Grammy winners Kendrick Lamar, Olivia Dean, Bad Bunny, and Lady Gaga. Photos courtesy of NARAS.
By Danny R. Johnson – Entertainment News Editor
Bad Bunny is the first Spanish-language artist to win the ceremony’s top prize. Kendrick Lamar with SZA took record of the year, and Billie Eilish won song of the year. Lady Gaga, Olivia Dean and Lola Young were also honored.
LOS ANGELES–The Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, February 1, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. While the event was festive, there was an underlying tone of political protest. Many artists wore “ICE OUT” pins, and some addressed the federal immigration crackdown directly.
Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny were the top winners at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, in a night of musical milestones and sharp commentary from stars opposing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Bad Bunny, who dominates streaming and is set to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, took album of the year for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” which mingles traditional sounds from his native Puerto Rico with booming electronic beats. It was the first time a Spanish-language album had won the Grammys’ most prestigious prize. What a moment, as Bad Bunny sat in silence for a few beats before walking up to accept album of the year. The Puerto Rican superstar always seems so cool and collected, so it was stirring to see him so emotional, with tears in his eyes, as he seemed to process in real time the enormity of this win.
Harvey Mason Jr., the chief executive of the Recording Academy, delivered brief remarks, saying, “In challenging times, music never stands still. It moves, it heals, it pushes us forward.” Cher accepted a lifetime achievement award with a brief speech that was both lighthearted and heartfelt. Record of the year went to Kendrick Lamar and SZA for “Luther,” and Lamar spoke about the song’s inspiration, Luther Vandross, while SZA urged, “Please don’t fall into despair,” adding, “We can go on, we need each other.” Clipse performed “So Far Ahead” with Pharrell Williams and the Voices of Fire choir. And the night’s final award, album of the year, was presented by Harry Styles to Bad Bunny.
Believe it or not, Cher has only won one performance Grammy. But she was honored by the Recording Academy with a lifetime achievement award on Saturday, and on Sunday, she made a grand return to the show’s stage to hand out the trophy for record of the year. Cher, whose earliest Grammy’s nomination came 60 years ago at the 8th annual awards, said she’s known she wanted to be a singer since she was a child.
Cher accidentally announced that the record of the year Grammy went to … “Luther Grandross?” A bemused Kendrick Lamar, accepting for his duet with SZA that does indeed sample the late Luther Vandross, made the most of perhaps the most memorable moment of the night.
The most-nominated artist at the 2026 Grammys took home another of its top prizes on Sunday night, when Kendrick Lamar earned his second consecutive record of the year trophy, this time alongside SZA for their lovelorn duet “Luther.” The 38-year-old rap titan born Kendrick Lamar Duckworth had previously won 22 Grammys, including record and song of the year in 2025 for his diss track “Not Like Us.” He led all nominees this year, with nine nods. “Luther” also vied for song of the year, while Lamar’s most recent album, “GNX,” was up for album of the year and best rap album.
Q-Tip presented the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award to Pharrell Williams, who noted, “I’m 52, I get to do this every day. I love what I do.” In video segments kicking off an extended in memoriam sequence, Bruce Springsteen lauded Brian Wilson as “the kind of shining musical genius who made generations of songwriters so much better,” and John Mayer spoke about the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir. Post Malone fronted a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne featuring members of Guns n’ Roses and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
And Lauryn Hill returned to the Grammys stage for the first time since 1999 to helm an extended performance for D’Angelo that featured Bilal, Leon Thomas, Raphael Saadiq and others before honoring Roberta Flack alongside musicians including Chaka Khan, Lalah Hathaway and her Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean, who emerged from the audience for “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”
Billie Eilish resumed her lengthy streak of Grammy wins on Sunday when “Wildflower,” a melancholy acoustic ballad written with her brother, Finneas, was named song of the year. The victory set a record: It’s the first time an artist has won three awards in the category, following a win in 2020 for “Bad Guy” and a win in 2024 for her “Barbie” soundtrack contribution, “What Was I Made For?” Host Trevor Noah thanked Justin Bieber and assured viewers that Nicki Minaj is not in attendance in his 2026 Grammys monologue.
Noah began by shouting out the night’s opening performers, Bruno Mars and Rosé, for their performance of “APT.” The Grammys host explained that the song was inspired by a Korean drinking game involving stacked hands and random numbers. “That’s way more complicated than the drinking game we have in America,” Noah joked. “In America, every time you turn on the news, you drink.”
Later in the ceremony, Noah made a comment about stepping down as host after six years. He said he respected “term limits” and added that he was pointing the subject out in case anyone was watching–a subtle nod to President Donald Trump, who has routinely expressed interest in a third term.
Noah was announced as the host of this year’s Grammys ceremony back in early January. His latest hosting stint marks the sixth time the former “Daily Show” host has led the prestigious broadcast and, if the original announcement in January is to be believed, it will also be his last.
