"After a deep, focused re-calibrating of its voting base - towards one younger, more diverse and more contemporary in taste - the Recording Academy made strides avoiding the big whiffs they were once famous for in the nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards. But there will always be snubs, surprises and heated debates within the nominations. Here are a few that stood out for us."
"After a surprise, hatchet-burying performance from the Weeknd at February's ceremony, it seemed that Abel Tesfaye was finally ready to get back in the Grammy ring after a four-year boycott of the event. Tesfaye had been understandably angry that his smash hit 2019 single "Blinding Lights, off 2020's "After Hours," whiffed on nominations, and blamed the Grammys' opacity around voting."
The Recording Academy recalibrated its voting base toward younger, more diverse, and more contemporary tastes, which reduced several high-profile nomination misses for the 2026 Grammys. Significant snubs and surprises still occurred. The Weeknd received no nominations for "Hurry Up Tomorrow" despite returning to the ceremony after a four-year boycott rooted in a prior nomination grievance. Recording Academy chief Harvey Mason Jr. acknowledged past mistakes and said criticism was heard. Country album categories were split into Traditional and Contemporary to reflect both classic sounds and pop-infused directions, producing unexpected placements across the new divisions.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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