s seventh studio album “Swag” has put him among the top Canadian Grammy contenders this year.
The Stratford, Ont.-raised pop singer picked up four nominations Friday for the upcoming Grammy Awards, including album of the year and best pop vocal album for his first project since cutting ties with longtime manager Scooter Braun.
Homegrown producer Cirkut and engineer-mixer Serban Ghenea were also standouts as they scored multiple nods in the album and record of the year categories for work on several projects, including Lady Gaga’s latest album “Mayhem.”
Two songs from Bieber’s “Swag” also earned recognition. “Daisies” is among the best pop solo performance nominees, while “Yukon” is up for best R&B performance.
Bieber’s return to music kicked off over the summer with the surprise release of “Swag,” which he quickly followed up with “Swag II” in September. The latter album will be eligible for next year’s Grammys.
Several other Canadian superstars earned attention from the music industry’s biggest awards show.
Toronto duo PartyNextDoor and Drake got a nod for best melodic rap performance for “Somebody Loves Me,” from their collaborative album “Some Sexy Songs 4 U.”
Kaytranada, born Louis Celestin, earned two nominations — best dance/electronic recording for “Space Invader” and best remixed recording for his spin on Mariah Carey “Don’t Forget About Us.”
Calgary’s Tate McRae vies for best dance pop recording with “Just Keep Watching” from the movie soundtrack for “F1,” the Brad Pitt Formula 1 racing drama.
One Canadian star is notably missing from the list of nominees.
The latest album from the Weeknd, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” got a cold reception from Grammy voters, only a year after the Toronto artist buried the hatchet with the organization.
In 2021, the Weeknd pledged a boycott of the Grammys after he was shut out of nominations, calling them “corrupt,” but he seemed to end that feud last year with a surprise performance on the broadcast. It did little to sway Grammy voters on his latest record, which received no nominations.
Halifax songwriter and producer Henry Walter, better known as Cirkut, racked up seven nods across several categories, including non-classical producer of the year.
His work on Gaga’s “Mayhem” put him in the running for album of the year, and he’s named twice in both the song of the year and record of the year categories for his work on her track “Abracadabra” and “Apt.” by Rosé and Bruno Mars.
Ghenea, meanwhile, is all over the record of the year category with nominations for his work on Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild,” “Abracadabra” and “Apt.”
He’s also up for album of the year for “Mayhem” and Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend,” and named in the best dance pop recording category for mixing Gaga’s “Abracadabra.”
Vancouver musician Laila Biali’s “Wintersongs,” a collection of music inspired by a winter spent in Banff, Alta., is nominated for traditional pop vocal album.
The 68th Grammy Awards air Feb. 1, 2026 on Citytv and CBS.
By David Friend
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2025.