Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber

It was a “unfold the love” form of Grammys, with hardly any sweeps to talk of, the closest clearly being Kendrick Lamar successful in 5 out of 9 classes. His power on the 2026 Grammys, primarily within the rap classes, plus a key rating for file of the yr, hardly counted as a shock. Elsewhere, almost each main star with a number of nominations needed to settle for only one or two, so there weren’t too many actually harsh shutouts. It felt like an “a trophy for everybody!” form of yr…

Properly, nearly everybody. Considerably shockingly, Sabrina Carpenter, who got here in with six nods, left empty-handed. In the meantime, Lola Younger, who is far admired however wasn’t anticipated to win something, offered one of many large shocks of the night time by beating 4 of right this moment’s prime superstars in a key pop class, which helped jolt awake everybody watching the almost four-hour pre-telecast “premiere ceremony.”

Listed here are a number of of this yr’s perceived snubs and surprises:

SURPRISE: Unhealthy Bunny goes the place no Latin music has gone earlier than on the Grammys. It doesn’t really feel fairly proper calling Unhealthy Bunny’s win within the climactic album of the yr class a “shock”… as a result of we at Selection efficiently predicted it. So, huzzah for us, however as we mentioned on the time, we have been going out on an enormous limb with that one. There have been loads of causes to assume it wouldn’t occur: The power of the competitors, together with Kendrick Lamar and Woman Gaga, both of whom was predicted by loads of soothsayers to take this class. Extra considerably to doubters, maybe, a Spanish-language recording has by no means beforehand received in any of the highest 4 classes. And Unhealthy Bunny’s earlier album wasn’t even nominated within the class, so it might’ve been straightforward to imagine his assist within the Academy was to shallow to push him to the highest this time.

However one issue that made us imagine “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” was in line for a historic win right here was the truth that all the Latin Grammy voters had lately been invited to vote for the usual Grammys — fairly a fast repair for the style’s perceived underrepresentation. Plus: the album was a really well-reviewed monster, simply the way in which the Academy likes it. And if there was any slight inclination to stay it to Tremendous Bowl halftime haters by giving the celebrity a further vote of confidence right here, that simply might have been the irresistible icing on the cake for some voters on the bubble about this one.

SNUB: Sabrina Carpenter goes house with nothing however a number of love for that “Manchild” manufacturing quantity. Some could say Carpenter got here again too quickly with a followup album after her breakout successes of the earlier yr. But it’s arduous to see something about her technique there as a mistake, since “Manchild” was a reputable monster, and so was her “Man’s Greatest Buddy” album, by nearly each measure apart from 2026 Grammy wins. When it comes all the way down to it, there was simply an excessive amount of competitors for all of this yr’s multiply nominated pop superstars to win one thing, and Carpenter was left with no seat within the ceremony’s sport of musical chairs.

There’s no disgrace in developing quick there when what viewers will keep in mind most is the efficiency Carpenter gave close to the highest of the present, with a seeming solid of 1000’s becoming a member of her on an airport baggage declare set that seemed sufficiently big to increase midway to LAX. Carpenter seldom fails in delivering a high-concept manufacturing quantity, and producers have been certainly happy she received the exhibit to such an infectiously giddy begin, even when she wasn’t compensated for it in gold.

SURPRISE: Lola Younger beats all of the pop masters of the universe in a key class. Is there anybody whose predictions listing or bingo card had Younger successful finest pop solo efficiency on it? When she was up in opposition to Carpenter, Gaga, Chappell Roan and Justin Bieber, any of whom tower over the British singer in stateside consciousness? Sure, she is an artist to beat in the case of her native U.Okay., and if critics voted, we might have made a case for her to have a combating probability right here. However it additionally appeared just like the winds may need been prevailing in opposition to her when she dropped out of a current tour — correctly deciding that her well being was extra urgent than maintaining her public momentum, not to mention campaigning for a Grammy.

Her album (“I’m Solely F**king Myself”) is great, and “Messy” was a major streaming hit, however Younger is just not for everybody. So depend this left-field selection as a contented one, even when she wasn’t your rooting curiosity right here — she’s the form of wild card that makes Grammy-watching enjoyable. And in lieu of finest new artist, for which she was nominated (however all the time destined to fall to Olivia Dean), this offers a platform for discovery of a singer who has the potential to be round for many years, the form of factor the Academy likes to have on its observe file.

SNUB: Justin Bieber’s observe file of being underloved on the Grammys continues. Bieber has extra cred than ever at this level, with a number of essential and tastemaker assist for his two “Swag” albums, which lean towards a extra attention-grabbing lo-fi sound than the large productions he’s been identified for. That was sufficient to get him 4 nominations for this yr’s awards, however not a win. That’s in line with his total Grammys historical past: 27 nominations and solely two wins.

In reality, Bieber was not significantly favored in any of the most important classes this yr, regardless of these 4 marquee nods. There have been simply too many stable favorites up in opposition to him to think about his comeback narrative after 4 years out of the limelight could be sufficient to let him overcome somebody with as a lot foreign money in the intervening time as Kendrick or Unhealthy Bunny. (The loss to Lola Younger could sting a bit extra, because it did for all the opposite stars in that class.) People did get pleasure from his sudden solo efficiency on the telecast — even when it was arduous to inform from his off-stage demeanor whether or not he was sad to be there or simply had a case of resting-Justin-face — and the basic phrases suffice: He’ll be advantageous.

SURPRISE: Billie Eilish is a drive to be reckoned with, even commercially off-cycle. The Grammys love Eilish a lot, we all the time have to think about her a potential winner any time she’s up at bat for something… as we famous in calling her a darkish horse within the tune and file of the yr classes. With that mentioned, it appeared prefer it won’t be Eilish’s yr simply because “Wildflower” is a late-looming remnant of an album that got here out in 2024 and was in rivalry final yr. However apparently voters don’t assume “previous information” is unhealthy information once they love somebody as a lot as they do Billie and Finneas. She’s a type of uncommon return nominees who has enchantment to twentysomething and seventysomething voters alike — a pop classicist at coronary heart who additionally has a winningly brash floor.

Plus, successful is successful, and “Wildflower” was an enormous one, even when it bloomed within the shadow of the even larger “Birds of a Feather.” Talking of which… why did “Birds” not choose up something final yr? Possibly that “snub” for one of many nice songs of the previous few years put a bit wind within the sails of her supporters to enact justice this time.

SNUB: Okay-pop (largely). “Golden” needed to accept the silver. The smash hit from “KPop Demon Hunters” didn’t get ignored altogether: It received, inevitably, for finest tune written for visible media, and with that, it turned the primary Okay-pop recording ever to win a Grammy. It fell quick for tune of the yr (shedding to Eilish) and pop duo/group efficiency (to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s large “Depraved” tune), the opposite spots the place it had an opportunity. However the actual snub was felt again on the nominations stage, when it didn’t choose up a nomination for file of the yr.

“APT.” by Rosé and Bruno Mars additionally got here up empty, regardless of a number of nods. It was an enormous tune, clearly, however not one which was favored within the prognosticating. Rosé was a first-timer, however Mars has an enormous historical past with the Grammys — who could have simply felt the necessity to let the fields lay a bit bit fallow between the gigantic-ness of “Die With a Smile” and his forthcoming album most likely being an enormous drive at subsequent yr’s Grammys. However do Recording Academy voters simply nonetheless have a factor about honoring Okay-pop artists, even in collaboration with their A-list favorites? Can’t rule it out.