As the 2026 Grammy nominees were unveiled on Friday, a stir of excitement and slight confusion was set among music enthusiasts regarding Billie Eilish's nominations, particularly for her song "Wildflower." The Hollywood Reporter steps in to clarify the intricacies of the situation.
The Grammy and Oscar winner boasts two nods for her track "Wildflower," encompassing both Song and Record of the Year categories. Eilish herself couldn't contain her delight, penning on Instagram, "Song of the year & record of the year for WILDFLOWER. Thank you @recordingacademy. Feeling so grateful."
However, some are taken aback by the eligibility of "Wildflower," which debuted on her recent album, Hit Me Hard and Soft (released in May 2024), which had already secured nominations at the 67th annual ceremony in February 2025, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.
The reason behind "Wildflower's" qualification for the upcoming awards is that it was released as a single in February 2025, falling within the eligibility period (August 31, 2024 – August 30, 2025) for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy differentiates between tracks and singles, with a "track" being part of an album release and a "single" being released separately.
According to the official Grammy rules, "A track or single from a previous year's album is eligible in various fields, provided the recording was not entered as a track or single the previous year and provided the album did not win a GRAMMY in a performance Category." Since Hit Me Hard and Soft didn't bag any awards at the 2025 Grammys (with Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter winning Album of the Year and Sabrina Carpenter's Short n’ Sweet claiming Best Pop Vocal Album), that opens the door for "Wildflower" to compete.
At the upcoming ceremony, Eilish faces stiff competition from Bad Bunny's "DtMF," Carpenter's "Manchild," Doechii's "Anxiety," Lady Gaga's "Abracadabra," Kendrick Lamar and SZA's "luther," Chappell Roan's "The Subway," and Rosé and Bruno Mars's "APT" for Record of the Year. As for Song of the Year, the nominees include "Abracadabra," "Anxiety," "APT.," "DtMF," "Golden [From “KPop Demon Hunters”]," "luther," "Manchild," and "Wildflower."
The 2026 Grammys will take center stage on February 1, where music lovers will be eagerly awaiting the outcome of this highly anticipated competition.
