Music superstars like Ed Sheeran and Justin Timberlake own Emmy Awards thanks to writing tunes for TV shows. (In their cases, Ted Lasso and Saturday Night Live, respectively.) Now, another A-lister could soon be joining them.
Gold Derby has confirmed that David Archuleta, Lady Gaga, Nikki Glaser, Maren Morris, LeAnn Rimes, Willie Nelson, Lainey Wilson, and more big names will appear on the 2026 Emmys ballot for Best Original Music & Lyrics. Last year’s winner, Christopher Lennertz for “Let’s Put the Christ Back in Christmas,” is also back for another religious-themed number from The Boys: “Raise Him Up,” which he co-wrote with Hamilton Tony and Grammy winner Daveed Diggs.
2024 Emmy champ Only Murders in the Building (“Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?”) is in contention this year for another earworm, “Wish That You Were Me,” written by American Idol‘s David Archuleta, with Michael Blum and Sophie Rose. It was performed on the show by Beanie Feldstein, but singers are not eligible in this category unless they also write the music or lyrics.
Lady Gaga is eligible for writing Wednesday‘s “The Dead Dance” alongside Andrew Watt and Cirkut (Henry Russell Walter). The spooky song can be heard during the seventh episode of Season 2, when Enid (Emma Myers) and Agnes (Evie Templeton) perform a special dance routine. Gaga also has a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo role in Episode 6, but it is too short to contend for Best Comedy Guest Actress.
Former The Masked Singer contestant Nikki Glaser is putting her vocal chops to work on the song “Good Girl” from her Hulu stand-up comedy special. Similarly, Chris Fleming, Adam Pally, and Lisa Ann Walter are on the Emmy ballot for writing original tunes for their stand-up programs.
Country powerhouses Maren Morris (for Sheriff Country‘s “Parachute”), LeAnn Rimes (for 9-1-1: Nashville‘s “Wild Things Run”), Lainey Wilson (for The Gray House‘s “Dead End Red Dirt Road”), and Willie Nelson (The Gray House‘s “Heart of America”) are duking it for their songs, which were all released as singles following their debuts on television.
The Emmy front-runners for Best Drama Series (The Pitt) and Best Comedy Series (Hacks) also have songs in contention. The medical series is submitting “Need Someone,” while the laugh-out-loud comedy is entering “Mis Figuritas” and “Summer Squash.” Gold Derby has confirmed that the Diane Warren tune used in the third episode of Hacks is not eligible as it was not written specifically for the show.
Listen to this year’s Best Original Music & Lyrics contenders below. We will add more as networks and studios continue to publicly announce their Emmy submissions.
78th Annual Tony Awards (CBS)
Song: “Sometimes All You Need is a Song”
Written by: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Marc Shaiman, and Scott Wittman
Performed by: Cynthia Erivo and Broadway Inspirational Voices
The Boys (Prime Video)
Song: “Raise Him Up”
Written by: Christopher Lennertz and Daveed Diggs
Performed by: Daveed Diggs
The Buccaneers (Apple TV)
Song: “Something to Burn”
Written and performed by: Madi Diaz
Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian (HBO)
Song: “South on 35”
Written by: Kevin Morby and Waxahatchee
The Chair Company (HBO)
Song: “Red Ball Market Global”
Written by: Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin, and Keegan DeWtt
Chris Fleming: Live at the Palace (HBO)
Song: “Haunted House”
Written by: Chris Fleming
Color Theories by Julio Torres (HBO)
Song: “Color Theories (Bibo Color Remix)”
Written by: Lia Ouyang Rusli
The Gray House (Prime Video)
Song: “Dead End Red Dirt Road”
Written by: Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, and Paul Sikes
Performed by: Lainey Wilson
The Gray House (Prime Video)
Song: “Heart of America”
Written by: Jim “Moose Brown, Emily Erin Enderlin, and Jeff Fahey
Performed by: Willie Nelson
Hacks (HBO Max)
Song: “Mis Figuritas”
Written by: Carlos Rafael Rivera and David Stal
Hacks (HBO Max)
Song: “Summer Squash”
Written by: Daniel Saint Black and Shari Lynn Short
Hazbin Hotel (Prime Video)
Song: “Love in a Bottle”
Written by: Sam Haft and Andrew Underberg
An Intimate Evening with Adam Pally (HBO)
Song: “Dinner Song”
Written by: Adam Pally
The Mighty Nein (Prime Video)
Song: “Who Will You Be?”
Written by: Peter Habib and Sam Riegel
Miss You, Love You (HBO)
Song: “All of You”
Written by: Alex Rosenbloom
Nikki Glaser: Good Girl (Hulu)
Song: “Good Girl”
Written by: Nikki Glaser, Daniel R. Monahan, and Tim Convy Jr.
Performed by: Nikki Glaser
9-1-1: Nashville (Hulu)
Song: “Wild Things Run”
Written by: LeAnn Rimes and Darrell Brown
Performed by: LeAnn Rimes
Lisa Ann Walter: It Was an Accident (Hulu)
Song: “It Was an Accident”
Written by: Lisa Ann Walter
Murderbot (Apple TV)
Song: “Sanctuary Moon Main Title Theme”
Written by: Amanda Jones and Christopher Weitz
The Pitt (HBO Max)
Song: “Need Someone”
Written by: Gavin Brivik and Andrew Bird
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Song: “Wish That You Were Me”
Written by: David Archuleta, Michael Blum, and Sophie Rose
Performed by: Beanie Feldstein
Off Campus (Prime Video)
Song: “Girl That I Am”
Written by: Amy Allen and Ethan Gruska
Rooster (HBO)
Song: “The High Road”
Written by: Andrew Watt and Sam Fender
Performed by: Sam Fender
Sheriff Country (CBS)
Song: “Parachute”
Written and performed by: Maren Morris
Spider-Noir (Prime Video)
Song: “The Devils You Know”
Written by: Warren Oak Felder, Sebastian Kole, and Daniel Pemberton
Wednesday (Netflix)
Song: “The Dead Dance”
Written by: Lady Gaga, Andrew Watt, and Cirkut
Performed by: Lady Gaga
The Best Original Music & Lyrics category is voted on by the Television Academy’s music branch, and is awarded to songs created specifically for a television program. Per the Emmy rules, submissions must be 15 seconds or longer and must appear in a single episode of a series or limited series, or in a movie or special.
The 2026 Emmys nominations will be announced July 8 — make your predictions right now.
