The 2026 Grammy Awards are right around the corner! This year’s nominations showcase some of the world’s biggest stars, with names like Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Kendrick Lamar making an appearance. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest awards, the most surprising snubs, and some of my personal predictions.
So, how did the Grammys do this year? In my opinion, not great.
Multiple incredible albums were omitted, like The Weeknd’s “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” and JID’s phenomenal project “God Does Like Ugly” (which did receive a Rap Album of the Year nomination, but not an Album of the Year nomination).
The very sought-after GRAMMY award.
Worse than the Album of the Year nominees were the Record of the Year and Song of the Year selections, as they included some genuinely immature (“APT.”) or substandard tracks (“Manchild”), while neglecting fantastic tracks from The Weeknd, JID, Clipse, Freddie Gibbs, and more.
The Best New Artist category, meanwhile, was disappointing; however, this disappointment is not necessarily the Grammys’ fault but more a result of a generally unimpressive roster of new artists.
This year is not the only year where Grammy nominations have excluded genre-defying albums in favor of lower-quality, but commercially successful, projects. Last year’s Album of the Year category featured bland and forgettable albums like “Djesse Vol. 4” by Jacob Collier, while failing to nominate projects like “Lahai” by Sampha, “Charm” by Clairo, or “King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2” by Denzel Curry, just to name a few. Hopefully, the Grammys will learn from these mistakes and make adjustments for 2027, but given their recent history, I am uncertain about the future of these prestigious awards.
Miles Heltzer (’26) is a senior at Latin. He is excited to serve as Arts Editor of The Forum for the second year. Miles particularly enjoys writing about trends in the music industry, including album releases, concert experiences, and music awards. In addition to writing for The Forum and listening to music, Miles enjoys participating in sports with his friends, playing video games, and watching the NFL.
This piece really reads like it’s coming from someone who’s primarily a rap fan, which explains a lot of the frustration with Best New Artist and the repeated dismissal of pop as “generic” or “uninteresting.” It’s fine to have preferences, but when you’re covering an awards show that spans so many genres, that bias becomes pretty obvious and limits the analysis. Writing this alongside someone who genuinely enjoys pop or other genres you’re more critical of would’ve added balance and made the takes feel more thoughtful instead of one-sided. Great Writing though!
Thank you for your opinion.
I would like to counter your argument about Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter. You claim that it is “nothing but a generic pop record with no emotional depth whatsoever”. This is fundamentally untrue. The song is catchy and has a bubblegum pop sound, but that doesn’t make it empty. The lyrics are a clever lament about dealing with somebody immature and choosing to laugh, not cry about it. I encourage you to re-listen to the track.
Addison Rae does not make “generic and uninteresting pop music” at all which is why her album is one of the most acclaimed of the year, get real. In fact, both Olivia and Leon’s music is way more generic and while perfectly nice to listen to, literally offer nothing new.
Jeff A. • Jan 9, 2026 at 8:54 am
This piece really reads like it’s coming from someone who’s primarily a rap fan, which explains a lot of the frustration with Best New Artist and the repeated dismissal of pop as “generic” or “uninteresting.” It’s fine to have preferences, but when you’re covering an awards show that spans so many genres, that bias becomes pretty obvious and limits the analysis. Writing this alongside someone who genuinely enjoys pop or other genres you’re more critical of would’ve added balance and made the takes feel more thoughtful instead of one-sided. Great Writing though!
Neera • Jan 7, 2026 at 9:04 pm
Thank you for your opinion.
I would like to counter your argument about Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter. You claim that it is “nothing but a generic pop record with no emotional depth whatsoever”. This is fundamentally untrue. The song is catchy and has a bubblegum pop sound, but that doesn’t make it empty. The lyrics are a clever lament about dealing with somebody immature and choosing to laugh, not cry about it. I encourage you to re-listen to the track.
Dana • Dec 19, 2025 at 12:22 pm
Addison Rae does not make “generic and uninteresting pop music” at all which is why her album is one of the most acclaimed of the year, get real. In fact, both Olivia and Leon’s music is way more generic and while perfectly nice to listen to, literally offer nothing new.