On November 7, 2025, at precisely 20:19:04 UTC, the music world collectively held its breath as the Recording Academy unveiled the list of nominees for the highly anticipated 2026 Grammy Awards. As news outlets disseminated the results across various platforms — from Facebook and LinkedIn to Reddit, Bluesky, and WhatsApp — the reactions flowed in torrents of astonishment, applause, and outrage. Business Insider, offering its exclusive subscriber-only coverage, invited readers to absorb the full depth of what has become an annual ritual of discourse, delight, and dismay surrounding the most prestigious awards in the global music industry.
Each year, the Grammy nominations serve as both a mirror and a magnifying glass for the contemporary state of popular music — reflecting prevailing tastes while amplifying controversies about artistic merit, industry politics, and cultural influence. The 68th annual ceremony’s announcement proved no exception. While some of the world’s most acclaimed artists stood conspicuously absent, others enjoyed a glut of recognition that sparked heated debate across fan communities and professional circles alike.
One of the most notable omissions came in the form of Taylor Swift, whose name, typically ubiquitous in Grammy line-ups, was nowhere to be found this time. Her much-discussed new record, *The Life of a Showgirl*, fell outside the eligibility window, leaving the field unexpectedly open for heavyweights such as Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, and Justin Bieber to battle for the evening’s most covetable trophies — Album, Record, and Song of the Year. In a parallel narrative, Bad Bunny continued to cement his international dominance, earning his second Album of the Year nomination for *Debí Tirar Más Fotos*. This achievement not only reaffirmed his artistic relevance but also marked a milestone in the representation of Spanish-language music on Grammy night, following the precedent set by his own *Un Verano Sin Ti*, which made history in 2023.
Global pop music, it seems, has never enjoyed a stronger presence on the Grammy stage. The hit single *Golden*, born from Netflix’s animated sensation *KPop Demon Hunters*, earned a coveted Song of the Year nod, while BLACKPINK’s Rosé broke yet another industry barrier by becoming the first K-pop artist recognized in the Record of the Year category, thanks to her scintillating collaboration with Bruno Mars titled *Apt*. Yet, beneath the jubilation over these triumphs lies a complex web of omissions and questionable inclusions — a pattern emblematic of an Academy that often oscillates between honoring innovation and catering to mainstream momentum.
Among the year’s most stinging snubs is Lorde, whose fourth studio album *Virgin*, released on June 27, 2025, garnered widespread critical acclaim but received zero nominations. Despite being heralded on promotional materials as the boldest and most introspective project of her career, *Virgin* failed to catch the Academy’s ear. For longtime followers of the New Zealand artist — who once reigned supreme with her early Grammy wins for *Royals* in 2014 — the omission felt both bewildering and unjustified. Industry insiders recall how Lorde’s relationship with the Grammys cooled after *Melodrama* earned her only one nomination in 2018, despite universal praise and commercial success. Her quiet act of protest that year — stitching a subversive feminist message from Jenny Holzer into her gown — has lingered in memory as a symbolic stand against institutional bias. Her absence from the nominations ever since seems, to many, a continuation of that estranged dynamic.
Equally surprising was the complete shutout of The Weeknd. After years of turbulence with the Recording Academy — including his public boycott following the infamous *After Hours* snub — his latest album, *Hurry Up Tomorrow*, was widely viewed as an attempted reconciliation. His performance at the 2025 Grammys, staged as a gesture of goodwill, appeared to have thawed previous tensions. Nevertheless, when nominations were released, The Weeknd once again walked away empty-handed, even as his frequent collaborator Cirkut secured a nomination for Producer of the Year. The outcome reignited long-standing debates about transparency and fairness, suggesting that not all wounds between the artist and the establishment have yet healed.
On the opposite side of the spectrum lies Sabrina Carpenter, whose five nominations for her album *Man’s Best Friend* stirred considerable skepticism. While Carpenter’s previous release *Short n’ Sweet* earned her well-deserved acclaim and two Grammys, her follow-up has been described by critics as a weaker, more self-referential sequel — a project more reliant on her growing celebrity than on musical innovation. Its scattered highlights, like *Tears* and *Nobody’s Son*, sparkle with wit and pop sensibility but fail to coalesce into a cohesive artistic statement. Many see her recognition not as a testament to exceptional artistry but as evidence of her ascent into the pop elite’s “too big to overlook” category — a phenomenon that calls into question the very objectivity these awards are meant to uphold.
Another omission that blindsided critics was that of Gracie Abrams, whose song *That’s So True* had seemed like an inevitable contender for Song of the Year. The single, celebrated for its lyrical precision and emotional clarity, achieved both commercial success and artistic resonance — the exact alchemy Grammy voters typically reward. Despite crossing the billion-stream threshold and climbing into Billboard’s top ten, Abrams found herself entirely excluded from the 2026 nominations, an omission that many interpret as one of the ceremony’s most significant oversights.
Meanwhile, TikTok star turned chart-dominating musician Alex Warren found his viral juggernaut *Ordinary* curiously unacknowledged beyond a solitary Best New Artist nod. The song’s ten-week reign atop the Hot 100, an achievement shared by barely four dozen songs in history, should have placed it squarely in contention for Record of the Year. Yet, the Academy remained silent, leaving fans puzzled as to how widespread cultural impact can so often fail to translate into institutional recognition.
And finally, there is Billie Eilish — a perennial Grammy favorite. Her song *Wildflower*, while elegantly produced and modestly successful, did not enjoy the sweeping resonance of earlier hits like *Birds of a Feather*. Despite this, it still found its way into multiple major categories, marking Eilish’s sixth Record of the Year nomination in just seven years. The inevitability of her inclusion, though reassuring to some, raised questions about whether the Academy’s affection for certain artists borders on automatic endorsement, blurring the distinction between genuine artistic breakthroughs and habitual recognition.
In sum, the 2026 Grammy nominations illuminated both the brilliance and the blind spots of the music industry’s most influential institution. As familiar debates resurface about who merits celebration and who suffers oversight, the list stands as a reminder that the Grammys, for all their glamour and gravitas, remain as unpredictable — and as human — as the art they seek to honor.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/grammy-nominations-2026-snubs-surprises-2025-11
