It’s notoriously difficult to predict how the fine people at the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences will assess the past year when Grammy nominations are revealed on Nov. 16., considering voters’ rocky history — remember when Bonnie Raitt’s
supremely under-the-radar “Just Like That” won Song of the Year in 2023 over Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” and Taylor Swift’s 10-minute “All Too Well”? But there’s a strong scenario that we’ll see something historic in the Best New Artist category this year if pop songwriter Audrey Hobert and R&B singer Malcolm Todd are both nominated.
They’re signed to different labels and have pretty different fan bases, but they are brother and sister. And if they’re nominated, it would be the first time in Grammy history that two siblings have faced off against each other in that category.
“I’ve just been like, ‘This would be crazy, just the fact that we could both each take one of our parents and we could all go and both our parents could go at the same time,’” Todd recently told Hollywood Reporter.“I already promised my mom, so it would just be pretty awesome if she could bring Dad.”
Dave Grohl might bring his daughter Violet, and it’s in the realm of possibility that they’ll both bring home Grammys, since the Foo Fighters dropped Your Favorite Toy and the younger Grohl released her debut LP, Be Sweet to Me. (We’d be very surprised to see them face off in the same category, but anything is possible.)
They’ve been passing out Grammys since 1959, and it’s easy to assume there were past scenarios like this year, where siblings like Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees or Michael and Janet Jackson were pitted against each other. But it’s actually extraordinarily rare for family members to compete in the same category. Here are six times when it occurred.
Wynton Marsalis vs. Branford Marsalis for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist (1988)
Wynton and Branford Marsalis grew up playing music together in their native New Orleans and have collaborated on countless projects over the years. But in 1988, they found themselves in the unusual position of competing for the Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist Grammy. Wynton was nominated for Marsalis Standard Time, Vol. I, and Branford got the nod for “Cottontail.” It was surely a tense moment when the winner was announced, but they were both disappointed. It went to Dexter Gordon for The Other Side of Round Midnight.
Wynton Marsalis vs. Branford Marsalis for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist (1990)
Just two years later, Wynton Marsalis and Branford Marsalis were once again competing for a Grammy. This time around, it was Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist, for their projects The Majesty of Blues and Trio Jeepy. Once again, they lost. This time, it was Chick Corea and his LP Chick Corea Acoustic Band that bested them.
Julio Iglesias vs. Enrique Iglesias for Best Latin Pop Album (1998)
A year before he began singing in English and churning out hits like “Be With You” and “Rhythm Divine,” Enrique Iglesias was recording massively popular Spanish-language albums like 1998’s Vivir. He was pitted against his father, Julio Iglesias, and his album Tango for the Best Latin Pop Album Grammy that year. They both lost out to Romances by Luis Miguel. But that same year, the elder Iglesias toppled both his son and Luis Miguel to claim Favorite Latin Artist at the American Music Awards. “When they tell you that your son is against you in competition you feel a little like your brain is another place since I adore my kids,” Julio Iglesias said at the podium that night. “I want to say to the American Music Awards that it’s a beautiful thing you take care of the Latino people. That means a lot for us.”
Ann Savoy vs. Wilson Savoy for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album (2010)
For a brief window of time between 2008 and 2011, the Grammys had a separate award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album. In the third year of its existence, the Magnolia Sisters — an all-female Cajun band featuring Ann Savoy — found themselves up against the Pine Leaf Boys, which included Ann Savoy’s son, Wilson Savoy. This was an extraordinarily rare mother-son Grammy battle. It ended in a draw since the award went to Buckwheat Zydeco for Lay Your Burden. Just two years later, the Grammys formally killed this category. This probably made for a smoother Thanksgiving at the Savoy household.
Ravi Shankar vs. Anoushka Shankar for Best Global Music Album (2013)
Norah Jones had such a big year in 2003 thanks to the success of Come Away With Me that she was nominated for eight Grammys and walked away with five, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. Her father, Ravi Shankar, wasn’t up for any Grammys that year, avoiding a family face-off. But in 2013, he was nominated in the Global Music category for his album The Living Room Sessions Part 1 in the same year that his daughter, Anoushka Shankar, was nominated for her LP Traveller. They gave the award to Ravi, though he died two months prior to the ceremony. Anoushka accepted in his place. “That had all kinds of feelings I didn’t know how to process,” she told Vanity Fair in 2025. “I’m sad I lost, but I’m happy I lost to him, I’m happy for him, I’m sad he’s passed away.”
Willie Nelson vs. Lukas Nelson for Best Traditional Country Album (2026)
Last year, the Grammys created a new category called Best Traditional Country Album, and changed Best Country Album to Best Contemporary Country Album. It was an acknowledgment that country had changed quite a bit over the decades, and it didn’t make much sense to have Jelly Roll and Willie Nelson in the same category. Willie’s LP Oh What a Beautiful World was nominated that year, and it was up against American Romance, the debut solo record by Lukas Nelson. “‘Against’ is a strong word,”Lukas told The Los Angeles Times. “‘Alongside’ is better. I mean, the Nelsons have a 40% chance of winning, which is pretty good.” Unfortunately, the 60% won out, and Zach Top won for Ain’t in It for My Health.
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