Taylor Swift faces Ed Sheeran and Backstreet Boys in music battle
- Taylor Swift spearheads Hollywood’s music nominations after formally competing for best original song in an animated film at the 2026 HMMAs with her track for Toy Story 5.
- The artist goes head-to-head against a collaborative effort between Ed Sheeran and the Backstreet Boys within a fiercely contested field.
- The November 18 ceremony at Avalon Hollywood will serve as the industry’s first major bellwether heading toward the Academy Awards.
The epic musical duel between global superstars for top animated production
The race toward the entertainment industry’s awards season kicked off with a historic milestone after confirming that Taylor Swift will actively participate in the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, known as the HMMAs, by competing for best song in an animated feature. Alongside her frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff, the award-winning singer-songwriter secured a spot on the prestigious official list thanks to I Knew It, I Knew You, an emotional composition created for the Toy Story 5 soundtrack and linked directly to the beloved character Jessie. However, the 36-year-old artist faces a tough battle in this edition, since she must measure up against the catchy tune Bottle Up from PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, a work masterfully crafted by Ed Sheeran alongside Savan Kotecha, Johnny McDaid, and Ilya Salmanzadeh, featuring the vibrant vocals of the iconic Backstreet Boys.
The strategic relevance of the HMMAs as an official awards season bellwether
Although these HMMA accolades do not directly influence Academy Award voting, Taylor Swift’s presence with her song for Toy Story 5 and direct competitors like Ed Sheeran serve as a fundamental indicator to gauge strengths within the best animated film song category. Furthermore, the gala scheduled for this upcoming November 18 at the legendary Avalon Hollywood venue will reveal early favorites among audiences and specialized critics, recalling that in the previous edition tracks like Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters won on this exact stage before lifting the coveted golden statuette. Likewise, this year’s animated category fills out with technical productions of the highest caliber, including the track Brb from Forgotten Island signed by Ryan Tedder and H.E.R., the piece Someone To Hold performed by Jennie from the group Steps and the song The Better Part Of Bravery created by Colin Meloy for the movie Wildwood.
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Standout composers and Latino representation across the gala nominations
Beyond the excitement unleashed by Taylor Swift’s nomination and fellow pop competitors in the best animated film song category, the HMMA list reveals other major season victors like Ludwig Göransson and Daniel Pemberton; xonsequently, the talented Göransson garnered three individual nominations for his flawless audiovisual work in The Odyssey, whereas Pemberton and Mina Samy led the overall board with four nods each for their varied cinematic and television scores. To wrap up this showcase full of sound diversity in grand style, Spanish-language music also makes its presence felt in the independent bracket, securing a valuable nomination thanks to the song La Nieve from the film The Black Ball, a piece co-written and masterfully performed by Spanish artist Guitarricadelafuente alongside talented producers Raül Refree and Lucas Duran.
The five compositions competing in the animated bracket
- Toy Story 5: I Knew It, I Knew You, written by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff.
- PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie: Bottle Up, composed by Ed Sheeran and performed by the Backstreet Boys.
- Forgotten Island: Brb, created by producer Ryan Tedder alongside singer H.E.R.
- Steps: Someone To Hold, written by Justin Tranter and performed by artist Jennie.
- Wildwood: The Better Part Of Bravery, composed by Colin Meloy and executed by The Decemberists.
