The 2026 Grammys: My Hottest Takes

By Parker Compton

Tate McRae was snubbed.

Tate McRae had a phenomenal year. With the release of her highly acclaimed album So Close To What and the success of her Miss Possessive world tour, Tate McRae was everywhere in 2025. So where were her nominations at the Grammys? Tate McRae only received one nomination at the 2026 Grammys, and it wasn’t even for her album or any of its tracks. What a shame it is to forget about such a defining cultural moment…

My thoughts on the Best New Artist

Olivia Dean won in this category, and I’m definitely not upset about it (she has some great songs). However, I was shocked that Sombr didn’t win considering that his songs went mega viral in 2025 and that his album racked up over three billion streams. Personally, I wish Katseye had won. I know their Grammys performance was a bit controversial, but they had such a strong cultural presence in 2025 compared to the other candidates. Katseye really was the “it girl” group of the year.

Best Music Video…?

Doechii won best music video with “Anxiety” when Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” was one of the nominees. This must’ve been a mistake, right?

More on Sabrina Carpenter…

Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend was way too iconic to not win ANYTHING. “Manchild”? “House Tour”? “When Did You Get Hot”? They were all bangers. The absolute worst part about the Grammys was that the camera kept zooming in on Sabrina Carpenter’s face every time she lost. Sabrina Carpenter fans were already sad enough. Why do we need to see the tears in her eyes? 

My opinions on Song of the Year

Billie Eilish won Song of the Year with “Wildflower.” This should not have won this year; it should have won last year. “Wildflower” originally came out in 2024, so the fact that it won Song of the Year in the 2026 Grammys feels like A) the Grammys did not have a good pulse on what the 2025 culture was and B) they were trying to compensate for the fact that they had previously snubbed Billie Eilish in the 2025 Grammys. That’s not a good look.

My opinions on Album of the Year

Bad Bunny won Album of the Year with DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. Personally I wish Lady Gaga’s Mayhem had won, but I think Bad Bunny was very deserving of the win, especially considering all of the attention the album got with the NFL Halftime Show later that month.

What was the best performance of the night?

ZARA LARRSON, ZARA LARRSON, ZARA LARRSON. Look it up.

The verdict on the 2026 Grammys

Well, to put it simply, it was good. All of the performances were fantastic, and it was truly inspiring to see such a diverse array of talent on one stage. Despite the excruciating snubs and questionable calls, the 2026 Grammys got the most important thing right: they proved front and center that the future of music is bright.