The biggest night in music is ready to hit all the right notes.
Indeed, the 2026 Grammy Award nominations were announced Nov. 7 by an ensemble of stars, including Brandi Carlile, Nicole Scherzinger and Doechii. And it's clear that the 68th annual ceremony will be a golden evening, with Kendrick Lamar leading the pack with nine nominations for his album GNX, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year.
Meanwhile, Lady Gaga is ready to have a monster ball after being nominated in seven categories for her album Mayhem, including Album of the Year and her first-ever nod in the Best Dance-Pop Recording category. And Bad Bunny will definitely be taking photos at the Feb. 1 award show after earning six nominations for his Debí Tirar Más Fotos, like Album of the Year.
With Jelly Roll, SZA and Sabrina Carpenter also vying for a golden gramophone, the categories are definitely stacked. However, there are some artists who raised eyebrows with their absence from this year's lineup. For instance, Lorde was shut out of all categories for her new album Virgin, while Miley Cyrus only earned one nod in the Best Pop Vocal Album category for Something Beautiful.
Although KPop Demon Hunters has been a beloved movie for all ages, the fictional Kpop group HUNTR/X earned a very real nomination in the Song of the Year for "Golden." Along with being the first K-pop group to get a nod in the category, they are only the second fictional group to do so since The Chipmunks in 1959.
Among the most surprising may be Taylor Swift whose new album Life of a Showgirl didn't earn any nominations. However, it's not a surprise since the "Karma" singer's latest project was released Oct. 3, while the award show's eligibility period was Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 30, 2025.
Another megastar missing from the lineup? Like Taylor, Beyoncé's latest album Cowboy Carter didn't make the cut. But don't get it twisted, the "Texas Hold 'Em" singer had a real-life boogie at last year's event.
After all, the 44-year-old made history by extending her lead as the most decorated artist in Grammys history with 35 trophies. And as she accepted her first-ever Album of the Year win alongside her and Jay-Z's daughter Blue Ivy Carter, she reflected on her sparkling career.
"I feel very full and very honored," she said. "It's been many, many years. I just want to thank the Grammys, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, all the hard work."
Beyoncé—also mom to 8-year-old twins Rumi Carter and Sir Carter—concluded her encouraging message, "I hope we just keep pushing forward, opening doors."
Now, keep reading to see all of the snubs and surprises from the 2026 Grammy nominations.
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