Billie Eilish’s song “Wildflower” was nominated for Grammys mainly because of a technical eligibility rule: it was released as a standalone single in February 2025, which put it inside the 2026 Grammys’ eligibility window even though it first appeared on her 2024 album.

Quick Scoop

What happened with “Wildflower”?

  • “Wildflower” first appeared on Billie Eilish’s album Hit Me Hard and Soft , released in May 2024.
  • That album was already nominated at the 2025 Grammys (album of the year, best pop vocal album), but it did not win in those categories.
  • In February 2025, “Wildflower” was put out again as a separate single. That date falls squarely inside the eligibility period for the 2026 Grammys (roughly late August 2024 to late August 2025).

Because Grammys treat album tracks and singles differently in some categories, a song from an older album can still be eligible later if it’s released as its own single within the correct window and the parent album didn’t already win a performance Grammy.

So, why was it actually nominated?

“Wildflower” ended up with nominations for:

  • Song of the Year
  • Record of the Year

Key reasons:

  1. Eligibility rule
    • The Recording Academy allows a track from a previous year’s album to be nominated if it is released as a single during a later eligibility year and the album hasn’t already won in a performance category.
 * “Hit Me Hard and Soft” had nominations but no wins, so “Wildflower” was free to compete.
  1. Timing of the single release
    • Single release in February 2025 = perfectly timed for the 2026 awards window.
  1. Artistic and commercial impact (soft factors)
    • Commentators and fans point to the emotional writing, Billie’s vocal performance, and the song’s popularity as reasons it became the “breakout” track to push as a single.
 * Fan discussions online note that labels often choose one standout track from an album to re‑push for Grammys via a later single release.

Why people are confused (forum / fan angle)

On forums and social media, fans have been asking how a 2024 album song can show up in 2026 nominations at all. Many feel it’s odd that a nearly two‑year‑old track is in “Song of the Year” and “Record of the Year,” even if the rules technically allow it. Some also worry that this rule lets artists and labels “game” the system by staggering releases to get multiple shots at Grammys.

A typical sentiment looks like this:

“It feels unfair because the song was released in 2024, so it shouldn’t be counted for 2026…”

Others are just excited that a fan‑favorite deep cut got its own spotlight and a serious Grammy run.

In one line

“Wildflower” was nominated for Grammys not because the Academy ignored the calendar, but because the song was re‑released as a single within the 2026 eligibility period and the album hadn’t already won, making it fully eligible under Grammy rules.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.