At the most recent Grammy Awards ceremony on February 1st, 2026, Billie Eilish was awarded Song of the Year for her wildly successful single, “wildflower.” However, critics were quick to point out that “wildflower” was released in 2024 as a part of Billie’s third studio album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. Fans of Billie were quick to defend her as always, while critics and others claimed it was not fair, and others brought up the fact that other artists would not be able to get away with such things.
The first question many people had was how is this even possible? Although the song was originally released in 2024, Billie re-released “wildflower” as a single in February 2025 – making it eligible for the 2026 Grammy Awards. Critics have pointed out that this is suspicious due to the fact that HMHAS lost all the awards it was nominated for in 2025, and because Billie has been opinionated on social media about similar topics. For example, Taylor Swift has been notorious for re-releasing multiple copies of the same albums and songs, and has been the center of criticism for it, including from Billie and those who associate with her.
Billie’s manager has been caught retweeting posts accusing Taylor of “breaking her neck doing everything to prevent other artists from shining,” by way of strategically releasing albums at the same time as other artists. Billie also has made statements in interviews speaking out against artists who post multiple copies of the same album over and over again. Although this statement was kind of broad and more pointed towards environmental concerns, she has made other comments pertaining to Swift that contributed to the narrative. She told a new outlet that she would not be putting on long concerts, because “nobody wants that,” which seemed directed at Taylor, as her 3+ hour Eras Tour had been a huge success.Â
Also, after HMHAS lost all of its nominations in 2025, the reaction from Billie Eilish fans was so intense that the Academy had to put out a statement saying that the album was not even in the running for album of the year. With that, this 2026 win feels like a sympathy award meant to please Billie, her management, and fans. Â
People have pointed out the hypocrisy of calling out Taylor for re-releasing albums to take spots on the charts, while re-releasing a song to be eligible for a Grammy. The music industry is full of shady practices and artists calling each other out, so this situation is not surprising. However, it is disheartening to see that award shows are enabling this sort of action, as “wildflower” won the Grammy, beating out songs that had been released in 2025 and were rightfully eligible.