There are years when everybody has a pretty good idea of who is likely to win in the marquee categories at the Grammy Awards. The best example is 1984, which turned into a virtual coronation of Michael Jackson as the hottest pop star on the planet. He won a record-setting eight Grammys that night, including album and record of the year. Or 1999, when Santana equaled Jackson’s eight-Grammy sweep, also taking album and record of the year. Or 2012, when Adele cemented her superstardom by tying Beyoncé’s record for the most Grammy wins by a female artist in one night (six).

2026 was most definitely not one of those years. Each of the so-called Big Four Awards — album, record and song of the year plus best new artist — was basically too close to call.

Would album of the year go to Kendrick Lamar at long last, or to Bad Bunny?

Would record of the year go to the Kendrick Lamar and SZA collab “Luther,” or to the ROSÉ and Bruno Mars pairing, “APT.”?

Would song of the year go to “Golden,” the global smash from KPop Demon Hunters, or maybe to “Luther” or “APT.”? (I didn’t think “Wildflower” would place in the top three.)

Would best new artist go to Leon Thomas, this year’s only best new artist nominee who landed another Big Four nod (album of the year for Mutt), or to Olivia Dean or sombr, both of whom leveled up in popularity just as ballots were being cast?

By now you know the answers to these questions: Bunny, “Luther,” “Wildflower” and Dean, respectively. Of these four categories, only “Wildflower” could really be called a surprise winner, but there were plenty of surprises among the 95 awards presented on Feb. 1. Here are some of the biggest snubs and surprises of Grammy night 2026.