From Coldplay to Katy Perry—The Surprising Names Missing from the 2026 Grammy Nominations
The Recording Academy has spoken, and with over 23,000 submissions vying for golden gramophone glory, the 68th annual Grammy Awards nominations have arrived with all the drama of a runway finale—complete with unexpected eliminations and conspicuous absences that have set the music world ablaze.
Let us begin with the casualties, shall we? Morgan Wallen and Kanye West—once titans of their respective genres—found themselves on the outside looking in, continuing their unfortunate streak of Grammy alienation. The Academy’s nearly 15,000 voting members have made their sentiments crystal clear: certain controversies remain unforgivable, even in an industry built on reinvention.
Coldplay, despite their illustrious seven-Grammy legacy, discovered that “Moon Music” and the ethereal “All My Love” failed to enchant voters this cycle. Meanwhile, Katy Perry’s critically panned “143” was met with the silence it perhaps deserved—a snub as predictable as last season’s hemlines returning to fashion’s graveyard. Even perennial favorites Keith Urban and Machine Gun Kelly found themselves relegated to the margins, their names conspicuously absent from the nominees’ roster.
This year belongs unequivocally to Kendrick Lamar, who swept through with nine nominations spanning Record, Album, and Song of the Year, alongside rap-specific categories. The Super Bowl headliner faces formidable competition from Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny, creating a deliciously cosmopolitan nominee list that transcends genres and languages—proof that music’s universal language speaks in many tongues.
Sabrina Carpenter joins this elite cohort, cementing the ceremony’s commitment to celebrating both established icons and rising luminaries. The February 1 spectacle at Los Angeles’s Crypto.com Arena promises to bridge digital streaming culture with mainstream prestige, a fusion that defines contemporary music consumption.
As CBS and Paramount+ prepare to broadcast this glittering affair, one truth emerges: the Grammys remain music’s most coveted validation, where legacy meets innovation beneath the unforgiving spotlight of cultural relevance.
Grammys 2026: Full list of nominees
Record of the Year
“DtMF” – Bad Bunny
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Anxiety” – Doechii
“Wildflower” – Billie Eilish
“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
“Luther” – Kendrick Lamar with SZA
“The Subway” – Chappell Roan
“APT.” – ROSÉ, Bruno Mars
Album of the Year
DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS – Bad Bunny
SWAG – Justin Bieber
Man’s Best Friend – Sabrina Carpenter
Let God Sort Em Out – Clipse (Pusha T & Malice, feat. Pharrell Williams)
Mayhem – Lady Gaga
GNX – Kendrick Lamar
MUTT – Leon Thomas
CHROMAKOPIA – Tyler, The Creator
Song of the Year (Songwriters’ Award)
“Abracadabra” – Henry Walter, Lady Gaga & Andrew Watt (Lady Gaga)
“Anxiety” – Jaylah Hickmon (Doechii)
“APT.” – Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Henry Walter, Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Chae Young Park & Theron Thomas (ROSÉ, Bruno Mars)
“DtMF” – Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Scott Dittrich, Benjamin Falik, Roberto José Rosado Torres, Marco Daniel Borrero, Hugo René Sención Sanabria & Tyler Thomas Spry (Bad Bunny)
“Golden (From KPop Demon Hunters)” – EJAE & Mark Sonnenblick (HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)
“Luther” – Jack Antonoff, Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Matthew Bernard, Ink, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Kendrick Lamar, Mark Anthony Spears, Solána Rowe & Kamasi Washington (Kendrick Lamar with SZA)
“Manchild” – Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter (Sabrina Carpenter)
“Wildflower” – Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell (Billie Eilish)
Best New Artist
Olivia Dean
KATSEYE
The Marías
Addison Rae
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Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young
Best Pop Solo Performance
Daises – Justin Bieber
Manchild – Sabrina Carpenter
Disease – Lady Gaga
The Subway – Chappell Roan
Messy – Lola Young
