The 2026 Grammy Nominations Confirm It's Been a Weird Year │ Exclaim!

The 2026 Grammy Nominations Confirm It's Been a Weird Year

By Megan LaPierre | Published Nov 7, 2025

The artists who dominated the 2025 Grammy Awards have returned, but this time they are nominated for less impressive works. Meanwhile, the Weeknd remains shut out despite ending his four-year boycott.

The 2025 Grammys reflected a noticeable shift in the Recording Academy’s membership. The ceremony on February 2 featured the Weeknd’s return, along with awards for standout artists like Doechii, Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, and Beyoncé, who won Album of the Year, albeit controversially.

Despite this blockbuster year in pop, the 2026 nominations seem lackluster by comparison. Many of the same artists from last year—Doechii, Lamar, Carpenter, and Roan—are nominated again but for notably weaker projects. Their nominations for Record of the Year include:

These nods cover two mediocre standalone singles, one lead single from Carpenter's underwhelming album Man's Best Friend, and a late single from Lamar's GNX.

"Beyoncé finally took home Album of the Year (for a record that didn't deserve it, but still)."

The Weeknd's continued exclusion raises questions about the Recording Academy’s evolving dynamics and the fairness of nominations.

Summary: The 2026 Grammy nominations highlight a decline in the quality of recognized works compared to last year, with familiar artists nominated for less impressive projects and the Weeknd still overlooked despite ending his boycott.

more

Exclaim! Exclaim! — 2025-11-07

More News