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s the 68th Annual Grammy Awards draw near, the music industry finds itself in its annual state of fascination, fury and fragmented celebration. The nominations, revealed on November 7th, confirmed familiar names. The ceremony, set to be held on February 1st of next year at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, will include covering recordings released between 31 August 2024 and 30 August 2025.
Kendrick Lamar leads with nine nominations, but also triggered debate about who the Recording Academy recognises, how it defines artistry and what its choices quietly reveal about the culture it serves. Alongside its usual 95 categories, this year the Academy introduced two new ones: Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover, recognising shifts in the creative landscape.
A Broader Stage or
a Rebranded One?
On paper, this year’s Grammys look global. Rosé of BLACKPINK became the first K-pop solo artist nominated for Record of the Year with ‘APT’. KPop Demon Hunters, an animated soundtrack, earned a Song of the Year nomination for ‘Golden’ and Bad Bunny made history once again with his all-Spanish album DeBÍ TiRAR MÁS FOTOS competing for Album of the Year. Timothée Chalamet earned a nomination for his contribution to A Complete Unknown. These selections show the Academy is including non-English, cross-genre and visual-driven works, though some observers argue this reflects optics rather than real change. Critics note that while the Grammys appear more inclusive, winners often remain within the traditional power structure.
Pakistani Artistsin the Grammy
Conversation
Pakistani artists remain active on the international stage, even if the final 2026 nominations list includes no Pakistani nominees. Arooj Aftab,
the Lahore-born singer-songwriter, previously won a Grammy in 2022 for Best Global Music Performance with ‘Mohabbat’ and has since received multiple nominations. She also performed on the Grammy stage, which speaks volume for her talent. For 2026, she submitted a remix of her track ‘Raat Ki Rani’ with Khruangbin for Best Remixed Recording.
Meesha Shafi submitted her 2025 album Khilnay Ko for Best Global Music Album, Best Global Music Performance and Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical). These were submissions for consideration, not final nominations.
Karachi-born sound engineer Taurees Habib achieved a Grammy win for his engineering work on Dune: Part Two, making him the first Pakistani sound engineer to win and the second Pakistani overall to earn a Grammy (this year).
Long before these wins, nominat-ions and submissions, the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was nominated for two Grammy Awards for his genre-changing album, Night Song. These milestones highlight the growing presence of Pakistani talent in technical and global music categories, even though performing artists did not make it to the final nominee list for 2026.
The Snubs That Define the Year
Every Grammys season brings omissions that feel like statements of their own. Among the most discussed this year: Lorde, whose critically adored Virgin earned no nominations despite global acclaim. The Weeknd’s album Hurry Up Tomorrow was entirely shut out despite major submissions and Gracie Abrams and Megan Moroney were left out, reigniting debates about the Academy’s approach to pop’s younger voices and country’s emerging artists.
The Best New Artist category also raised eyebrows; not a single rap or country performer made the shortlist. While Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl appeared to have been snubbed, the album was ineligible because it was released after the 30 August cut-off. In other words, some omissions are procedural, while others feel symbolic.
New Rules, Old
Tensions
This year’s rule changes affect eligibility and recognition. Artists who contributed as little as 20 per cent to an Album of the Year contender can now qualify for Best New Artist, a nod to the realities of modern collaboration.
Best Traditional Country Album replaces Best Country Album and Best Contemporary Country Album recognises modern releases. Many see this as a reaction to the country genre’s ongoing identity crisis, especially after boundary-pushing releases by artists like Beyoncé and Kacey Musgraves blurred its definitions.
Similarly, the new Best Album Cover category seems progressive, a long-overdue gesture to visual designers, yet some argue these changes address appearances rather than redistributing power, maintaining the status of established names and Western-focused genres.
Beneath the Surface: The Grammys’ Quiet Biases
Experts and insiders point out that beneath the headline changes lie subtler assumptions and biases that shape how music is valued. The Academy often celebrates its growing diversity, adding over 3,800 members this year, but analysts note that expanded membership has not necessarily changed voting outcomes.
Genre splits reinforce tradition, suggesting some forms of music require protection while others evolve. Representation on the ballot does not guarantee representation at the podium, a distinction critics call “symbolic inclusion without structural change.”
With the change in the Best New Artist category, eligibility now depends less on artistry and more on visibility. The Grammys present themselves as peer-voted and artist-driven, but voting often occurs outside members’ expertise and name recognition still heavily influences results.
The process remains opaque and the belief that the Grammys purely reward artistic merit remains more ideal than reality. This year’s broader global field, from Bad Bunny to Rosé, reflects a changing industry, but the language of prestige remains distinctly Western. Few non-English records have ever won major categories.
Reading Between
the Lines
To its credit, the Recording Academy is trying. It has adjusted rules, added categories and acknowledged that global music no longer fits within US genre filtering. Yet legacy and established hierarchies still dominate. Still, the 2026 lineup signals momentum.
Broader genres, visual recognition and increased global submissions are visible. Pakistani submissions and Habib’s engineering win this year demonstrate the growing presence of international talent.
Whether these changes will result in lasting impact or remain symbolic is an open question, one that only time can answer.