GRAMMYS 2026 Recap: Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar Make History While Bruno Mars & Olivia Dean Shine

The 68th annual Grammy Awards happened yesterday (Sunday, February 1) at Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena. It was a ceremony defined by two big endings: the last time the awards show was broadcast on CBS and Paramount+ (it will be moving to ABC, Disney+ and Hulu in 2027 - thus terminating a historic 54-year partnership with CBS), and the last consecutive time comedian Trevor Noah hosted the star-studded event.

Other than that, this year's ceremony was notable for its history-making within the R&B, hip-hop, and Latin music genres. Artists like Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars, Olivia Dean, Pharrell Williams, and Lauryn Hill made big waves during the broadcasted event. There were also some surprise - but very welcome - wins, unexpected snubs, and memorable speeches that reflected upon current events within the United States.

The Winners

As soon as the ceremony started, Kendrick Lamar's Grammy-winning streak from last year picked up right where it left off. The first televised award of the night, Best Rap Album, went to the Compton rapper for his record GNX. Queen Latifah and Doechii presented the award, and K-Dot shouted out Clipse (Pusha T in particular) and Tyler, the Creator in his brief acceptance speech. The win solidified his legacy as the most-awarded rapper in Grammys history. (Kendrick's win for Best Rap Album put him at a total of 26 Grammys, beating Jay-Z's previous record of 25.)

Chappell Roan then presented the first of the Big Four categories: Best New Artist. It was a bloodbath of worthy contenders this year, with acts like Addison Rae, KATSEYE, Lola Young, Sombr, and Album of the Year nominee Leon Thomas all in the running. But in the end, it was British soul-pop princess Olivia Dean who took home the prize. Earlier in the night, Trevor Noah had given the "Man I Need" singer a shoutout for her efforts to fight back against TicketMaster's pricey practices.

In her speech, she highlighted her background as a descendent of immigrants, urging for unity. “I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant,” she said. “I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We’re nothing without each other.”

After that, SNL's Marcello Hernandez and Colombian singer Karol G presented Bad Bunny with the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album. The prize honored his sixth studio effort DeBí Tirar Más Fotos. "Before I say thanks to God, I'm going to say...ICE out," he started his speech. "We are not savage, we are not animals, we are not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans." He called on the audience to fight with love, saying, "The only thing more powerful than hate is love."

Jeff Goldblum and Lainey Wilson then presented Jelly Roll with the Best Contemporary Country Album Grammy for his LP Beautifully Broken. It was his third win of the night out of three nominations; before the televised ceremony, he took home Best Country Duo/Group Performance for the Shaboozey duet “Amen” and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Hard Fought Hallelujah” with Brandon Lake. In his speech, he thanked Jesus, his wife, and his record label. “There was a moment in my life that all I had was a Bible this big and a radio the same size and a 6 by 8 foot cell. And I believed that those two things could change my life,” he preached.

After that, it was time for Grammy wins within the pop category. Lady Gaga won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album thanks to her sixth studio effort Mayhem. After Teyana Taylor and Nikki Glaser handed her the award, Mother Monster told the female artists in the crowd, "I know sometimes when you’re in the studio with a bunch of guys it can be hard. So I urge you to always listen to yourself, always fight for your ideas, fight for your songs, fight for yourself as a producer, make sure that you are heard loudly." Gaga beat out Justin Bieber (Swag), Miley Cyrus (Something Beautiful), Teddy Swims (I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy [Part 2]), and last year’s winner, Sabrina Carpenter (Man’s Best Friend) for the trophy.

The next pop-related win was an exciting surprise. Newcomer Lola Young nabbed the award for Best Pop Solo Performance, triumphing over Justin Bieber ("DAISIES"), Lady Gaga ("Disease"), Sabrina Carpenter ("Manchild") and Chappell Roan ("The Subway"). Charli XCX handed Young the award. While she didn't have a speech prepared, she gave thanks to everybody and told the crowd she was grateful.

The next Big Four award for Song of the Year went to an unexpected pick: Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas for the track "Wildflower." The dark horse win came after Eilish was snubbed during last year's Grammy Awards ceremony, winning zero out of seven nominations during the 2025 event. For her acceptance speech, Eilish took the time to reflect on America's current climate. "No one is illegal on stolen land," she said. Eilish also cursed out ICE and told the audience to keep fighting, speaking up, and protesting.

After that, Q-Tip presented the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award to Pharrell Williams. Williams - who notably orchestrated the recent return of Clipse - told the room full of artists to "never stop grinding" and "never stop working."

"I'm 52, I get to do this every day. I love what I do," Pharrell exclaimed, "And if you do what you love every day, you'll get paid for free."

After the ceremony honored Williams - and Harvey Mason Jr. did a lengthy introduction - a Lifetime Achievement Award was handed off to Cher. The "Strong Enough" singer briskly reflected on her life and career, telling the audience to never give up on their dreams. Then, rather comedically, the Goddess of Pop almost left the stage...before Trevor Noah reminded her she needed to present the Grammy for Record of the Year.

That Grammy ended up going to Kendrick Lamar and SZA for the song "Luther." Sounwave (one of the record's producers) and Lamar took the time to praise the track's inspiration: R&B pioneer Luther Vandross. Meanwhile, SZA reminded everyone not to fall into despair during current scary times. "There's been world wars, there's been plagues, and we have gone on. We can go on. We need each other. We need to trust each other and trust ourselves, trust our heart," she said.

As for the grand prize of Album of the Year, it was Bad Bunny (DeBí Tirar Más Fotos) who claimed the trophy. The Puerto Rican trailblazer was overcome with emotion when he was called by presenter Harry Styles - sitting in his chair and holding in tears for around twenty seconds before finally walking up to the stage. The win makes Bad Bunny the first Latin artist in Grammys history to receive the honor. Debí Tirar Más Fotos is also the first Spanish-language album to take home the prize.

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio gave his acceptance speech primarily in Spanish. “Puerto Rico, believe me when I say that we are so much bigger than 100 by 35 and there is nothing that exists that we can’t accomplish,” he said, per the Los Angeles Times, referring to the country’s approximate dimension in miles. “Thank God, thank you to the Academy, thank you to all the people who have believed in me throughout my whole career. To all the people who worked on this album. Thank you, mami, for giving birth to me in Puerto Rico. I love you. For all the people who have lost a loved one and even then have had to continue moving forward and continue with so much strength, this award is for you all.” He added in English: “I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams.”

The Performances

There were several memorable performances that filled in the gaps between award wins. Bruno Mars and Rosé kicked off the evening with a rockin' rendition of their hit single, "APT." Sabrina Carpenter then warmed up the crowd even more with an airline-themed presentation of her nominated song, "Manchild." It featured backup-dancing men all dressed up in the outfits of different occupations (such as a UPS man, an astronaut, a magician, and a firefighter), and there was also a live bird which Carpenter picked up by the song's end.

Following Carpenter's act, the Best New Artist medley kicked off softly with The Marías playing "No One Noticed." Then, from outside the arena, Addison Rae did a dance number to "Fame Is a Gun" while riding on a truck. There was a smooth transition to KATSEYE's banger, "Gnarly," and then the camera panned over to Leon Thomas in the center of the arena, singing his breakout hit "Mutt." After that, Alex Warren walked through the crowd to sing his track "Ordinary." Lola Young slowed things down with an emotional piano version of her Grammy-winning single "Messy," and then Best New Artist winner Olivia Dean crooned her signature "Man I Need." Clad in a sparkling, disco-like suit, Sombr finished the medley with a spirited performance of "12 to 12."

One of the most talked-about performances of the evening came from Justin Bieber. He did an extremely stripped-back performance of his Swag song "YUKON" - creating the beat in front of the crowd and wearing only boxers. It marked the first time Bieber had performed at the Grammys since his rendition of “Peaches” back in 2022.

Next up was Lady Gaga. Like with most recent awards show appearances, Mother Monster used her moment in the spotlight to hype the crowd up with her bop, "Abracadabra." Only this time, Gaga opted for less bold theatrics and more daring cinematography. The camera whizzed around Gaga in a crane-like effect as she played a synth-rock version of the song. After that, her "Die With a Smile" partner Bruno Mars reappeared. For his second performance, the beloved R&B singer captivated the crowd with a soulful presentation of his latest single, "I Just Might." The act got so many people grooving, that by the end of the song, Trevor Noah took a moment to remark on people's reactions within the crowd. "Even Joni Mitchell at one point...I saw you looking at Bruno Mars like, 'I just might,'" he joked.

After that, Tyler, the Creator performed two songs from Chromakopia and Don't Tap the Glass, respectively. After a monochrome production of "Thought I Was Dead," Tyler brought out actress Regina King for an interlude before breaking out into "Sugar On My Tongue." Tyler ended things with a bang...quite literally. A gas station set behind the artist burst into flames, and the rapper concluded his set by falling flat onto the ground.

The busiest part of the night for performances happened during the Grammy Awards' "In Memoriam" tribute section. Country legend Reba McEntire performed on the Grammys stage for the first time, singing the song "Trailblazer" as images of music professionals lost in the past year flashed behind her. But McEntire's historic entrance was just the beginning...once she was through, a huge, rockin' salute to heavy metal hero Ozzy Osbourne commenced. The rendition of "War Pigs" was performed by Chad Smith (drums), Slash (guitar), Andrew Watt (guitar), Duff McKagan (guitar) and Post Malone (vocals). Besides the Prince of Darkness, other images of rock greats lost in 2025 - like Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley and Blondie drummer Clem Burke - appeared behind the musicians.

Once that was over, Ms. Lauryn Hill made a rare appearance to lead tributes for two R&B pioneers: D'Angelo and Roberta Flack. For D'Angelo, Hill sang part of her 1998 song “Nothing Even Matters” (which originally featured D’Angelo) before welcoming a nonstop string of artists who sang a medley of his hits. Hill was joined by Leon Thomas for “Devils Pie,” Lucky Daye on “Brown Sugar,” Raphael Saadiq and Anthony Hamilton for “Lady,” Bilal for “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” and Jon Batiste for a brief bit of “Africa.” Hill then transitioned into Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” backed by a full band and Batiste, before singing “Compared to What” alongside Leon Bridges and Alexia Jayy, “Closer I Get to You” with Lalah Hathaway (the daughter of Donny Hathaway) and October London, and “Where Is the Love” with John Legend and Chaka Khan. Hill tacked on “Feel Like Makin’ Love” before looking out at the sea of people and asking where Wyclef Jean was. Right on cue, the Fugees member rose from the crowd with a guitar strapped around his chest and walked onstage as they sang Flack’s original version of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” together. Once onstage, he and Hill transitioned into their own rendition of the single on The Score, getting a standing ovation from the audience.

As for the closing act of the night, hip-hop duo Clipse (Pusha T and Malice) made their performance debut, playing "So Far Ahead" alongside producer Pharrell Williams. The performance featured a snowy stage setting and was backed by the Voices of Fire choir. 

The Snubs

While there were plenty of winners this year, some artists did get robbed from recognition. While Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Tyler, the Creator were all nominated repeatedly, they failed to gather wins in any of the main televised Grammy categories. For Carpenter and Roan, it was a stark contrast from last year; Carpenter won Best Pop Solo Performance for "Espresso" and Best Pop Vocal Album for Short n' Sweet, while the Midwest Princess walked off with the Best New Artist trophy during the 2025 ceremony.

Additionally, it seemed to be a disappointing year for the genre of K-pop. While acts like KATSEYE, Rosé, and the fictional HUNTR/X from the Netflix film K-Pop Demon Hunters were honored, they did not win any of the main Grammys categories. However, not all was lost: "Golden" won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media, marking the first-ever Grammy win for a K-pop song.

Missed the Grammy Awards while they were live? You can watch the full televised ceremony on Paramount+, and view a full list of winners here.

Watch a highlight reel of the 68th annual Grammy Awards below.

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_{Article Image: Portraits of Bad Bunny and Kendrick during the 68th Grammy Awards festivities. (entertainmenttonight and gnxtour via Instagram)}