The Recording Academy has revealed the recipients of its 2026 Special Merit Awards, with music legends Whitney Houston, Paul Simon and Fela Kuti set to receive Lifetime Achievement Awards at next year’s GRAMMYs, among others. Cher, Carlos Santana and Chaka Khan will do the honors to recognise these artists whose creative contributions have left an indelible mark on the history of recorded music. 

Whitney Houston, whose singular voice reshaped pop and R&B, is being honored for a legacy that includes record-breaking sales, genre-defining albums and an influence that continues to shape vocal performance today. Paul Simon’s recognition celebrates a career marked by restless innovation, from his work with Simon & Garfunkel to his solo explorations of global music traditions that expanded the boundaries of American songwriting. The Nigerian pioneer Fela Kuti rounds out the Lifetime Achievement recipients, recognized for creating Afrobeat and using music as a vehicle for political resistance, cultural pride and social change. 

According to Pitchfork, in addition to the Lifetime Achievement Awards, the Recording Academy announced that Bernie Taupin, Eddie Palmieri and Sylvia Rhone will receive Trustees Awards, honoring their lasting contributions, and the Technical GRAMMY Award will be presented to John Chowning for his groundbreaking work in music technology. 

The awards will be formally presented at the GRAMMYs Special Merit Awards Ceremony on Saturday, January 31st, 2026, the day before the main GRAMMY Awards.