Lorde, Gracie Abrams, Megan Moroney and More

Narrowing down the past year’s releases to decide what music earns a nomination at the 2026 Grammys can’t be an easy task.

The Recording Academy unveiled the full list of nominees for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on Friday, Nov. 7, and artists like Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga came out on top with the most nods. But some acts were shut out of the competition altogether, while others’ inclusions came as a surprise.

Despite earning major chart successes this year, stars like Lorde, Gracie Abrams and Megan Moroney didn’t receive any nominations. Meanwhile, songs from hit films like Wicked and KPop Demon Hunters got even more love than many fans may have expected.

Ahead of the upcoming Grammy Awards ceremony at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 2026, here are some of the biggest snubs and surprises from the nominations.

Snubs

Lorde

Lorde returned to the spotlight earlier this year with her fourth studio album, Virgin, satiating fans who waited about four years since her last full-length release, 2021’s Solar Power.

The new album’s lead single “What Was That” reached the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, while second single “Man of the Year” sparked a viral TikTok trend. Virgin reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and marked a sonic return to form for the New Zealand artist, earning critical acclaim.

Upon hitting the scene with the hit song “Royals” and its accompanying album Pure Heroine more than a decade ago, Lorde won two Grammys at the 2014 ceremony and later earned an Album of the Year nomination for her second album, 2018’s Melodrama.

Solar Power received mixed reviews in 2021, underperformed commercially and didn’t receive any Grammy nominations, and many fans likely expected Lorde to get back in the Recording Academy’s good graces with Virgin, but the album did not net any nominations.

The Weeknd

The Weeknd has an interesting relationship with the Grammys. He earned his first nomination in 2014 and then took home two awards in 2016 for his Beauty Behind the Madness album and its single “Earned It,” plus another in 2018 for Starboy.

In 2021, the artist announced he was boycotting the Grammys and called the awards show “corrupt” for lack of transparency behind the scenes. That year, he also declared he’d “no longer allow” his record label to submit his music to the awards show.

However, he made a surprise return at the 2025 show with a performance of “Cry for Me” and “Timeless.” This year, his record label announced several submissions for The Weekend, who released his sixth studio album Hurry Up Tomorrow and an accompanying film starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. But the musician didn’t receive any nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards.

Gracie Abrams

Gracie Abrams has been seemingly everywhere this year. If you haven’t seen her touring arenas or playing massive festival stages, you’ve probably heard “That’s So True” on the radio or TikTok.

The single was released in November 2024 on the deluxe version of Abrams’ The Secret of Us album and ultimately reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Abrams was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2024 Grammys and earned a nod for “Us” with Taylor Swift in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category at last year’s ceremony. However, she didn’t receive any nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards.

Megan Moroney

Megan Moroney debuted on the country scene in 2022 with the Top 10 hit “Tennessee Orange” and saw major success with her 2024 album Am I Okay? And while the body of work was released before the upcoming Grammy Awards eligibility period began at the end of August 2024, she dropped a deluxe version in October 2024.

Additionally, Moroney notched hits in 2025 with one-off singles “You Had to Be There” and “6 Months Later.” Both songs were released within the 2026 Grammy Awards eligibility period, but she didn’t receive any nominations.

Role Model

Role Model had a breakthrough year in 2025 with the deluxe version of his album, Kansas Anymore, featuring the inescapable viral hit “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.”

He performed the song on tour with Gracie Abrams as well as at festivals and his own headlining shows, bringing out Grammy winners like Olivia Rodrigo and Charli xcx, plus past nominees including Troye Sivan and Lewis Capaldi as his “Sally” on stage.

Despite the buzz, Role Model didn’t ultimately land any nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards.

Surprises

Wicked in a Pop Category

The Wicked soundtrack earned three nominations at the 2026 Grammy Awards, including Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media and Best Score Soundtrack Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film and Television).

Its third nomination, however, is a bit unexpected. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s “Defying Gravity” earned a nod for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance — despite it technically being a show tune — alongside pop hits like ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” and KATSEYE’s “Gabriela.”

The nomination isn’t completely out of left field, as the song did reach the top 40 on both the US Adult Pop Airplay and US Pop Airplay charts. But it’s the first time a song from a musical made its way into the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category since it’s 2012 inception.

KPop Demon Hunters Keep Going Up, Up, Up

KPop Demon Hunters feels like it’s taken over the world since the animated musical movie hit Netflix in June. It’s charted four songs from its soundtrack in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, including the No. 1 hit “Golden,” performed by EJAE, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna as fictional band Huntr/x.

The film earned four nominations at the 2026 Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Golden,” plus Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for the soundtrack album.

Previously, BTS was the only K-pop group to earn any Grammy nominations, though they haven’t won — so it’s possible the women of Huntr/x could make history.

Milli Vanilli Gets a Second Chance

Many people remember the story of Milli Vanilli, the R&B duo fronted by Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus that shot up the charts in the late ‘80s with hits like “Girl You Know It’s True” and “Blame It on the Rain.”

However, it was then revealed that Morvan and Pilatus were not the vocalists on any of Milli Vanilli’s songs. The Recording Academy subsequently revoked the duo’s Grammy Award for Best New Artist — marking the only time the organization has ever done so.

Over the past few years, Morvan has spoken in-depth about his experience in Milli Vanilli and told PEOPLE in 2023, “Without this music and this journey, I wouldn’t be who I am today.” [Pilatus died of a suspected overdose in 1998.]

In August, Morvan released the book You Know It’s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli, cowritten with Parisa Rose. He also narrated the audio book, which is now nominated for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording — meaning he finally has a second chance at earning a Grammy Award. And this time, he’d get to keep it.