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Madi Diaz on Her Wrenching New Album & Collaborating With Stars From Harry Styles to Maren Morris

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When Madi Diaz received her first Grammy nominations last year – for her sixth album, Weird Faith (best folk album), and its Kacey Musgraves collaboration, “Don’t Do Me Good” (best American performance) – she breathed a sigh of relief.

By this time, the singer-songwriter was already “about midway down the road” on what would become her next album, Fatal Optimism, and “one of my first thoughts, after the nomination, was, ‘Well, thank god I already know how the next thing sounds,'” she says. “I definitely could see how that could have gotten into my head otherwise.”

Diaz’s records are littered with wrenching stories of love and loss, and the harrowing seeds of Fatal Optimism, out today, were sown during a particularly gnarly breakup in 2023, well before she received her plaudits from the Recording Academy. The relationship’s dissolution coincided with a the end of a particularly busy touring streak where Diaz opened tours by Harry Styles, Kacey Musgraves and Waxahatchee, and she wanted to strike while the emotional iron was hot.

“When something is so beautifully dense, you have to write it down when it happens, or else you’re gonna lose yourself in the plot, and the narrative kind of shifts,” says Diaz, 39. “It was like, ‘If I get it down now, it’s the most distilled version of this heartache that I’m feeling, this really empty, lonely, confused, swimming-back-to-myself kind of feeling.'”

In a sense, Fatal Optimism is the most distilled version of Diaz herself. While she initially recorded it with a full band, those sessions didn’t convey the material’s loneliness – so she scrapped them and linked with producer Gabe Wax (Zach Bryan, Soccer Mommy), who helped steer largely solo renditions of the songs. The final arrangements channel the uneasy specificity of gutting tunes like “If Time Does What It’s Supposed To” and “Why’d You Have to Bring Me Flowers.”

But there’s another way Fatal Optimist is quintessentially Diaz: The musician, who was raised in rural Pennsylvania and attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music before becoming a Nashville songwriting fixture, wrote nearly every song on the album with Music City peers, including Tenille Townes, Morgan Nagler (Phoebe Bridgers), and Steph Jones (Sabrina Carpenter).

“At the heart of my heart, I am a songwriter, storyteller person, and I’ve been so fortunate to always have had the most incredible collaborators,” Diaz says. “These friends of mine are constantly pushing themselves, and pushing me to just get better and better.”

Diaz has plenty of experience on the other side of the equation. Concurrent with her rise as an artist, she’s also become an in-demand songwriter, collaborating with artists including Maren Morris and Kesha. “I can be a really good collaborator for other projects,” she says, “because I can see it going in so many different directions – and I like to have someone aim me and say, ‘This is the bullseye. If we can nail this, we’re f–king nailing it.'”

Here, Diaz discusses her winning collaborative moments, from singing backup for Miranda Lambert to bonding on tour with Harry Styles to pitching stars like Morris and Musgraves on her songs.

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Kendrick Lamar, Clipse & Doechii Show Rap Can Shine in Every Style With 2026 Grammy Noms

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On Friday (Nov. 7), the Recording Academy unveiled the nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards, and as always, the hip-hop world has plenty to celebrate and debate. With everyone on pins and needles, this year’s lineup delivers no shortage of storylines, surprises and standout performances from rap’s elite.

For the second consecutive year, Kendrick Lamar leads all contenders with a staggering nine nominations, courtesy of his late-2024 masterclass, GNX. After last year’s dominant run, capped by him ultimately claiming song and record of the year for “Not Like Us” at the Grammys in February, Lamar is looking to go back-to-back, with “Luther” also recognized in both categories. Joining him in the Big Four categories are fellow rap titans Tyler, The Creator and the Clipse, both of whom are nominated for album of the year. Tyler’s Chromokopia flexed his creative range and unfiltered candor, while Clipse’s unapologetic return to their trademark druglord narratives with Let God Sort Em Out sparked a wave of critical acclaim and Grammy contention.

The women of hip-hop also showed out in this year’s nominations, further proving the genre’s depth. Doechii, Cardi B, and GloRilla each earned major recognition, underscoring why rap remains in a healthy, evolving place despite outside noise. Doechii, who claimed best rap album last year, scored six more nominations on the strength of her viral smash “Anxiety” and the enduring impact of Alligator Bites Never Heal. Likewise, GloRilla’s 2024 comeback has catapulted her back to the top of the food chain, marking a powerful redemption run.

See what else Billboard has to say about this year’s hip-hop nominees below.

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From The Weeknd to Gracie Abrams, Which Snubbed Artist Should’ve Gotten a 2026 Grammy Nod? Vote!

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Numerous artists are currently flying high after scoring 2026 Grammy nominations on Friday (Nov. 7) –but there are also several major contenders who didn’t get quite as lucky.

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Despite garnering major award buzz this past year, stars such as The Weeknd, Gracie Abrams and Alex Warren didn’t get recognized in certain categories, which were unveiled Friday morning in a livestream on the Grammy website. The absence of the artist born Abel Tesfaye from the nominations list was particularly noticeable, as he had just reconciled with the academy last year and dropped Billboard 200-topping album Hurry Up Tomorrow in February. But while Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter and Bad Bunny got honors in the album of the year category, The Weeknd did not.

Both Abrams and Warren were also excluded from the major categories, with neither “That’s So True” nor “Ordinary” getting song or record of the year consideration, even though those were two of the biggest Billboard Hot 100-charting tracks of the year. Warren at least scored a nod for best new artist, but that category was also missing several big names, including Zach Top, Megan Moroney, Ella Langley and Ravyn Lenae.

The producer of the year, non classical category will turn heads for the second year in a row as well, as Jack Antonoff — who was notably excluded from the list in 2025 — once again did not make the cut. That comes in spite of his work on two album of theyear contenders, Lamar’s GNX and Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend, both of which spent time at No. 1 on the U.S. albums chart. Instead, Dan Auerbach, Cirkut, Dijon, Blake Mills and Sounwave will fight it out for the prize.

But while the academy’s word is final, it’s your turn to share how you feel about the outcome of the initial voting process this year. Have any strong feelings on which snubbed artist was the most deserving of recognition? We want to know.

Tell us who you think should have been nominated in a category they were shut out of by voting in the poll below.

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Pete Davidson Surprises on ‘SNL,’ Jokes About Ferry Boat He Bought With Colin Jost: Watch

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Pete Davidson returned to Saturday Night Live for a surprise appearance on Nov. 8.

The comedian and actor, who was an SNL cast member from 2014 to 2022, crashed the “Weekend Update” segment to poke fun at a recent article about a decommissioned Staten Island ferry he purchased with Colin Jost in 2022. The two had planned to transform the vessel into an upscale entertainment venue.

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The New York Times recently ran an article calling the Staten Island Ferry that I purchased with Pete Davidson a ‘money-losing fiasco.’ With more on this, is Pete Davidson,” Jost said in introducing The King of Staten Island star.

“Colin, you’re looking great as ever. [Michael] Che, starting to crack,” Davidson joked, mentioning his recent appearance at the 2025 Riyadh Comedy Festival and that he’s expecting his first child.

“So yeah, in case you’re wondering why I had to do a show in Saudi Arabia, we’re losing millions on this ferry,” he continued. “I assume that’s what the article says. I can’t spend $5 on a paywall when I got a kid on the way.”

Davidson and Jost then continued trading jokes about the 2,109-ton ferry, which they bought at a New York auction for $280,100.

“We even gave the boat a new name,” Davidson said. “We thought the Staten Island Ferry sounded too depressing, so now it’s called the Titanic 2.” Jost added, “That’s right, and it’s actually going very well. Recently, we got paid by Nike to put an ad on it for the New York City Marathon.”

Earlier on Saturday, Davidson told People that he’d “do anything” for SNL boss Lorne Michaels, saying he’d return to the show if asked.

“I had a great time hosting last time, and anytime you get that call, it’s an honor and a privilege,” the eight-season SNL vet said. “It’s always relevant, it’s a hot show. People look forward to it, and the cast is great.”

Saturday’s episode was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser, with singer-songwriter Sombr serving as the musical guest.

Watch SNL’s “Weekend Update” segment with Davidson below, and find all the ways to stream the full episode here.

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