The 6 biggest snubs, surprises, and missteps of the 2026 Grammy nominations

Analysis by Callie Ahlgrim

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On the "For Your Consideration" poster distributed by Lorde's label, Republic Records, critics describe her fourth album, "Virgin," as the "bravest album of her career" and a brilliant rebirth. In my own review for Business Insider, I praised Lorde's raw and authentic lyricism as a keen reflection of our cultural moment.

Lorde is no stranger to Grammy praise — she won song of the year and best pop solo performance for "Royals" in 2014 — but she apparently lost favor with voters after she received only one nomination for her sophomore album, "Melodrama," at the 2018 Grammys.

That year, Lorde was the only woman nominated for album of the year, and the only nominee in that category who didn't perform at the show. Sources told Variety that Lorde was only invited to perform alongside other artists in a tribute to Tom Petty, rather than singing her own songs, and declined.

Lorde still attended the awards show, but she sewed a not-so-subtle protest into her gown: a quote from the feminist artist Jenny Holzer. ("The old and corrupt must be laid to waste before the just can triumph.")

Lorde hasn't been nominated for a Grammy Award since.

The Weeknd famously decided to boycott the Grammys after his 2020 album, "After Hours," and its massive hit, "Blinding Lights," were wholly ignored by voters. He publicly called the nomination process "corrupt" and declined to submit his follow-up album, "Dawn FM," for consideration.

In response, the Recording Academy announced sweeping changes aimed at making the process more transparent. Then, earlier this year, The Weeknd made a surprise appearance at the 2025 ceremony to perform songs from his just-released album, "Hurry Up Tomorrow" — a move interpreted as both an olive branch and a nomination campaign.

The Weeknd reportedly submitted "Hurry Up Tomorrow" in several categories, including album of the year and best pop vocal album, but was met with zero nominations once again (even though his producer, Cirkut, is nominated for producer of the year, non-classical. Ouch.) This hatchet may just have to remain above ground.

Sabrina Carpenter became a first-time Grammy nominee last year thanks to her excellent breakthrough album, "Short n' Sweet." She won two awards, including best pop vocal album and best pop solo performance for the album's frothy lead single, "Espresso."

This year, Carpenter's six nominations aren't so much proof of her musical prowess as they're proof that she's now too big to fail.

Carpenter took a cue from Swift's more-is-more strategy, unleashing another album just one year after "Short n' Sweet" and capitalizing on the still-bright spotlight it attracted. Her follow-up, "Man's Best Friend," is scattered with cheeky gems ("Tears," "Nobody's Son"), but doesn't quite hold up as a coherent artistic statement. Instead, it over-satirizes Carpenter's betrayed-bombshell persona and often skews dangerously close to Lonely Island-style parody.

Nevertheless, "Man's Best Friend" will compete against far superior projects for album of the year, including Gaga's "Mayhem" and Lamar's "GNX," while its lead single, "Manchild," is up for both record and song of the year. She is also nominated for best pop vocal album, best pop solo performance, and best music video.

It makes sense why the Grammys would want someone as popular as Carpenter on their side (and, most likely, on their stage), but these awards are supposed to be about acclaim, not flattery.

Gracie Abrams was up for best new artist at the 2024 Grammys. Although she lost to Victoria Monét, the singer-songwriter's star power has only continued to rise she quickly received a second Grammy nomination for a duet with Swift ("Us."), and in June, she was honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame with an award for significant young lyricists.

Abrams seemed bound for more Grammy nods this year, particularly song of the year for "That's So True," a surprise hit from the deluxe version of her latest album, "The Story of Us."

Cowritten by Abrams with Audrey Hobert, "That's So True" became her first to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify and break into the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It combined lyrical specificity with commercial appeal — a favored combination among Grammy voters. Alas, Abrams was entirely absent from this year's nominee pool.

After becoming a bona fide summer hit, Alex Warren's "Ordinary" dominated the Hot 100 for 10 weeks, a feat managed by only 46 other songs in history. That kind of commercial success would make any song a frontrunner for record of the year.

Warren, a former TikToker, received a sole nomination for best new artist — but "Ordinary" itself failed to receive any recognition.

Billie Eilish received a well-deserved banquet of nods last year for 2024's "Hit Me Hard and Soft," including record and song of the year for the album's second single, "Birds of a Feather."

Eilish will return to compete in both of those categories, but this time, it's for the same album's fourth single, "Wildflower."

Although "Wildflower" has been a fixture on the Hot 100 for the past year, it never rose to the status of a true hit, peaking at No. 17. It's one of the mildest moments on the tracklist and pales in comparison to the beloved, timeless "Birds of a Feather."

This is Eilish's sixth record of the year nomination in just seven years, so is it a surprise that "Wildflower" was nominated? Not exactly. Grammy voters adore her. But it does strike me as perfunctory and redundant, especially in a category that's designed to celebrate culturally significant, year-defining hits.