“A 40% Chance Of Winning” – Lukas Nelson Likes The Odds That Him Or His Dad, Willie, Will Win Best Traditional Country Album Grammy

A historical moment for country music.

This year at the Grammy Awards, Willie Nelson and his son Lukas Nelson are both nominated in the brand country category called Best Traditional Country Album. The previously titled Best Country Album category has been changed to Best Contemporary Country Album, so there will be two opportunities for some of your favorite country artists to win one of music’s most prestigious awards.

Of course, as you might imagine, the Best Traditional Country Album category is stacked.

We have Charley Crockett’s Dollar A Day, Margo Price’s Hard Headed Woman, Zach Top’s Ain’t In It For My Health, Luka’s American Romance and Willie’s, Oh What A Beautiful World all up for the award. Yes, the category is 40% Nelson, and it’s only the second time in history that’s happened at the Grammys, in terms of a father and son both being nominated in the same category for different albums. It’s the first time for a country father/son duo.

The only other time it happened in another genre was in 1998, when Julio Iglesias and his son Enrique Iglesias were both nominated for Best Latin Pop Album, though neither one of them won it, as the award went to Luis Miguel. Funny enough, Julio and Willie have worked together in the past, on their hit song “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before.”

And while it’s the most competitive category for the country genre this year in my humble opinion, Lukas says he doesn’t view it that way.

In interview with the Los Angeles Times, he says he views it as being nominated “alongside” his dad, rather than being up “against” him:

“‘Against’ is a strong word. Alongside’ is better. I mean, the Nelsons have a 40% chance of winning, which is pretty good.”

Considering they’re both incredible albums, I think that’s a great way of looking at it, and the odds are certainly in their favor when it comes to one for the Nelsons winning this category for the first time.

It has to be an incredibly special and full-circle moment for the entire family, as it also includes Willie’s youngest son Micah, who is nominated with his dad as the producer on Willie’s Last Leaf on the Tree record, which is up for Best Americana Album.

They’re clearly all cheering for each other, and will be happy regardless of who wins (they seem like a very supportive family, obviously), if one of them does win, and it certainly makes country music look good to have them all up for some of the most prestigious awards.

It’s hard to imagine one of them won’t walk away with it, but you never know what could happen. Like I said, that category is stacked, and no mater who wins, it will go to a great artist and fantastic album.

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2026 Grammy Nominees

The full list of country nominees is below.

COUNTRY

Best Traditional Country Album

Dollar A Day, Charley Crockett
American Romance, Lukas Nelson
Oh What A Beautiful World, Willie Nelson
Hard Headed Woman, Margo Price
Ain’t In It For My Health, Zach Top

Best Contemporary Country Album

Patterns, Kelsea Ballerini
Snipe Hunter, Tyler Childers
Evangeline Vs. The Machine, Eric Church
Beautifully Broken, Jelly Roll
Postcards From Texas, Miranda Lambert

Best Country Solo Performance

“Nose on the Grindstone,” Tyler Childers
“Good News,” Shaboozey
“Bad as I Used to Be [From F1® The Movie],” Chris Stapleton
“I Never Lie,” Zach Top
“Somewhere Over Laredo,” Lainey Wilson

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

“A Song to Sing,” Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton
“Trailblazer,” Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson
“Love Me Like You Used to Do,” Margo Price & Tyler Childers
“Amen,” Shaboozey & Jelly Roll
“Honky Tonk Hall of Fame,” George Strait, Chris Stapleton

Best Country Song

“Bitin’ List,” Tyler Childers, songwriter (Tyler Childers)
“Good News,” Michael Ross Pollack, Sam Elliot Roman & Jacob Torrey, songwriters (Shaboozey)
“I Never Lie,” Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols & Zach Top, songwriters (Zach Top)
“Somewhere Over Laredo,” Andy Albert, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson & Lainey Wilson, songwriters (Lainey Wilson)
“A Song to Sing,” Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure, Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton)

AMERICANA/ROOTS

Best American Roots Performance

“LONELY AVENUE,” Jon Batiste Featuring Randy Newman
“Ancient Light,” I’m With Her
“Crimson and Clay,” Jason Isbell
“Richmond on the James,” Alison Krauss & Union Station
“Beautiful Strangers,” Mavis Staples

Best Americana Performance

“Boom,” Sierra Hull
“Poison in My Well,” Maggie Rose & Grace Potter
“Godspeed,” Mavis Staples
“That’s Gonna Leave a Mark,” Molly Tuttle
“Horses,” Jesse Welles

Best American Roots Song

“Ancient Light,” Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan & Sara Watkins, songwriters (I’m With Her)
“BIG MONEY,” Jon Batiste, Mike Elizondo & Steve McEwan, songwriters (Jon Batiste)
“Foxes in the Snow,” Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell)
“Middle,” Jesse Welles, songwriter (Jesse Welles)
“Spitfire,” Sierra Hull, songwriter (Sierra Hull)

Best Americana Album

BIG MONEY, Jon Batiste
Bloom, Larkin Poe
Last Leaf on the Tree, Willie Nelson
So Long Little Miss Sunshine, Molly Tuttle
Middle, Jesse Welles

Best Bluegrass Album

Carter & Cleveland, Michael Cleveland & Jason Carter
A Tip Toe High Wire, Sierra Hull
Arcadia, Alison Krauss & Union Station
Outrun, The Steeldrivers
Highway Prayers, Billy Strings

ALL-GENRE

Record of the Year

DtMF, Bad Bunny
Manchild, Sabrina Carpenter
Anxiety, Doechii
WILDFLOWER, Billie Eilish
Abracadabra, Lady Gaga
Luther, Kendrick Lamar With SZA
The Subway, Chappell Roan
APT., ROSÉ, Bruno Mars

Album of the Year

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, Bad Bunny
SWAG, Justin Bieber
Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter
Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
MAYHEM, Lady Gaga
GNX, Kendrick Lamar
MUTT, Leon Thomas
CHROMAKOPIA, Tyler, The Creator

Song of the Year

Abracadabra, Henry Walter, Lady Gaga & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga)
Anxiety, Jaylah Hickmon, songwriter (Doechii)
APT., Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Henry Walter, Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Chae Young Park & Theron Thomas, songwriters (ROSÉ, Bruno Mars)
DtMF, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Scott Dittrich,, Benjamin Falik, Roberto José Rosado Torres, Marco Daniel Borrero, Hugo René Sención Sanabria & Tyler Thomas Spry, songwriters (Bad Bunny)
Golden [From “KPop Demon Hunters”], EJAE & Mark Sonnenblick, songwriters (HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)
Luther, Jack Antonoff, Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Matthew, Bernard, Ink, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Kendrick Lamar, Mark Anthony Spears, Solána Rowe & Kamasi Washington, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar With SZA)
Manchild, Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter)
WILDFLOWER, Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

Best New Artist

Olivia Dean
KATSEYE
The Marias
Addison Rae
Sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
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