Benson Boone wants the world to respect his whimsical dessert.
The American Heart singer poked fun at his album’s lead single “Mystical Magic,” an ode to love and his unofficial ice cream flavor, after it didn’t receive a nomination for the 2026 Grammys in February.
“Can’t believe ‘moonbeam ice cream’ didn’t get a Grammy nom,” Benson wrote on his Nov. 10 Instagram Stories, looking directly into the camera. “It’s literally pure lyrical genius.”
Indeed, “Mystical Magical” became a viral meme after the American Idol alum first teased the chorus on TikTok in April. Specifically, many fans didn’t understand his nod to the sweet treat, leading them to joke about the track’s lyrics. But despite the backlash, the “Beautiful Things” singer leaned into the chatter and later admitted that songwriter Jack LaFrantz made up the playful line during their studio session.
“I write pretty much everything with Jack,” the 23-year-old explained during his June 5 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “Jack’s sitting there and he just goes, ‘You know, what if you just did this?’ It looked like he was going to say something really good and then he goes, “Moonbeam ice cream, taking off your blue jeans!”
Stunned by Jack’s idea, Benson noted that he used the lyric “as a placeholder” before he realized how much he liked it.
“We went home and listened to it,” he recalled of the session. “I was like, “Moonbeam ice cream? Hell yeah!”
Although “Mystical Magic” didn’t receive a nod from the Recording Academy on Nov. 7, the unserious line did get him one award: his own “Moonbeam Ice Cream” Crumbl cookie.
As for how other artists reacted to their 2026 Grammy nominations? Addison Rae, who secured a nod for Best New Artist, shared a compilation photo of her shocked reaction on her Instagram Stories after the announcement. Meanwhile, Leon Thomas—who also landed in the same category and received five more nominations, including Album of the Year for his 2024 album Mutt—dedicated an entire post to his accolades.
“Thank you God, my team, every collaborator, every producer, family, friends and most especially my fans I couldn’t have done it without you,” the “Yes It Is” singer wrote earlier this month. “I got a show tonight and I’m gonna continue working harder on this next album.”
Keep reading to see more stars who have a shot at taking home a gramophone in February 2026…
SNUB: Shawn Mendes
The "Treat You Better" artist's new self-titled album Shawn gave listeners a raw look into his mental health battle. Unfortunately, it didn't earn recognition from the Recording Academy.
SURPRISE: Addison Rae
From making TikTok videos to soaring on the music charts: The "Diet Pepsi" singer was nominated in the Best New Artist category.
SNUB: Alex Warren
While the singer earned a spot in the Best New Artist category, his ultra-catchy tune "Ordinary" didn't score any nominations.
SURPRISE: K-Pop Demon Hunters
Since the Netflix film's August release, "Golden" has become a total earworm, landing it in the Song of the Year category.
Now, the fictional band HUNTR/X is the first K-pop group to vie for the gramophone in that category and the second fictional group to do so since The Chipmunks in 1959.
SURPRISE: Clipse
Brothers Pusha T and Malice proved their reunion for Let God Sort Em Out, their first studio album together since 2009's Til the Casket Drops, was a golden collab. They earned five nods, including Album of the Year and Best Rap Album.
SURPRISE: Justin Bieber
The "Peaches" singer proved that getting back in the studio bore some very sweet fruits. His latest project SWAG earned him three nominations, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.
His latest nod comes three years after he was last nominated at the award show for Best Music Film in 2023 for Justin Bieber.
SNUB: Role Model
It seems the wine ran out for the "Look At That Woman" singer, who didn't get any Grammy nominations.
SURPRISE: Leon Thomas
While the "Far Fetched" musician was expected to take home some nominations for his album Mutt, he is the only Best New Artist nominee to be nominated in one of the Big Four categories.
With six nods in total, the Victorious alum will also compete in the Album of the Year category, Best R&B performance, Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best R&B Song and Best R&B Album.
SNUB: Benson Boone
The "Beautiful Things" singer may have had a mystical, magical year with his new album American Heart, but it didn't make it into any of the Grammy categories