diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/data/model/BaseItem.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/data/model/BaseItem.kt
index 5ca6bf95..50df6071 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/data/model/BaseItem.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/data/model/BaseItem.kt
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ data class BaseItem(
         get() = type.playable
 
     override val sortName: String
-        get() = data.sortName ?: data.name ?: ""
+        get() = data.alphabetSortName
 
     val type get() = data.type
 
@@ -305,6 +305,9 @@ data class BaseItem(
 
 val BaseItemDto.aspectRatioFloat: Float? get() = width?.let { w -> height?.let { h -> w.toFloat() / h.toFloat() } }
 
+/** The server strips leading articles (eg "The ") from [BaseItemDto.sortName]. */
+val BaseItemDto.alphabetSortName: String get() = sortName ?: name ?: ""
+
 @Immutable
 data class BaseItemUi(
     val episodeCornerText: String?,
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/CollectionFolderView.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/CollectionFolderView.kt
index e64115aa..1a7992d5 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/CollectionFolderView.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/CollectionFolderView.kt
@@ -399,6 +399,7 @@ class CollectionFolderViewModel
                 GetArtistsRequest(
                     parentId = item?.id,
                     enableImageTypes = listOf(ImageType.PRIMARY, ImageType.THUMB),
+                    fields = SlimItemFields,
                 ),
             )
         }
@@ -477,6 +478,7 @@ class CollectionFolderViewModel
                         GetArtistsHandler.countMatching(
                             createGetArtistsRequest(filter).copy(
                                 enableImageTypes = null,
+                                fields = null,
                                 nameLessThan = letter.toString(),
                                 limit = 0,
                                 enableTotalRecordCount = true,
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/GenreCardGrid.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/GenreCardGrid.kt
index 00dfbb56..aeae3fd7 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/GenreCardGrid.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/GenreCardGrid.kt
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import androidx.lifecycle.ViewModel
 import androidx.lifecycle.viewModelScope
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.data.ServerRepository
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.data.model.BaseItem
+import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.data.model.alphabetSortName
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.data.model.createGenreDestination
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.services.ImageUrlService
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.services.NavigationManager
@@ -104,7 +105,12 @@ class GenreViewModel
                             .execute(api, request)
                             .content.items
                             .map {
-                                Genre(it.id, it.name ?: "", null)
+                                Genre(
+                                    id = it.id,
+                                    name = it.name ?: "",
+                                    imageUrl = null,
+                                    sortName = it.alphabetSortName,
+                                )
                             }
                     _state.update {
                         it.copy(
@@ -243,10 +249,10 @@ data class Genre(
     val id: UUID,
     val name: String,
     val imageUrl: String?,
+    override val sortName: String = name,
 ) : CardGridItem {
     override val gridId: String get() = id.toString()
     override val playable: Boolean = false
-    override val sortName: String get() = name
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/StudioCardGrid.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/StudioCardGrid.kt
index 3f424bad..461d1d94 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/StudioCardGrid.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/StudioCardGrid.kt
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import androidx.lifecycle.ViewModel
 import androidx.lifecycle.viewModelScope
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.data.ServerRepository
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.data.model.BaseItem
+import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.data.model.alphabetSortName
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.data.model.createStudioDestination
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.services.ImageUrlService
 import com.github.damontecres.wholphin.services.NavigationManager
@@ -97,7 +98,12 @@ class StudioViewModel
                                         imageType = ImageType.THUMB,
                                         fillWidth = cardWidthPx,
                                     )
-                                Studio(it.id, it.name ?: "", imageUrl)
+                                Studio(
+                                    id = it.id,
+                                    name = it.name ?: "",
+                                    imageUrl = imageUrl,
+                                    sortName = it.alphabetSortName,
+                                )
                             }
                     _state.update {
                         it.copy(
@@ -133,10 +139,10 @@ data class Studio(
     val id: UUID,
     val name: String,
     val imageUrl: String?,
+    override val sortName: String = name,
 ) : CardGridItem {
     override val gridId: String get() = id.toString()
     override val playable: Boolean = false
-    override val sortName: String get() = name
 }
 
 data class StudioGridState(
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/data/model/AlphabetSortNameTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/data/model/AlphabetSortNameTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0b18cc8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/test/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/data/model/AlphabetSortNameTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+package com.github.damontecres.wholphin.data.model
+
+import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.BaseItemDto
+import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.BaseItemKind
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Test
+import java.util.UUID
+
+class AlphabetSortNameTest {
+    @Test
+    fun prefersSortNameOverName() {
+        val dto =
+            BaseItemDto(
+                id = UUID.randomUUID(),
+                type = BaseItemKind.MUSIC_ARTIST,
+                name = "The Beatles",
+                sortName = "beatles",
+            )
+
+        assertEquals("beatles", dto.alphabetSortName)
+        assertEquals("beatles", BaseItem(dto).sortName)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun fallsBackToNameWhenSortNameMissing() {
+        val dto =
+            BaseItemDto(
+                id = UUID.randomUUID(),
+                type = BaseItemKind.STUDIO,
+                name = "The Walt Disney Company",
+                sortName = null,
+            )
+
+        assertEquals("The Walt Disney Company", dto.alphabetSortName)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/CollectionFolderViewModelTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/CollectionFolderViewModelTest.kt
index 2d10f1a3..978cd70c 100644
--- a/app/src/test/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/CollectionFolderViewModelTest.kt
+++ b/app/src/test/java/com/github/damontecres/wholphin/ui/components/CollectionFolderViewModelTest.kt
@@ -33,10 +33,12 @@ import org.jellyfin.sdk.api.operations.UserLibraryApi
 import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.BaseItemDto
 import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.BaseItemKind
 import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.CollectionType
+import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.ItemFields
 import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.request.GetArtistsRequest
 import org.jellyfin.sdk.model.api.request.GetItemsRequest
 import org.junit.After
 import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
 import org.junit.Before
 import org.junit.Test
 import java.util.UUID
@@ -141,6 +143,19 @@ class CollectionFolderViewModelTest {
             coVerify(exactly = 0) { GetItemsRequestHandler.execute(any(), any<GetItemsRequest>()) }
         }
 
+    /**
+     * Without SortName, the alphabet highlight falls back to Name and highlights "T" for artists
+     * like "The Beatles" even though the grid sorts them under "B".
+     */
+    @Test
+    fun `artist pager requests SortName for alphabet highlighting`() =
+        runTest(testDispatcher) {
+            createViewModel(GetItemsFilter(override = GetItemsFilterOverride.ARTIST))
+            advanceUntilIdle()
+
+            assertTrue(ItemFields.SORT_NAME in artistsRequest.captured.fields.orEmpty())
+        }
+
     /**
      * /Persons has no nameLessThan or startIndex, so counting up to a letter is not expressible.
      * Falling back to /Items would count media rather than people, ie the same defect as the artist