Lady Lava Dominates Nominations, New Categories Revealed & More For @CaribMusicAwards 2026

Story By: CaribMusicAwards.com

The countdown begins as the Caribbean Music Awards returns for its highly anticipated fourth annual celebration, delivering its most expansive and electrifying edition yet, spotlighting the artists, songs, and cultural innovators shaping the global sound of Caribbean music. Additional details about the event and date will be announced soon.

This year marks a major milestone with over 250 nominees across more than 40 categories, reflecting the rapid global rise, diversity, and creative expansion of Caribbean music. Voting officially opened on June 10, 2026, and will remain open through August 10, 2026, giving fans worldwide an extended opportunity to support their favorite artists, songs, and cultural icons. Voting and full details are available at caribmusicawards.com. Building on its commitment to cultural expansion and genre inclusivity, the Awards introduces a powerful slate of nine new and expanded categories spotlighting 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. These additions further solidify the Caribbean Music Awards as the most comprehensive platform celebrating the full spectrum of Caribbean sound.

This year’s nominations tell a defining story of a rapidly evolving musical landscape driven by collaboration, genre-fluidity, and global crossover success. Leading the artist field is Lady Lava, who emerges as the most nominated artist with nine nominations, reflecting her rare cross-genre presence across Soca, Zess, Chutney Soca, and performance categories.

Close behind is a tightly packed group of dominant forces shaping the year’s soundscape, with Ayetian, Machel Montano, and V’ghn each securing seven nominations, underscoring their wide-ranging impact across Dancehall, Soca, and collaboration-heavy categories. Shenseea and Skillibeng follow with six nominations each, while Masicka, Popcaan, Valiant, Vybz Kartel, and Yung Bredda each earn five nominations, reinforcing the continued global dominance and cultural influence of Dancehall and Soca’s leading voices.

A strong second tier of consistent contenders also emerges with Full Blown, Jesse Royal, Joé Dwèt Filé, Kes, Lila Iké, Lola Doll, Mical Teja, Mikado, and Voice, each earning four nominations, highlighting the depth and competitive balance across genres including Reggae, Soca, Konpa, Zess, and French Caribbean music. On the song side, “Shake It to the Max (Fly) Remix” by Moliy, Skillibeng, Shenseea & Silent Addy leads the 2026 field as the most nominated song of the year, earning three nominations across multiple categories, the highest total for any single track. Its cross-category strength highlights its broad cultural reach across Dancehall, collaboration, and visual recognition, cementing it as one of the defining records of the year.

Following closely, a group of standout records each earned multiple nominations across the field, including “Wah Yo Deh Pon”, “Passenger Princess”, “Jab Decisions”, and “4 Kampé II”. Together, these tracks represent a strong tier of nominations and reflect a year defined by collaboration, genre fusion, and regional crossover success.

From Soca and Dancehall to Reggae, Konpa, Chutney, Zess, Dennery, and beyond, the Caribbean Music Awards continues to stand as more than an awards ceremony. It is a global cultural movement celebrating the heartbeat, innovation, and worldwide resonance of Caribbean music. The platform amplifies both established icons and emerging voices, connecting Caribbean culture to audiences across the world through sound, storytelling, and
shared identity. Building on the momentum of last year’s ceremony, an historic edition that premiered on BET for the first time and marked a major breakthrough moment for the Awards on global television, the Caribbean Music Awards continues its rapid rise as a premier international platform for Caribbean excellence. That milestone broadcast expanded the Awards’ global reach and firmly established it as a cultural force recognized far beyond the region.

Fans, industry professionals, and music lovers worldwide are encouraged to visit CaribMusicAwards.com to view the full nominee list and cast their votes. Voting will close on August 10, 2026. Stay connected for updates by following @CaribMusicAwards and @CaribbeanEliteMagazine on Instagram and Facebook, and @CaribMusicAwards on TikTok.

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