Award season can bring out the worst in social media users, as people flock to Instagram stories and TikTok videos to explain why a winner was not deserving. However, this often discounts a lot of artists' hard work and dedication to their art.
Following the 68th Grammy Awards, disagreements broke out across the internet for multiple categories, as people vocally disagreed with multiple artists' wins across categories. Specifically, “Song of the Year” was a large point of contention after Billie Eilish won for a song that came out during the last Grammy cycle.
Eilish won for her song, “WILDFLOWER,” which came out May 17, 2024. This falls into the last award cycle. However, the song was able to win because Eilish rereleased “WILDFLOWER” as a single March 4, 2025, making it eligible for the 68th Grammy Awards.
Also nominated for Song of the Year were “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga, “Anxiety” by Doechii, “APT.” by ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, “DtMF” by Bad Bunny, “Golden” by HUNTR/X, “luther” by Kendrick Lamar & SZA and “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter.
This isn’t the first time this happened. In fact, multiple songs and performances have been eligible for Grammy awards because of this loophole.
The Grammys’ eligibility rules make the awards so complicated. Luckily, the rules are clearly outlined on “The 68th Grammy Awards: Rules and Guidelines.”
“Recordings must be available to the public as stand-alone, audio-only purchases or streams (exceptions: opera, immersive audio album and music video/music film) beginning on any date within the eligibility period through at least the date of the current year’s Final Round voting deadline to be GRAMMY-eligible,” the Recording Academy said.
There are many examples of award loopholes in recent years, proving Eilish’s award was not a singular phenomenon.
Take Adele, for example. In 2012, her album “21” swept the Grammy Awards, making all original versions of her track ineligible for future awards. However, “Set Fire to the Rain,” originally released as a single on July 4, 2011, was rereleased in a live version on Nov. 16, 2011, making the song eligible for the 2013 Grammy Awards, as well. She then took home the Best Pop Solo Performance win for the second year in a row.
In 2015, there were three songs in the running for pop solo performance, even though the songs had been released years prior. The nominated alternate versions of the originals included: “Happy (Live)” by Pharrell Williams, “All of Me (Live)” by John Legend and “Stay with Me (Darkchild Version)” by Sam Smith. Ultimately, Williams took home the win, showing these performances still hold up even after their initial release.
The same goes for Eilish’s win. It was well within the rules of the Grammys, as it never would have been nominated if it weren’t for the technicality of the single’s release. Yet, people still took to social media to bash Eilish’s win.
One TikTok user, @trishlikefish8lover, posted a controversial TikTok that garnered 5.3 million views to Daya’s song, “Sit Still, Look Pretty.”
“How Billie Eilish felt winning song of the year at the 2026 Grammys with a song (that) was released in May 2024 that I genuinely haven’t heard in two summers,” the TikTok user said in the post.
Many users expressed their shared confusion about Eilish’s nomination and win in the comment section of the TikTok. However, a simple Google search could have told them all they needed to know about the Grammys’ eligibility rules.
Furthermore, if people have such a problem with wins such as Eilish’s, perhaps they should turn to the Recording Academy for a rule change rather than bashing an artist for their work. Many artists are allowed to submit their hard work to be considered for an award. At the end of the day, it is up to the Recording Academy to decide which artists get sent home with a golden gramophone.
After Eilish’s snub at the 67th Grammy Awards, it only makes sense that she gets recognized for the biggest album debut of her career. According to Billboard, “Hit Me Hard and Soft” in 2024 was the best debut of Eilish’s career thus far, so when it got completely shut out at the 67th Grammy Awards, fans were surprised.
The same thing happened at the 68th Grammy Awards to Sabrina Carpenter. Personally, I wonder if Carpenter will attempt the same move and release a single off her 2025 album, “Man’s Best Friend,” within the eligibility period for the 69th Grammy Awards.
The artists make the art for fans to enjoy, not for award recognition. Stop bashing artists who put hard work and dedication into their music for people to enjoy.
Sophia Anness is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Sophia about her column? Email/tweet them at sa425522@ohio.edu /@AnnessSoph0415.
