Music is an important part of many people’s lives, and one of the best things about music is how everyone can have their own taste and listen to what aligns with them. It is common to want your favorite song or album to be globally recognized, but unfortunately, only a handful of artists get Grammy nominations. The release period to be eligible to submit for a Grammy is from September to the September of the next year, meaning that if an album dropped October of 2025, it will be submitted for the 2027 awards. Artists and their teams are responsible for submitting their projects for consideration. Hundreds of songs and albums are reviewed each year, but only a few are nominated.
Nominations for the 2026 event have already been announced and there were snubs and surprises. Every year there is a big album that does not get any academy recognition, and that was Tate McRae’s “So Close to What.” McRae’s album was one of the most streamed and acclaimed of the year, her Miss Possessive Tour being one of the pop highlights of 2025. This project was predicted to be nominated for the best pop Vocal album and the hit single “Sports Car” in Song and Record of the Year. Fans of Tate McRae were highly disappointed to find out that the only nomination she received was in the dance/electronic category for a song in the F1 movie soundtrack.
The Grammy’s have an infamous history of favoring certain artists, and although nothing factual has ever come out regarding this topic, they continuously repeat patterns regarding certain artists. A good example of this is The Weeknd, who has famously called out the Recording Academy on social media for “robbing” his albums of an award. He then stopped submitting his music, but at the 2025 awards they got on stage and publicly apologized to him. The Weeknd came out as a surprise performance; this ordeal was a big deal in the music industry.
Fans and critics were sure that his new album “Hurry Up Tomorrow”, which had multiple hits and went number one, would sweep nominations. This project did not receive a single shoutout in a category, leaving the public stunned, especially after the very public event that was his new relationship with the Grammy’s.
The final snub that enraged social media was Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True”. This song was huge for months, it charted and played on radio for a long time, and it was one of the most streamed songs of 2025, making it her biggest hit ever. The song was not nominated for any category, and many were wondering if the Academy dislikes Gracie Abrams.
She has only been nominated once for the 2025 awards, for her collaboration with Taylor Swift, but they ultimately lost. Abrams still has a long career ahead of her, but the question on everyone’s mind is, will she be one of those artists that the Academy brushes over no matter how big they are? This has been seen with Ariana Grande, who has not attended the award show since 2019, and her only nomination since then, she lost. Â
Not everything that came from the nominations this year was unfortunate; there were also some pleasant surprises. The Academy is known to recognize at least one project that people were not expecting. The most surprising one was Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower”. This song came out May 2024, so many people were confused as to why it was nominated. Since it became single and streamed on radio this year, it was eligible for submission per the Academy’s rules. Many people though do not want to see it win. Although it is a great song, they want more recent projects to be rewarded. In the Best New Artist category, people were shocked to see the new girl group KATSEYE nominated.
The group just got their start after a Netflix TV show banded them together. Although their songs are known to be not the best with lyrics, the group has a stellar stage performance, but many were surprised to see their names there since they have not released an album yet.
Finally, Zara Larsson has been getting a lot of love with her new era “Midnight Sun.” Although the album came out too late to be considered, the lead single was nominated for a Grammy in the best pop/electronic category. This is a big deal for Larsson as she is one of the strongest contenders on that list. She has been around for over a decade, with hits like “Lush Life”, and “Never Forget You”, and she is finally seeing her moment in the spotlight. Grammy surprises are not a bad thing, they are just songs that people did not think would have a chance to win an Academy Award. This season, the large categories are stacked with critically acclaimed projects, all very different. Â
It will be very interesting to see how the winners play out. The 2026 Grammy’s are Sunday February 2nd. Artists such as Lady Gaga, Tyler the Creator, and Sabrina Carpenter are set to attend since they are some of the most notable nominations of the night. An Academy Award is of high esteem for any artist, and with so many amazing projects this year, it will be bittersweet for all the winners and the runners-up. Â