FANFAQ: 2026 Grammy Nominations, Explained
How is Billie Eilish eligible for “Wildflower,” and how can Leon Thomas be “new” after a Grammy win? We answer the biggest fan questions from this year’s noms.
Nominations for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards are officially out! Kendrick Lamar leads the pack with nine nods, followed by Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny and Leon Thomas.
Meanwhile, Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos is making history as only the second all-Spanish-language album ever nominated for Album of the Year, Rosé just became the first Korean soloist to earn a Grammy nomination and two former Hype House members found themselves in the Best New Artist lineup.
But among this year’s list full of milestones and surprises, the internet is once again debating what counts as “new,” what counts as “eligible,” and why one song from last year’s album just earned two of the biggest nominations this year.
To clear things up, this edition of FANFAQ breaks down how the Grammy process actually works so you can scroll through the nominations list with a little more context.
1. How do the Grammy nominations actually work?
The process starts long before nomination day. Each summer, the Recording Academy opens its Online Entry Process, where both members and registered media companies can submit eligible songs and albums released within the year’s window.
The eligibility period is set annually by the Grammys, and this year, it ran from August 31, 2024 through August 30, 2025. That means any projects released after August 30 (even if they dropped before nominations were announced) won’t be eligible until next year’s ceremony. For our Swiftie readers, that’s why Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl, which arrived in September, isn’t part of this year’s race, marking her first Grammy-free season in years.
From there, the Grammy’s Awards Department and genre-specific screening committees review each entry to make sure it’s eligible and placed in the right category. Once everything is sorted, Academy voting members, which can include artists, songwriters, producers and engineers, receive a first-round ballot. They can vote in up to ten categories across three genre fields, plus the six general ones (Record, Album, Song, Best New Artist, Producer of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year).
Those votes determine the official nominees, which are then sent to members again for a final round of voting to select the winners. The final round of voting to select winners for the Grammys actually kicks off next month, running from December 12 until January 5.
2. Who decides what category a song or album competes in?
While artists can suggest categories when submitting their work, the Recording Academy has the final say. Genre-specific screening committees, made up of hundreds of music professionals, review every entry to make sure it’s placed correctly.
According to the Recording Academy, “the purpose of genre screening committees is not to make artistic or technical judgments about the recordings, but rather to make sure that each entry is eligible and placed in its proper category.” In other words, these committees are supposed to focus on accuracy, not opinions.
Still, category placement can spark debate. There have been past cases where artists publicly disagreed with how their work was classified. For example, in 2020, Justin Bieber voiced frustration after his album Changes was classified as pop instead of R&B, saying it didn’t reflect his artistic intent. The following year, Kacey Musgraves’ Star-Crossed was ruled ineligible for country categories and moved to pop, a decision that drew public backlash from her label and fans, especially given her previous Grammy wins in country categories.
Sometimes, artists do end up spanning multiple genres at once. At the 67th Grammys, for example, Beyoncé earned nominations in pop, country and melodic rap categories. This year, Justin Bieber appears across both R&B and pop, a reminder that genre lines at the Grammys are often blurrier than they seem.
3. What makes someone “new” enough for Best New Artist?
“New” might sound straightforward, but at the GRAMMYs, it’s one of the most debated definitions every year. The Recording Academy says the category honors artists who’ve had a “breakthrough into the public consciousness and impacted the musical landscape during the year’s eligibility period.”
It’s less about when an artist debuts, and more about when their music truly puts them on the map. Still, there are a few technical rules behind the award. Artists must have released at least five singles or a full album to be considered, and there’s no maximum number of releases that would disqualify them. Artists also can’t have been considered for the category more than three times, and if they’ve been nominated for a Grammy as a performer before (even in a different category), they’re typically not eligible.
However, the Academy outlines two key exceptions. The first applies to artists who were previously nominated as a featured performer before they had officially debuted. If they hadn’t yet released five songs or an album, they can still qualify later. The second, introduced this year, expands eligibility for artists who were featured on an Album of the Year nominee but contributed less than 20 percent of its total playing time.
This year’s lineup really shows how flexible the Best New Artist category can be.
Nominee Leon Thomas, long known as a songwriter and producer, already has a Grammy for co-writing SZA’s “Snooze.” But because he’s now breaking out as a performer in his own right, he still qualifies under the current rules, which say, “new recording artists who previously achieved recognition in a different discipline, such as songwriters, politicians, actors, astronauts, etc.” are “eligible.”
Meanwhile, The Marías likely benefited from the new eligibility expansion, since they were featured on Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, an Album of the Year nominee in 2023, but contributed less than 20 percent of its total length.
Ultimately, the category celebrates the moment an artist finally breaks through, even if that moment comes years after their first upload or feature.
4. How can a song or album stay eligible across years?
Similar to Best New Artist, this one always throws people off. A song can actually be eligible even if it first appeared before the current Grammy eligibility window, as long as it’s newly released as a single or as part of a new project within the current period, and it hasn’t been submitted before.
This year’s clearest example is Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower.” The track first appeared on her 2024 album Hit Me Hard and Soft, which was nominated at the Grammys earlier this year. But “Wildflower” became newly eligible for the 2026 ceremony after being released as a stand-alone single within this year’s window, and crucially, it had never been entered for Grammy consideration before.
According to the Recording Academy’s rulebook, “a track or single from a previous year’s album is eligible” in most categories, “provided the recording was not entered as a track or single the previous year and provided the album did not win a GRAMMY in a performance category.”
It’s rare, but not unprecedented. If a song wasn’t previously submitted, it can be re-entered if it becomes newly available, re-released or gains significant traction during a later eligibility period.
For example, Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” qualified years after its initial release for a similar reason. Released in 2017, it wasn’t submitted the first time around, then appeared on a later album that fell within the eligibility window. Lizzo won Best Pop Solo Performance for the song in 2020.
5. What’s the difference between Song of the Year and Record of the Year?
Nominations for these categories often overlap, so it’s easy to get confused about the differences between the two. Song of the Year honors songwriting, so it goes to the writers behind the lyrics and melody. Meanwhile, Record of the Year celebrates the performance and production. It awards the artist, producers and engineers who made the track sound the way that it does.
6. What else is new this year?
The 68th Grammys come with a few fresh rule and category updates worth knowing. As mentioned earlier, artists who were previously featured on an Album of the Year nominee, but contributed less than 20% of its total playing time, can now still qualify for Best New Artist.
Country fans will also notice the addition of Best Traditional Country Album, which joins the lineup alongside Best Contemporary Country Album, to allow the Recording Academy to recognize the genre’s classic sounds and more modern style hits. A new Best Album Cover category was also created, with covers from albums by Tyler, the Creator, Djo, Bad Bunny, Perfume Genius, and Wet Leg earning recognition.
The Grammys can be complicated, and most fans only see the end result, not the layers of review, voting and eligibility checks that lead up to it. Each step involves hundreds of creative professionals following detailed rules designed to keep things fair.
It’s not surprising that those same rules can make the process confusing from the outside, especially when songs resurface years later or artists land in unexpected categories.
For fans, it can be hard to see how all the moving parts fit together. For the Academy, it’s about maintaining a system that honors artistry in a constantly changing industry.
Either way, there’s always something to debate and always a reason to keep asking questions. Have one? Send us your FANFAQ.
The 68th annual Grammy Awards ceremony airs Sunday Feb. 1, 2026, live on CBS and Paramount+. Check out the full list of nominations here.
FANFAQ is a recurring column from Fangirl Forward that demystifies the entertainment industry for fans. Got something you’ve always wondered about? Send us your question here.