K-pop, The Weeknd, Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish: All the 2026 Grammy nom snubs and surprises

Kendrick Lamar leads the 2026 Grammy nominations with nine nods for his album “GNX,” headlining a year that sees unprecedented recognition for hip-hop artists in major categories. The awards ceremony is scheduled to air live on February 1 from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on CBS and Paramount+.

In a historic first, three hip-hop releases have secured nominations in both the rap album and the prestigious album of the year categories. Alongside Lamar’s “GNX,” Clipse, Pusha T & Malice’s “Let God Sort Em Out” and Tyler, the Creator’s “Chromakopia” received dual recognition. This significant shift could signal the Recording Academy’s response to longstanding criticism about diversity and representation in top Grammy categories.

Despite this breakthrough for hip-hop in album categories, the best new artist nominations notably exclude both rap and country performers. The eclectic nominee list includes Katseye, Olivia Dean, The Marias, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, and Lola Young, but rising country stars like Ella Langley and Megan Moroney were overlooked.

Grammy darling Billie Eilish returns with nominations for song and record of the year for “Wildflower,” which might surprise some observers. Though the track appeared on her album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” released in May 2024, a technical Grammy rule allowed its eligibility for the 2026 awards. The rule permits tracks from previously released albums to compete if they weren’t entered in prior years and if the album didn’t win a Grammy.

The Recording Academy introduced a new best traditional country album category this year, while renaming the existing best country album category to best contemporary country album. The distinction between these categories remains somewhat unclear. The traditional category features artists like Charley Crockett, Lukas Nelson, Willie Nelson, Margo Price, and Zach Top. Contemporary nominees include Kelsea Ballerini, Tyler Childers, Eric Church, Jelly Roll, and Miranda Lambert. Notably, commercial powerhouse Morgan Wallen did not submit his hit album “I’m the Problem” for consideration.

The Weeknd’s absence from the nominations is particularly noteworthy given his reconciliation with the Grammys last year. After boycotting the awards since 2020—when he called them “corrupt” following zero nominations despite a chart-topping album—he performed at the 2025 ceremony. Despite submitting his album “Hurry Up Tomorrow” in multiple categories this year, he received no nominations, raising questions about whether the relationship remains strained.

K-pop continues to make inroads at the Grammys, with BLACKPINK’s Rosé becoming the first K-pop artist nominated for record of the year with “APT.,” her collaboration with Bruno Mars. Additionally, “Golden” from the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack earned a song of the year nomination. This progress comes after last year’s notable absence of K-pop artists in major categories, despite prolific output from BTS members on solo projects.

In surprising first-time nominee news, actor Timothée Chalamet earned a nomination for best compilation soundtrack for visual media for “A Complete Unknown,” where he portrays Bob Dylan. He faces stiff competition from soundtracks including “Wicked,” “KPop Demon Hunters,” “Sinners,” and “F1 the Album.” Other unexpected first-time nominees include Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and the Dalai Lama in the audiobook category, while filmmaker Steven Spielberg received a nod for “Music By John Williams” in the music film category.

Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” made history as only the second all-Spanish language album nominated for album of the year. The first was also his work—”Un Verano Sin Ti” in 2023. This raises questions about whether the Grammys are genuinely embracing Spanish-language music or if Bad Bunny represents an exception. Notably absent is Fuerza Regida’s “111XPANTIA,” which achieved historic chart success this year. Recent efforts to incorporate Latin Grammy voting members into the Recording Academy might lead to broader recognition for Latino artists in future ceremonies.

Producer Jack Antonoff, who previously won producer of the year (non-classical) three consecutive times, was again overlooked in that category for the second year running. However, he tied for the second-most nominations overall with seven nods, primarily for his work with Kendrick Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter.