NEED TO KNOW
- The 2026 Grammy nominations have been launched on Friday, Nov. 7
- Some acts have been shut out of the competitors altogether, whereas others’ inclusions got here as a shock
- The 2026 Grammy Awards air reside from Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 2026
Narrowing down the previous yr’s releases to resolve what music earns a nomination on the 2026 Grammys cannot be a simple activity.
The Recording Academy unveiled the complete checklist of nominees for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on Friday, Nov. 7, and artists like Kendrick Lamar and Woman Gaga got here out on high with essentially the most nods. However some acts have been shut out of the competitors altogether, whereas others’ inclusions got here as a shock.
Regardless of incomes main chart successes this yr, stars like Lorde, Gracie Abrams and Megan Moroney did not obtain any nominations. In the meantime, songs from hit movies like Depraved and KPop Demon Hunters acquired much more love than many followers might have anticipated.
Forward of the upcoming Grammy Awards ceremony on the Crypto.com Enviornment in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 2026, listed here are a number of the greatest snubs and surprises from the nominations.
Snubs
Lorde
Lorde returned to the highlight earlier this yr together with her fourth studio album, Virgin, satiating followers who waited about 4 years since her final full-length launch, 2021’s Photo voltaic Energy.
The brand new album’s lead single “What Was That” reached the highest 40 of the Billboard Sizzling 100, whereas second single “Man of the 12 months” sparked a viral TikTok pattern. Virgin reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and marked a sonic return to kind for the New Zealand artist, incomes vital acclaim.
Upon hitting the scene with the hit music “Royals” and its accompanying album Pure Heroine greater than a decade in the past, Lorde received two Grammys on the 2014 ceremony and later earned an Album of the 12 months nomination for her second album, 2018’s Melodrama.
Photo voltaic Energy obtained blended critiques in 2021, underperformed commercially and did not obtain any Grammy nominations, and lots of followers seemingly anticipated Lorde to get again within the Recording Academy’s good graces with Virgin, however the album didn’t web any nominations.
The Weeknd
The Weeknd has an fascinating relationship with the Grammys. He earned his first nomination in 2014 after which took house two awards in 2016 for his Magnificence Behind the Insanity album and its single “Earned It,” plus one other in 2018 for Starboy.
In 2021, the artist introduced he was boycotting the Grammys and referred to as the awards present “corrupt” for lack of transparency behind the scenes. That yr, he additionally declared he’d “not enable” his document label to submit his music to the awards present.
Nonetheless, he made a shock return on the 2025 present with a efficiency of “Cry for Me” and “Timeless.” This yr, his document label introduced a number of submissions for The Weeknd, who launched his sixth studio album Hurry Up Tomorrow and an accompanying movie starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. However the musician did not obtain any nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Gracie Abrams
Gracie Abrams has been seemingly in all places this yr. If you have not seen her touring arenas or enjoying large pageant levels, you have most likely heard “That is So True” on the radio or TikTok.
The only was launched in November 2024 on the deluxe model of Abrams’ The Secret of Us album and finally reached No. 1 on the Billboard Sizzling 100.
Abrams was nominated for Finest New Artist on the 2024 Grammys and earned a nod for “Us” with Taylor Swift within the Finest Pop Duo/Group Efficiency class ultimately yr’s ceremony. Nonetheless, she did not obtain any nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Megan Moroney
Megan Moroney debuted on the nation scene in 2022 with the High 10 hit “Tennessee Orange” and noticed main success together with her 2024 album Am I Okay? And whereas the physique of labor was launched earlier than the upcoming Grammy Awards eligibility interval started on the finish of August 2024, she dropped a deluxe model in October 2024.
Moreover, Moroney notched hits in 2025 with one-off singles “You Needed to Be There” and “6 Months Later.” Each songs have been launched throughout the 2026 Grammy Awards eligibility interval, however she did not obtain any nominations.
Position Mannequin
Position Mannequin had a breakthrough yr in 2025 with the deluxe model of his album, Kansas Anymore, that includes the inescapable viral hit “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.”
He carried out the music on tour with Gracie Abrams in addition to at festivals and his personal headlining reveals, bringing out Grammy winners like Olivia Rodrigo and Charli xcx, plus previous nominees together with Troye Sivan and Lewis Capaldi as his “Sally” on stage.
Regardless of the thrill, Position Mannequin did not finally land any nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Surprises
Depraved in a Pop Class
The Depraved soundtrack earned three nominations on the 2026 Grammy Awards, together with Finest Compilation Soundtrack for Visible Media and Finest Rating Soundtrack Soundtrack for Visible Media (Contains Movie and Tv).
Its third nomination, nevertheless, is a bit surprising. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s “Defying Gravity” earned a nod for Finest Pop Duo/Group Efficiency — regardless of it technically being a present tune — alongside pop hits like ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” and KATSEYE’s “Gabriela.”
The nomination is not fully out of left area, because the music did attain the highest 40 on each the US Grownup Pop Airplay and US Pop Airplay charts. However it’s the primary time a music from a musical made its method into the Finest Pop Duo/Group Efficiency class because it’s 2012 inception.
KPop Demon Hunters Preserve Going Up, Up, Up
KPop Demon Hunters feels prefer it’s taken over the world because the animated musical film hit Netflix in June. It is charted 4 songs from its soundtrack within the high 10 of the Billboard Sizzling 100, together with the No. 1 hit “Golden,” carried out by EJAE, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna as fictional band Huntr/x.
The movie earned 4 nominations on the 2026 Grammy Awards: Track of the 12 months, Finest Pop Duo/Group Efficiency and Finest Track Written for Visible Media for “Golden,” plus Finest Compilation Soundtrack for Visible Media for the soundtrack album.
Beforehand, BTS was the one Ok-pop group to earn any Grammy nominations, although they have not received — so it is potential the ladies of Huntr/x might make historical past.
Milli Vanilli Will get a Second Probability
Many individuals bear in mind the story of Milli Vanilli, the R&B duo fronted by Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus that shot up the charts within the late ‘80s with hits like “Lady You Know It’s True” and “Blame It on the Rain.”
Nonetheless, it was then revealed that Morvan and Pilatus weren’t the vocalists on any of Milli Vanilli’s songs. The Recording Academy subsequently revoked the duo’s Grammy Award for Finest New Artist — marking the one time the group has ever completed so.
Over the previous few years, Morvan has spoken in-depth about his expertise in Milli Vanilli and advised ipromiseyoumedia in 2023, “With out this music and this journey, I wouldn’t be who I’m at this time.” [Pilatus died of a suspected overdose in 1998.]
In August, Morvan launched the ebook You Know It is True: The Actual Story of Milli Vanilli, cowritten with Parisa Rose. He additionally narrated the audio ebook, which is now nominated for Finest Audio E-book, Narration & Storytelling Recording — that means he lastly has a second probability at incomes a Grammy Award. And this time, he’d get to maintain it.