Grammys' launch 'suspicious' new category amid outrage over Sabrina Carpenter's shocking album art
The Grammys has announced a surprising, some say ridiculous, new category for the 2026 Grammy Awards: Best Album Cover, spun out from the broader packaging award.
In an era dominated by streaming, where album art is often just a tiny thumbnail on a screen, this feels like a strange throwback.
But what really makes this timing eyebrow-raising is that it arrives just as Sabrina Carpenter's latest album cover has ignited a storm of backlash online.
Last week, pop-star of the moment, Carpenter unveiled the artwork for her upcoming album Man's Best Friend, and it didn't take long for opinions to explode.
The cover shows the star in a provocative, dog-like pose with an unseen figure pulling her by the hair, which is an image some fans have called demeaning, triggering, and wildly inappropriate. A woman's aid charity has also slammed it. Others argue it's a bold, satirical take on toxic relationships and power dynamics.
Whatever the take, the cover has become a lightning rod for fierce social media debates, thrusting Carpenter back into the headlines amid a slew of recent controversies.
The star's past scandals have included heated arguments over her political views, provocative social media posts, and a reputation for courting attention with boundary-pushing visuals.
This latest album art only adds fuel to the fire, raising questions about where art ends and shock tactics begin.
Against this backdrop, the Grammys' decision to give album covers their own standalone trophy has struck some fans on social media as baffling and encouraging artists to be gratuitously outrageous .
With physical album sales plummeting and streaming ruling the music world, insiders wonder if this is an award anyone really asked for - especially when the first major contender is such a polarising image.
Industry insiders have questioned whether a separate award is really necessary, especially at a moment when the category is spotlighted by a cover that many find deeply divisive.
The last award for Best Recording Package went to Charli XCX's album Brat, whose distinctive cover was widely embraced.
Beyond the album art prize, the Recording Academy is also tweaking other categories, including splitting country music into 'traditional' and 'contemporary' divisions and expanding eligibility for Best New Artist to include featured performers who contributed less than 20% of an album's music.
The 2026 ceremony is set for February 1 in Los Angeles, with nominations announced November 7.
Should Carpenter release Man's Best Friend on August 29 as promised, she'll be the inaugural nominee in this odd new category ensuring that both she and the Grammys will be talking points for months.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Millie Bobby Brown Debuts a Fresh Hair Look in a Sparkly Pink Push-Up Bra
Millie Bobby Brown has seemingly gone back to brown hair. In a new Instagram post, she wore her brunette hair in a low bun along with a sparkly pink bra. Brown has recently sported bleached blonde hair.I'll be perfectly honest, I can't always keep up with Millie Bobby Brown's hair. Remember when she seemingly went through four hair transformations in the space of one month earlier this year? Well, apparently she's still just as playful and experimental as ever. Earlier this week, she was sporting a cute wavy blonde bob. Two weeks ago, she had a brunette bob. Three weeks ago, her hair was long and blonde. Five weeks ago, it was a dark shade of brown. As of June 21, the short brunette hair seems to be back. In her latest post on Instagram, the Stranger Things actress wore her short brunette hair in a side part and a low bun, with a few pieces hanging by her face on one side. She captioned the post simply "oh boy," which I can't help but think is a reference to the opening of Sabrina Carpenter's new single, "Manchild." After all, the actress also posted a video of herself dancing to the song on her Stories around the same time. In the photo, Brown wore a silky pink top with a deep scoop neck, showing off a pink bra with cute lace, sequin, and bow details. She kept the pink theme going with baby pink nails, a pink ring, and a swipe of pink blush. It is, as they say, giving girlhood. Brown, who has posted several recent clips and images on social media with blonde hair, recently spoke about the bleached look on the Call Her Daddy podcast. "People are so shocked about it," she said, adding, "I just think I look really different to what people are usually seeing me as. It's so fun." Read the original article on InStyle
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sabrina Carpenter, SZA, Ariana Grande Win Multiple Awards at 2025 Kids' Choice Awards (Full Winners List)
Sabrina Carpenter was the top winner at the 2025 Kids' Choice Awards, winning three of the show's signature Orange Blimp trophies: favorite female breakout artist, favorite album for Short n' Sweet and favorite song for 'Taste.' Carpenter's album, which topped the Billboard 200 for four weeks, won the Grammy for best pop vocal album. 'Taste,' a fairly risqué song by Kids' Choice standards, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Tyla hosted the show, which aired live on Saturday, June 21 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. Tyla led a dance celebration featuring the hottest songs of the summer and closed out the show with a centerstage sliming (the show's most popular gimmick). She also won favorite global music star. More from Billboard Rihanna, Sabrina Carpenter, Jack Black Provide Best Moments at 2025 Kids' Choice Awards Dua Lipa Brings Surprise Guest Charli XCX to the Stage for '360' in London Suga Writes Letter to Fans, Marking End of Mandatory Military Service for BTS Rihanna became the first recipient of the ICON Silver Blimp Award, honored for her contributions to entertainment, beauty and activism. She accepted the Blimp from inside the magical Smurf Village, before unleashing a tidal wave of blue slime on the audience. SZA, Ariana Grande and Jack Black were all double winners on the night. SZA won favorite female artist and favorite music collaboration for 'Luther,' her smash collab with Kendrick Lamar which topped the Hot 100 for 13 weeks. (It goes without saying that the target audience for this show wasn't even born when Luther Vandross died in 2005.) Grande won favorite movie actress for playing Glinda in Wicked and favorite song from a movie for backing Cynthia Erivo on 'Defying Gravity' from that blockbuster musical, which also won favorite movie. Black won favorite movie actor for playing Steve in A Minecraft Movie and also received the special King of Comedy award. The latter award was presented by his Nacho Libre co-stars Ana de la Reguera and Héctor Jiménez. Bruno Mars won favorite male artist. Stray Kids won favorite music group. These were the first wins for Mars, Stray Kids and SZA. Benson Boone won favorite male breakout artist. Selena Gomez and benny blanco won favorite viral song for 'Bluest Flame.' There were two musical performances: 'cliché,' by mgk, from his upcoming seventh studio album, Lost Americana, introduced by his daughter, Casie Baker, and 'Gnarly,' by KATSEYE, from their upcoming second EP, Beautiful Chaos, introduced by Ice Spice. Both performances culminated in slimings. The show also featured celebrity appearances by Malia Baker, benny blanco, Kylie Cantrall, Auli'i Cravalho, Terry Crews, Young Dylan, Brie Garcia, Maia Kealoha, Salish Matter, Kel Mitchell, Daniella Monet, Renee Montgomery, Victoria Monét, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and more. Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2025 will encore on Sunday, June 22, at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Nickelodeon; Monday, June 23, at 8 p.m. on Nicktoons, and Tuesday, June 24, at 9:10 a.m. on TeenNick. (All times are ET/PT.) The show will also be available to stream on Paramount+ on Sunday, June 22. Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2025 is produced by Nickelodeon Productions and overseen by Ashley Kaplan, executive vp, Nickelodeon & Awesomeness Unscripted & Digital Franchise Studio; Paul J Medford, vp, Unscripted Current Series; Luke Wahl, vp, Unscripted Creative, and Jennifer Bernstein, vp, Talent. Guy Carrington & Kevin Hermanson of Done and Dusted serve as executive producers, with Rob Paine serving as co-executive producer. The show is directed by James Merryman. Here's a full list of nominations in all categories, with winners marked. 'Abracadabra' – Lady Gaga 'Cry for Me' – The Weeknd 'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart' – Taylor Swift 'squabble up' – Kendrick Lamar WINNER: 'Taste' – Sabrina Carpenter 'Wildflower' – Billie Eilish Beautifully Broken – Jelly Roll F-1 Trillion – Post Malone GNX – Kendrick Lamar Hurry Up Tomorrow – The Weeknd I Said I Love You First – Selena Gomez, benny blanco Mayhem – Lady Gaga WINNER: – Sabrina Carpenter Wicked: The Soundtrack Ariana Grande Billie Eilish Cardi B Katy Perry Lady Gaga Selena Gomez WINNER: SZA Taylor Swift Bad Bunny WINNER: Bruno Mars Drake Jelly Roll Kendrick Lamar Post Malone The Weeknd Travis Scott blink-182 Coldplay Imagine Dragons Jonas Brothers Linkin Park WINNER: Stray Kids TWICE 'APT.' – ROSÉ and Bruno Mars 'Call Me When You Break Up' – Selena Gomez, benny blanco with Gracie Abrams 'Die With A Smile' – Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars WINNER: 'luther' – Kendrick Lamar and SZA 'Please Please Please' – Sabrina Carpenter (ft. Dolly Parton) 'Show Me Love' – WizTheMc, bees & honey, and Tyla 'Slow Motion' – Marshmello and Jonas Brothers Addison Rae Chappell Roan Doechii GloRilla JENNIE LISA ROSÉ WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter Alex Warren WINNER: Benson Boone d4vd Djo Leon Thomas Myles Smith Shaboozey Zach Bryan WINNER: Africa: Tyla Asia: Stray Kids Australia: The Kid LAROI Europe: David Guetta Latin America: Shakira North America: Bruno Mars UK: Ed Sheeran 'Can I Get a Chee Hoo?' – Dwayne Johnson (Moana 2) WINNER: 'Defying Gravity' – Cynthia Erivo (ft. Ariana Grande) () 'Higher Love' – DESI TRILL (ft. DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Natania, Subhi) (Smurfs) 'I Always Wanted A Brother' – Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu, Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Mufasa: The Lion King) 'I Feel Alive' – Jack Black (A Minecraft Movie) 'Kiss the Sky' – Maren Morris (The Wild Robot) 'Popular' – Ariana Grande (Wicked) 'Run It' – Jelly Roll (Sonic the Hedgehog 3) 'Apple' – Charli xcx WINNER: 'Bluest Flame' – Selena Gomez, benny blanco 'Diet Pepsi' – Addison Rae 'Messy' – Lola Young 'Ordinary' – Alex Warren 'Pink Pony Club' – Chappell Roan 'Sports car' – Tate McRae 'That's So True' – Gracie Abrams Ayla & The Mirrors Bunk'd The Really Loud House WINNER: Tyler Perry's Young Dylan Wizards Beyond Waverly Place David Henrie (Justin Russo, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place) Dylan Gilmer (Young Dylan, Tyler Perry's Young Dylan) Hero Hunter (Charlie Wilson, Tyler Perry's Young Dylan) Israel Johnson (Noah Lambert, Bunk'd) WINNER: Jack Griffo (Max Thunderman, Trevor Tordjman (Parker Preston, Bunk'd) Celina Smith (Rebecca Wilson, Tyler Perry's Young Dylan) Janice LeAnn Brown (Billie, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place) WINNER: Kira Kosarin (Phoebe Thunderman Mallory James Mahoney (Destiny Baker, Bunk'd) Maya Le Clark (Chloe Thunderman, The Thundermans: Undercover) Miranda May (Lou Hockhauser, Bunk'd) Abbott Elementary Cobra Kai Goosebumps: The Vanishing Star Wars: Skeleton Crew The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power WINNER: Damon Wayans Jr. (Damon, Poppa's House) David Schwimmer (Anthony Brewer, Goosebumps: The Vanishing) George Lopez (George, Lopez vs Lopez) Jude Law (Jod Na Nawood, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew) Sam McCarthy (Devin Brewer, Goosebumps: The Vanishing) WINNER: Xolo Maridueña (Miguel Diaz, Anna Cathcart (Kitty, XO, Kitty) Janelle James (Ava Coleman, Abbott Elementary) Jayden Bartels (Cece Brewer, Goosebumps: The Vanishing) WINNER: Peyton List (Tory Nichols Reba McEntire (Bobbie, Happy's Place) Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Fern, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew) American Idol American Ninja Warrior America's Funniest Home Videos WINNER: MasterChef Junior The Masked Singer Dragon Ball DAIMA Monster High WINNER: Teen Titans Go! The Loud House The Simpsons A Minecraft Movie Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Captain America: Brave New World Descendants: The Rise of Red Paddington in Peru Sonic the Hedgehog 3 THUNDERBOLTS* WINNER: Chris Evans (Jack O'Malley, Red One) Chris Pratt (Keats, The Electric State) Dwayne Johnson (Callum Drift, Red One) WINNER: Jack Black (Steve, Jason Momoa (Garrett Garrison, A Minecraft Movie) Jim Carrey (Dr. Robotnik, Sonic the Hedgehog 3) WINNER: Ariana Grande (Glinda, Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba, Wicked) Emma Myers (Natalie, A Minecraft Movie) Jenna Ortega (Astrid Deetz, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) Millie Bobby Brown (Michelle Greene, The Electric State) Winona Ryder (Lydia Deetz, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) Despicable Me 4 Dog Man WINNER: Moana 2 Mufasa: The Lion King Plankton: The Movie The Wild Robot Transformers One Ben Schwartz (Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 3) Chris Hemsworth (Orion Pax, Transformers One) WINNER: Dwayne Johnson (Maui, Keanu Reeves (Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 3) Steve Carell (Gru, Despicable Me 4) Will Ferrell (Maxime Le Mal, Despicable Me 4) Amy Poehler (Joy, Inside Out 2) WINNER: Auli'i Cravalho (Moana, Kristen Wiig (Lucy, Despicable Me 4) Lupita Nyong'o (Roz, The Wild Robot) Maya Hawke (Anxiety, Inside Out 2) Scarlett Johansson (Elita-1, Transformers One) Frankie Grande (Frankini, Henry Danger: The Movie) Harrison Ford (President Thaddeus Ross/Red Hulk, Captain America: Brave New World) Jeff Goldblum (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wicked) WINNER: Jim Carrey (Dr. Robotnik, Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible, Wicked) Rita Ora (Queen of Hearts, Descendants: The Rise of Red) Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America, Captain America: Brave New World) WINNER: Emma Myers (Natalie, Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova, THUNDERBOLTS*) Jace Norman (Henry Hart, Henry Danger: The Movie) Jack Black (Steve, A Minecraft Movie) Kylie Cantrall (Princess Red, Descendants: The Rise of Red) Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes, THUNDERBOLTS*) Alex Morgan Angel Reese Caitlin Clark Coco Gauff Jordan Chiles Naomi Osaka Sha'Carri Richardson WINNER: Simone Biles Jalen Hurts Jayson Tatum WINNER: LeBron James Lionel Messi Patrick Mahomes Shohei Ohtani Stephen Curry Travis Kelce Adam Rose Dhar Mann Keith Lee Mark Rober WINNER: MrBeast SeanDoesMagic Brooke Monk Charli D'Amelio Emma Chamberlain Lexi Rivera WINNER: Salish Matter Sofie Dossi Aphmau IBella WINNER: IShowSpeed Kai Cenat Ninja Pokimane Unspeakable A for Adley Danny Go! Kids Diana Show WINNER: Ms. Rachel Ryan Kaji/Ryan's World Toys and Colors American Girl: The Smart Girl's Podcast Are You Afraid of the Dark? Avatar: Braving the Elements Baby, This Is Keke PalmerNew Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce Super Great Kids' Stories The Nikki & Brie Show Fortnite Just Dance 2025 Edition Madden NFL 25 Minecraft WINNER: Roblox Super Mario Party Jamboree Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rihanna, Sabrina Carpenter, Jack Black Provide Best Moments at 2025 Kids' Choice Awards
My main takeaway from the 2025 Kids' Choice Awards is that kids like pretty much the same musical artists as everybody else. Sabrina Carpenter won favorite album for Short n' Sweet, just as she had won the Grammy for best pop vocal album in February. SZA and Bruno Mars won favorite female and male artist, respectively. Carpenter and Benson Boone won favorite female and male breakout artist, respectively. These four artists could have been winners on just about any show. More from Billboard Sabrina Carpenter, SZA, Ariana Grande Win Multiple Awards at 2025 Kids' Choice Awards (Full Winners List) Forrest Frank Rules Top Gabb Music Songs Chart for Second Month, Charts 5 Songs in All Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2025: How to Watch Online Without Cable for Free Kendrick Lamar and SZA took favorite music collaboration for 'luther,' which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks and could very well be headed to a Grammy win for record of the year early next year. (The song's namesake, Luther Vandross, died in 2005, long before most of the current Kids' Choice Awards audience was even born.) Wicked, which set a new record as the top-grossing film adapted from a Broadway musical, won for favorite movie. Ariana Grande won favorite movie actress for playing Glinda in that blockbuster film and also took favorite song from a movie as a featured artist on Cynthia Erivo's 'Defying Gravity.' Other music winners included Stray Kids (favorite music group), Tyla (favorite global music star) and Selena Gomez and benny blanco (favorite viral song for 'Bluest Flame'). While slime, and lots of it, is the clearly main attraction on this show, several of the winners snuck inspiring and important messages into their acceptance speeches. Here are five of the best moments from the 2025 Kids' Choice accepted an Icon Award by video and delivered an inspiring message for her young fans. 'I just want to take this moment to remind all of you that wherever you are right now is significant and crucial to where you are about to go. Own your space in this world and know that you are chosen for greatness.' benny blanco made a similar point when he accepted (in-person) favorite viral song for 'Bluest Flame,' a collab with his girlfriend, Selena Gomez (who wasn't present). Wearing an Aerosmith T-shirt, he said, 'I've always wanted one of these since I was a kid and I just want to tell you guys 'Dream anything you can, as big as you can because … you guys can do anything you want.'' Sabrina Carpenter picked up three awards — favorite album for Short n' Sweet, favorite female breakout artist and favorite song for 'Taste.' 'I've always wanted one of these ever since I was a little girl,' she said. 'This is so special to me. I just can't thank each and every one of you enough for voting. I will continue to make these clean versions of these songs for you, and I'm so grateful that you're listening.' Auli'i Caravalho accepted the award for favorite female animated voice from a movie for Moana 2, capping her speech by saying, 'Our first film taught us the importance of righting the imbalance between man and nature and the second film tells us how important it is to welcome people from faraway shores.' In the past, that latter comment would have seemed unremarkable, but in these highly-charged times it seemed to be touching on a hot-button issue. It came at the end of his acceptance speech for the King of Comedy Award, where he was inevitably slimed, yet he said, 'Are you kidding me? I didn't see that coming. You got me.' A trouper, he stayed in position for a second sliming after they presented his second award of the night, favorite movie actor for A Minecraft Movie. The King of Comedy award was presented by Black's Nacho Libre co-stars Ana de la Reguera and Héctor Jiménez, who, Black noted, came from Mexico to present the award. 'Viva Mexico,' Black said, another comment that would have seemed innocuous not so long ago but suddenly seemed highly topical. There were two musical performances: 'cliché,' by mgk, from his upcoming seventh studio album, Lost Americana, and 'Gnarly,' by KATSEYE, from their upcoming second EP, Beautiful Chaos. Both performances culminated in slimings. mgk (wearing a Lost Americana T-shirt) was introduced by his daughter, Casie Baker. KATSEYE was introduced by Ice Spice. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
