The Grammys might have been a tad late to Zach Top’s honky-tonking party. But Washington’s old-soul country man wouldn’t be denied Friday morning when the Recording Academy announced the nominations for its 2026 award show.
After setting Nashville on fire over the last 18 months, the singer-songwriter who grew up in Sunnyside and Pasco picked up his first three Grammy nominations this year, including two for his breakout hit “I Never Lie” (best country song and best country solo performance).
The neotraditionalist country star, who returns to his home state for a few arena gigs this month, earned some of the highest-profile nods among this year’s Washington nominees, notching a third with his sophomore album, “Ain’t In It for My Health,” up for best traditional country album.
Top joins the Grammys’ resident Washingtonian Brandi Carlile, who unsurprisingly added another two nominations for her kaleidoscopic collaborations with friend and musical hero Elton John. Carlile and John’s joint album “Who Believes in Angels?” is up for best traditional pop album, while their single “Never Too Late” — initially released as part of John’s concert film of the same name — faces stiff competition in the best song written for visual media category, where the piano rock ballad squares off with “Golden” from the blockbuster “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack and Nine Inch Nails’ “As Alive as You Need Me to Be” from “Tron: Ares.”
And before any Seattle fans reach for their pitchforks, Carlile’s brand-new solo album “Returning to Myself,” the most distinct of her career, won’t be Grammy eligible until next year.
Both Carlile and Top — who should have netted a best new artist nom either this year or last — felt like shoo-ins for the 2026 Grammy Awards, which takes place Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. But one Washington star was among this year’s biggest snubs.
Backflipping pop star Benson Boone has continued his ascent since notching one of the biggest songs of 2024 with pop rocker “Beautiful Things,” following the success with this year’s “American Heart” LP and establishing himself as a bona fide arena headliner. Yet Boone, who hasn’t exactly been a critical darling, is nowhere to be found among this year’s nominees after earning only one nod (best new artist) last year. While Boone impressed with a performance during last year’s Grammys (a prime-time TV slot more coveted than a trophy), his lone nomination felt a little disappointing for a breakout star boasting one of the most ubiquitous hits of the year.
Among the other local nominees, seven-time Grammy winner Dimitriy Lipay is once again up for producer of the year, classical and best classical compendium (“Ortiz: Yanga”), with projects he worked on up for other awards across the classical field.
Seattle-rooted vocal quartet and master arrangers säje scored another best arrangement, instrument and vocals nod for their team-up with jazz drummer Nate Smith on the song “Big Fish.”
Fellow Seattle-formed jazz favorites The Westerlies earned an arrangement nod of their own with “Fight On” (best arrangement, instrumental or a cappella), the opening track off the brass quartet’s latest album, “Paradise.”
Bellevue violinist and composer Ganesh Rajagopalan earned another two nominations (best global music album and performance) for his work with Shakti, a fusion band blending progressive jazz and Indian classical music co-founded by guitarist John McLaughlin. Local video game composer Wilbert Roget II is up for best score for video games and other interactive media with “Helldivers 2.”
In other local connections, the visual artists who created the gripping cover image for Perfume Genius’ “Glory” LP — depicting the Seattle musician unconscious, his body twisted on a living room floor — are up for the new best album cover category. And legacy New Orleans troupe Preservation Hall Jazz Band was nominated for best regional roots music album with “For Fat Man,” released through Sub Pop in January.
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