Your 2026 Grammy Nominated Artists, and Snubs!
The Recording Academy has released its 2026 Grammy nominations, and this year the most sought-after awards are anything but predictable. The Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Album of the Year categories hold quite a few surprises as well as confusion amongst the public as popular artists like Benson Boone didn’t receive any nominations. In addition to this there hasn’t been a single sound to define this year, your typical ‘song of the summer’ hasn’t been named. All genres are fighting for the same trophy and this time the competition feels wide open.
Best New Artist
Nominees: Olivia Dean, Leon Thomas, Addison Rae, The Marías, KATSEYE, Lola Young, Alex Warren, and Sombr.
If one category were to embody the future of music, it would be this one. This year’s competition is diverse in both genre and origin. There’s TikTok phenomenon Addison Rae, indie-pop innovators The Marías and rising British stars like Olivia Dean.
The snub? Many predicted Djo or Role Model would make an appearance after experiencing breakouts in the media this year, but both were left out entirely.
Song of the Year
Nominees: “DTMF” – Bad Bunny; “Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter; “Anxiety” – Doechii; “Wildflower” -Billie Eilish; “Abracadabra” -Lady Gaga; “Luther” -Kendrick Lamar & SZA; “APT” -Rosé & Bruno Mars; “Golden” -Hunter/x.
Song of the Year celebrates the lyricism, rewarding craft over commercial appeal. The nominations show a variety of records as a K-pop soundtracks and a Spanish anthem sit alongside classic pop entries this year.
The snub? Alex Warren’s ballad “Ordinary” did not make it into these categories despite it dominating the hot 100 for weeks.
Record of the Year
Nominees: “DTMF” -Bad Bunny; “Manchild” -Sabrina Carpenter; “Anxiety” -Doechii; “Wildflower” -Billie Eilish; “Abracadabra” -Lady Gaga; “Luther” -Kendrick Lamar & SZA; “APT” -Rosé & Bruno Mars; “The Subway” -Chappell Roan.
Record of the Year celebrates the sound, the performance and atmosphere of the production and is highly sought after.
The snub? Gracie Abrams’ breakthrough pop hit “That’s So True” was considered for this category but did not make it despite it being a massive hit in the media.
Album of the Year
Nominees: “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” -Bad Bunny; “Swag” -Justin Bieber; “Man’s Best Friend” -Sabrina Carpenter; “Let God Sort ‘Em Out” -Clipse; “MAYHEM” -Lady Gaga; “GNX” -Kendrick Lamar; “MUTT” -Leon Thomas; “CHROMAKOPIA” -Tyler, the Creator.
The most prestigious award of the night is faced with highly competitive records. Going from “GNX” to “Man’s Best Friend” highlighting a vast number of genres from hip-hop to pop.
The snub? Lorde crushed all expectations with her fourth album and didn’t receive one nomination despite her album's success.
What are your predictions for this year’s ceremony? When the winners are announced on the first of February 2026, one thing for certain: this year’s Grammys aren’t just about trophies – they’re about a changing industry, a new generation and celebrating all genres of music.
Matilda Hodgkin
