Editor’s Note: Adee Tulcan is a third-year biology major and The Point’s arts and culture editor. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Point.
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony strikes a new chord with its recently announced nominations and the introduction of two brand new categories: “Best Album Cover” and “Best Traditional Country Album.”
This year’s nominations were released on Nov. 7, with these new categories keeping viewers invested in the dynamics of the award ceremony.
I find the Best Album Cover category to be a welcome addition to the Grammys; however, it will be under some of the most scrutiny due to its subjectivity.
The Grammys have specific criteria for certain categories to ensure they represent that genre to the best of their ability; 75% of the album must be new pop vocal recordings for “Best Vocal Pop Album,” and 51% of playing time must be new recordings for “Best Musical Theater Album.” Judging art depicted on album covers will definitely be intriguing, as an album can be enhanced by the presence of an impactful album cover.
Bad Bunny, Tyler, The Creator, Djo, Perfume Genius and Wet Leg are all contenders for the Best Album Cover category. I am most drawn to Perfume Genius’ “Glory” album cover, where the colder elements are framed beautifully by the warmer color scheme of the worn-out blinds and the dimly lit lamp.
The second new category introduced in the 2026 Grammys is Best Traditional Country Album. Many listeners, who voiced their opinions on Reddit, were reminded of last year’s ceremony, where there was controversy regarding Beyoncé’s win in “Best Country Album.” The intersection of pop and country has been an ever-growing conversation, where the line between the two has become blurrier at every Grammys ceremony. There was debate as to whether “Cowboy Carter” had enough country to be considered for the category, thus enacting the need for a brand new section to be added.
To aid in the evolving nature of the genre, this year’s ceremony created a new category to respect those artists who have been committed to their roots while still appreciating those artists who make leaps and bounds toward innovation. Zach Top, Margo Price, Willie Nelson, Lukas Nelson and Charley Crockett are the nominees for this burgeoning category.
Although the two new categories have been received relatively positively, some of the nominations made in preexisting categories have left viewers scratching their heads.
Starting with some strong statements within the “Record of the Year” category, eight records span primarily across the genres of pop and rap. Bad Bunny’s “DtMF,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” and Doechii’s “Anxiety” are some of the bigger ones on the list.
One of the controversial aspects of this list of records competing for the award is how redundant and overplayed some of the songs are, according to some listeners, including “Anxiety” by Doechii and “APT.” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars.
Do I think that both of these songs have been run completely to the ground? Absolutely. Do I think their nominations for Record of the Year are misinformed? Not exactly.
This category is notorious for favoring pop pieces and Bruno Mars. Pop performances for both “Flowers” from Miley Cyrus and “About D*** Time” from Lizzo showcase the genre’s prevalence within the category. Also, claiming the winner for the 64th, 60th and 58th ceremonies for this award, it is far from a surprise seeing Mars show up once again.
Fellow Grammy heavyweights make an appearance in this category, including Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish. I find it interesting to see that Eilish is back on the board, as she was nominated for seven awards last year and didn’t take home a single trophy. Yet, here she is for Record of the Year for her album “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” despite it being released in May of last year, which was before this year’s eligibility period of Aug. 31, 2024, to Aug. 31, 2025.
Grace Chaves 
Olivia Roberts