The biggest surprises and unexpected moments in the 2026 Grammy nominations

The Grammy nominations are in, bringing the realization that many major pop stars are missing from this year’s list. No Charli, no Beyoncé, no Taylor Swift, and sadly, no Rosalía either. Still, there’s plenty of Lady Gaga with seven nominations, Sabrina Carpenter, and even a solid showing from Justin Bieber. But this year, the spotlight belongs to the rappers: Kendrick Lamar with nine nominations, Bad Bunny, Clipse, and Drake. Four out of the eight Album of the Year nominees come from the rap world. Aside from that category, perhaps the most exciting one this year is Best New Artist. Last year’s winner was Chappell Roan, and now the race includes TikTok favorites like Addison Rae, KATSEYE, and Lola Young. But who was left out this year, and who made a surprise appearance? Below are the biggest surprises among the nominations for the upcoming Grammy Awards, set to take place on February 1, 2026.

Rappers lead the Album of the year category

Four of the eight Album of the Year nominees are rappers: Kendrick Lamar with GNX, Clipse with Let God Sort Em Out, Bad Bunny with Debí Tirar Más Fotos, and Tyler, the Creator with Chromakopia. This category has long leaned too heavily toward pop. Even in years when hip-hop took home major awards, like Lauryn Hill in 1999 or OutKast in 2004, only two rappers were typically in the running. The closest comparison might be 2018, when Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, and Childish Gambino were all nominated, though Gambino then was not quite the artist he is today.

This could be Justin Bieber’s year

If Rosalía had released her album just two months earlier, before the Grammy eligibility window closed at the end of August, she would almost certainly have made history. Her album Lux and the single Berghain are not only among the year’s highlights but also among the decade’s. Instead, the nominations feel somewhat predictable and familiar. For someone who spent the first half of the year clashing with paparazzi and his own team, Bieber has made a surprising comeback with two new albums. SWAG, the first of the two, dominates this year’s nominations, including Album of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best Pop Vocal Album. And it’s not just him: producer Dijon and songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. also earned nods in their respective categories. Bieber has won two Grammys so far, the last in 2021, and what better way to kick off his Coachella return than with another big win.

Timothée Chalamet is now a Grammy nominee too

One of the most talented young actors of our time, Timothée Chalamet, already an Oscar nominee, has just earned his first Grammy nomination. He is up for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for A Complete Unknown, the film in which he portrays Bob Dylan. The competition is strong, with soundtracks for F1 The Album, Kpop Demon Hunters, Sinners, and Wicked also in the running.

A Complete Unknown

Lorde receives no nominations

With her first two albums, Lorde was a Grammy favorite. She won Song of the Year in 2014 for Royals and earned a surprising Album of the Year nomination for Melodrama in 2018. But with Solar Power and this year’s Virgin, she’s been completely left off the list. The Solar Power snub wasn’t unexpected, given the album’s lukewarm reception, but Virgin was seen as her big comeback and was accompanied by a successful tour. Still, she didn’t receive a single major or minor nomination. At the very least, she deserved one for Best Music Video for Man of the Year, didn’t she? Perhaps Lorde really is becoming more of a niche artist, but Virgin remains an excellent album. As for her being ignored, we’ll quote her own words: “What was that?”

The Weeknd did everything, and got nothing

The relationship between The Weeknd and the Grammys can be described as a textbook example of love turned to hate. After his album After Hours received zero nominations, he publicly criticized the voting process and boycotted the ceremony. Last year it seemed that tensions had eased, and he even performed songs from Hurry Up Tomorrow, which topped the charts. Many expected nominations for that project, yet once again, he’s nowhere to be found on the list.

Miley Cyrus misses the major categories

Although Miley Cyrus received recognition in the Best Pop Vocal Album category for Something Beautiful, the project was not nominated for Album, Record, or Song of the Year. This comes after the massive success of her previous album Endless Summer Vacation and the hit single Flowers. Cyrus was also overlooked for the accompanying short film Something Beautiful, a 55-minute high-fashion spectacle featuring a duet with Naomi Campbell, which we consider a major oversight.

Addison Rae doesn’t miss

Addison Rae’s rise through the pop industry has been both outside and within the boundaries of what the Grammys usually recognize. She first gained fame on TikTok, then continued her ascent through the alternative scene. Although she was unfairly left out of the Album of the Year nominations, her spot in the Best New Artist category is well deserved. This year’s lineup for that award is closely tied to viral social media acts: there’s emo-pop favorite Sombr, the K-pop-inspired group KATSEYE, and actor-turned-R&B-singer Leon Thomas, whose singles reached the Top 10. Rounding out the category are Olivia Dean and Lola Young, who both released standout debut albums this year.

Jack Antonoff was not nominated for producer of the year

He’s had yet another remarkable year. Was he overlooked because of the Academy’s fatigue with his constant wins, or do they believe the quality of his work has declined? We can’t say for sure, but it’s strange to see the man behind seven nominated artists left out of the Producer of the Year race.

Wicked returns once again

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande never miss a chance to appear in matching outfits, so why would the Grammys be any different? The two are nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for Defying Gravity, alongside KATSEYE, Huntr/x, ROSÉ and Bruno Mars, and SZA and Kendrick Lamar. It’s hard to imagine a twenty-year-old song outshining the momentum of Kpop Demon Hunters, but if anyone can make the most of a Wicked moment, it’s them.

Photo: Getty Images

The nominations look a lot like last year’s

Many of the main players from the 2025 Grammy Awards are back in the game. Lady Gaga, who won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance last year with Bruno Mars for Die With a Smile, is now nominated for Mayhem and songs like Abracadabra—and, admittedly, she deserves every bit of it. Doechii, who delivered a triumphant performance in February, returns to the race with her single Anxiety, while Sabrina Carpenter is back with Man’s Best Friend, a follow-up to her award-winning album Short n’ Sweet. Even Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish received nominations, despite not releasing albums in 2025.