The Grammys Don’t Know Music, by Braeden Pelko

A Grammy award is regarded as one of the most prestigious achievements somebody in the music industry can earn, with some regarding a Grammy award as the highest honor possible in a music career. It is supposed to be this ultimate gift in a series of events in the year prior that were so groundbreaking and influential in the music industry. They are evidence to affirm fans that their favorite musician is, in fact, as good as they say they are. But I’m here to tell you that the Grammys are none of that. It is less about the music, and more about making people happy if anything. 

To clarify, I still believe that the Grammys are an important part of music as time goes on. They encourage people to be passionate about their favorite artists, even going so far as to make music inspired by Grammy award winning artists. There are certainly some cases where earning a Grammy nomination or award is well-deserved. However, I think some of the magic the Grammys used to have is now replaced with people-pleasing and making money for big record labels. 

Music has always been subjective; not every song or album is meant for everyone. On the other hand, there are some undeniable objective aspects of music. You might not enjoy an album because you simply don’t like a singer’s voice, but you can’t deny its merit if that same album sold millions of copies and is cited as an inspiration for other musicians. This being said, I think there is some subjectivity that a Grammy nomination or award holds that doesn’t necessarily cite the recipient as largely influential or even good in terms of musical ability.

There are some Grammy nominations this year that are head scratching as to why they were even nominated. There are then some that seem undeserving due to the quality of the music. It’s quite apparent as to why those nominations, and sometimes victories, are even put under the spotlight of the Grammys: popularity. You could write the most sloppy, lazy, and boring song ever, but as long as people hear it across the world, you have a chance for a Grammy. 

I’m not debating the fact that some artists or songs are undeserving just because they are popular. Most of these popular songs, albums, or artists have some kind of conscious effort put behind them to be palatable to a wider audience. What I’m saying is that there is never a focus on exceedingly great musical effort and quality despite not being extremely well-known. To put it simply, popular songs are pumped out rapidly by big record labels and curated to musicians that are attractive to a large audience so that the song gets more plays, then the musician gets more attention, and then the big record label gets more money. These records, artists, and songs are often what gets nominated. 

The 2026 Grammy Nominations came out last week and were no exception to the notion that popularity rather than the music itself is celebrated. When I think of the best that music has to offer in a given year, I often think of artists that put together a passionate or emotional masterpiece that encapsulates a genre to its fullest extent that is able to engage the audience in new influential and exciting ways 一 the Grammys must not agree. With all due respect, there is no way you are convincing me that “Anxiety” by Doechii is some upper echelon of musical excellence that any artist hopes to achieve in their career. 

Although I can point to categories like “Record of the Year” or “Best New Artist” as arguments to be made against the capitalist tendencies of the music industry, I think this becomes most apparent in categories dedicated to a single genre of music. No more blatant is this than in the “Rock” or “Metal” categories. 

I tend to think that I am well-versed in metal and rock as a whole and keep up to date with what those genres have to offer in an evolving musical landscape. That being said, the 2026 nominations seem wrong to me. First off, the song “BIRDS” by Turnstile was nominated for Best Metal Performance, despite the fact that it’s a hardcore song and would be more fitting in the rock category. Secondly, the band Sleep Token received a nomination for Best Rock Song and Best Metal Performance but would be better suited for, debatably, an alternative pop nomination if the award existed. Lastly, it seems as though the Grammys aren’t giving a chance to newer artists to fully succeed and gain notoriety for their musical contributions. For example, the albums private music by Deftones and From Zero by Linkin Park were nominated for “Best Rock Album” which are two albums seen as somewhat decent in comparison to earlier work that was overall well-received. 

I think that the Grammys are overall suffering from a lack of diversity in their selections for music on the basis of choosing more popular items meant for commercial gain rather than fleshed out and more thoughtful musical efforts. The country nominations are pop music, the Best New Artists are more often nepo babies and industry plants than not, and they couldn’t even begin to fathom the concept of subgenre. A Grammy award should be awarded to the best musical outputs in a given year based on ability, reception, and compelling ideas. It should not cater to the popular output on the sole idea that it is just good enough and siphons the pockets of a wider audience.