On November 7th, 2025, the Grammy nominations for the 2026 award show were released. The announcement immediately sparked conversations across social media, with fans and critics alike weighing in on both the expected favorites and surprising additions.
This year, it was no shock to see the familiar names of Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, and Justin Bieber nominated. Carpenter’s song “Manchild” and album Man’s Best Friend both received nominations, while Lamar dominated the list with nine nominations for his album GNX. Lady Gaga is also nominated for her hit single, “Abracadabra,” and her new album, Mayhem, whileBieber makes a return to the Grammy stage with his album, Swag, recognized in the pop vocal album category.
Although established stars received plenty of attention, new artists also made their mark. Rising singer Oliva Dean is up for Best New Artist, competing with the talented R&B musician Leon Thomas. Doecchi, recently known for her single “Anxiety,” also earned her first nomination this year, signaling a new wave of talent for the academy.
Even with the wave of new artists nominated for the 2026 Grammys, MHS students noticed the many artists woefully left out. Alex Gill (‘26) was disappointed to see that Lorde received zero nominations for her new album Virgin, which managed to combine atmospheric synth-pop with tender lyricism. Considering Lorde was viewed as a “Grammy darling” at the start of her career, with her hit song “Royals” winning two awards in 2014, many thought it was obvious that she would be nominated again. “Virgin feels like Lorde in her most vulnerable form. I thought it would not only be recognized but acclaimed by the academy,” says Gill.
Other artists like Role Model, Gracie Abrams, Miley Cyrus, The Weeknd, and Tate McRae were snubbed of nominations. 2025 was a breakout year for Role Model, with his song “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” surpassing 150 million streams and his album Kansas Anymore connecting with fans throughout MHS and the world. Nevertheless, he did not receive a nomination for Best New Artist.
Miley Cyrus received six nominations for her album Endless Summer Vacation in the 2024 Grammy cycle, making it a shock that her new album, Something Beautiful, was only nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album this year.
CC Levine (‘26) was especially shocked to see that Gracie Abrams’ song “That’s So True” did not pick up a nomination for Song or Record of the Year. “My friends and I were singing ‘That’s So True’ for months after it came out. It seemed like a shoo-in for Song of the Year.” Exceeding one billion streams in under a year, “That’s So True” has an infectious melody that is almost impossible to ignore.
While many of their favorite artists did not receive nominations , MHS students are still eager to see who takes home a Grammy in 2026.