Caribbean Music Awards Unveils 2026 Nominees Ahead of Biggest Staging Yet

Kaboom Editors
14 hours ago
2 min read

The 2026 Caribbean Music Awards expands its categories to include Dennery, Zess, Konpa, Chutney Soca, Jab and French Caribbean music, while Ayetian, Shenseea, Skillibeng and Vybz Kartel rank among this year’s top nominees behind Lady Lava’s nine nominations

L-R: Shenseea, Vybz Kartel, Lady Lava and Ayetian Among Top Caribbean Music Awards Nominees

The Caribbean Music Awards is gearing up for its fourth annual staging with its biggest edition yet, celebrating the artistes, songs and cultural forces shaping Caribbean music worldwide.

This year features over 250 nominees across more than 40 categories, while voting officially opens today, June 10, and runs through August 10, 2026. New categories including Dennery, Zess, Konpa, Chutney Soca, Jab and French Caribbean music further expand the Awards’ growing cultural reach.

Leading the nominations is Trinidadian soca star Lady Lava with nine nods, followed by dancehall sensation Ayetian, Machel Montano and V’ghn with seven each. Shenseea and Skillibeng earned six nominations, while Masicka, Popcaan, Valiant, Vybz Kartel and Yung Bredda each secured five nominations.

Alkaline, Dexta Daps, Kes, Lady Lava, Shenseea and Vybz Kartel are also among the nominees in the People’s Choice Award category, highlighting the popularity and influence of Caribbean music’s leading stars.

In the Best Song of the Year category, “Shake It to the Max (Fly) Remix” by Moliy, Skillibeng, and Shenseea stands out as one of the leading contenders, earning multiple nominations across categories. Ayetian and Govana’s “Weh Yah Deh Pon” along with Valiant’s “Passenger Princess” also rank among the year’s standout nominees.

The Dancehall Album of the Year category features strong contenders including Masicka’s Her Name Is Love, Popcaan’s Nothing Without God, 450’s Pieces of Me, Valiant’s Prove Them Wrong, Prince Swanny’s Saint, Armanii’s The Impact, Vybz Kartel’s Viking, and Ding Dong’s From Ding Dong to World Ding.

In the Reggae Album of the Year category, Grammy-winning project BLXXD & FYAH by Keznamdi joins acclaimed releases including Chronixx’s Exile and Lila Iké’s debut album Treasure Self Love among the nominees.

Meanwhile, the Best Dancehall Song of the Year category includes Vybz Kartel’s “God Is the Greatest,” Skippa’s viral hit “WYFL,” and Armanii’s “BBB (Snapchat).” Rvssian’s Story Book Riddim also secures two entries in the category through Valiant’s “Passenger Princess” and Masicka’s “Rich Sex.”