Cher had one job: read the name. Instead she began to wander off the Grammy stage before announcing the Record of the Year nominees, then muffed the reveal itself. The winner was Kendrick Lamar, for “Luther,” his tribute to Luther Vandross recorded with SZA.
It was a night of firsts at the 68th Grammy Awards, held February 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Lamar became the first male artist and the first rapper to take Record of the Year two years running.
Lamar’s haul
Record of the Year was only part of it. During the televised show Lamar won Best Rap Album for GNX, which lifted him past Jay-Z as the rapper with the most Grammys in a career. At the earlier Premiere Ceremony he collected Best Rap Song for “tv off,” Best Melodic Rap Performance for “luther” with SZA, and Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals for “Big Fish.”
Bad Bunny takes the top prize
Bad Bunny won Album of the Year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, the first Spanish-language album ever to do so. He began his speech by addressing fellow Puerto Ricans. “I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country to follow their dreams,” he said. Earlier he had won Best Música Urbana Album for the same record, a category he has now taken a record three times, and the evening brought his Grammy total to six. Before thanking God, he told the room: “ICE out.” The crowd roared. The Guardian described the ceremony as one filled with anti-ICE sentiment.
Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell won Song of the Year for “Wildflower,” their third win in that category after “Bad Guy” in 2020 and “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie in 2024. That set a Grammys record. Eilish kept her remarks short: “No one is illegal on stolen land.” Olivia Dean took Best New Artist from last year’s winner, Chappell Roan.
Noah’s last night, and a new network
Trevor Noah hosted for the sixth time and for the last time. Deadline reported that politics ran through his monologue and through many of the speeches, a contrast with the Golden Globes the month before.
The broadcast itself is about to change hands. After this ceremony the Grammys move from CBS to ABC, Hulu and Disney+ the following year, as Deadline reported.
Sources
- 2026 Grammys Winners List: Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish & Finneas (Deadline)
- Grammy awards 2026: list of winners (The Guardian)
