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That’s a wrap!
Adrian Horton Photograph: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Well, that was a less charged affair than last year, though still full of emotional moments – the best new artist win for Olivia Dean, a surprise pop solo performance win for Lola Young, the star-studded tributes to D’Angelo and Ozzy Osbourne, and chiefly the big album of the year win for Bad Bunny, the first majority Spanish-language album to do so.
The Puerto Rican superstar was an affable, gracious presence throughout the ceremony – his ongoing bit with Trevor Noah, trying to get the singer who’s contractually barred from performing (because Super Bowl) to sing, was the best of a show that spread the love around. The night’s top-nominated artist, Kendrick Lamar, took home five awards (two during the telecast), becoming the most-decorated rapper in Grammys history with 27 total awards. Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas, along with Grammys stalwart Lady Gaga, rounded out the televised award winners.
But it was Bad Bunny, usually so cool and collected, being moved to tears by the big win, clearly processing the enormity of the moment, that will stick with me. This show took place during an extremely intense time in the US, with widespread protest over the Trump administration’s brutal immigration crackdown, particularly on Spanish speakers. And the violence was top of mind for many winners, from Eilish to Dean and of course Bad Bunny, who asserted: “ICE out. We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we are humans and we are Americans.”
And with that, the Grammys are through. Thanks for sticking with us! We’ll see you next year. And for Bad Bunny fans – on to the Super Bowl!
ShareAdrian Horton
For a full run-down of this nearly four-hour show, my colleague Benjamin Lee has the recap:
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Benjamin Lee
A reminder of tonight’s big winners here:
ShareBenjamin LeeKehlani. Photograph: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
A reminder of some of the anti-ICE, pro-immigration quotes of the night:
Bad Bunny: “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say ICE out. We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we’re humans and we are Americans … The only thing more powerful than hate is love so please we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them, we love our people, we love our families and that’s the way to do it, we love.”
Kehlani: “I wanted to say fuck ICE. I think everybody – we’re too powerful of a group to all be in a room at the same time and not make some kind of statement in our country, so it’s brainless to me.”
Billie Eilish: “No one is illegal on stolen land. It’s really hard to know what to say or what to do right now. … we need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting.”
Olivia Dean: “I am up here as the grand-daughter of an immigrant. I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”
SZA: “Please don’t fall into despair … We can go on, we need each other … we’re not governed by the government, we’re governed by God.”
Gloria Estefan: “I don’t think anyone would say we want a free-for-all at the border. But what is happening is not at all criminals being arrested. These are people that have families that have contributed to this country for decades. Little children – there’s hundreds of children in detention centers … I hope that our government listens to our plea for humanity, which is the main thing we need.”
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Updated at 06.02 CET
Benjamin Lee
The most thrilling, and surely most expensive, performance of the night:
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Here’s a look back at the most striking outfits on the red carpet:
ShareWINNER: Bad Bunny, Debí Tirar Más Fotos – album of the yearAdrian HortonBad Bunny. Photograph: Daniel Cole/Reuters
Oh wow, I thought the momentum was with Kendrick Lamar but the night’s biggest award does, indeed, go to the favorite: Bad Bunny, who was so overwhelmed that he sat in his chair, head in his hands, for a full 10 seconds before taking the stage.
I get it – his magnum opus, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, a vivid exploration of Latin music traditions made by returning to Puerto Rico, is the first majority Spanish-language album to win this award, and I don’t need to spell out the symbolism of that in the US right now, when ICE is profiling people who speak the language.
Bad Bunny, fittingly, delivers the bulk of his speech in Spanish (translation forthcoming). In English: “I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams.” Hard not to get emotional at that. What a way to head into the Super Bowl next Sunday!
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Updated at 06.02 CET
Adrian Horton Photograph: John Salangsang/Shutterstock
Technically the show was supposed to end at 8.30pm local time, so surely this must be the last or next to last performance of the night, and it’s a strong one: the brothers Gene and Terrence Thornton, aka Malice and Pusha T, of rap dup Clipse, along with their longtime friend, fellow Virginia native and producer Pharrell, making it snow in LA.
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Updated at 05.42 CET
WINNER: Kendrick Lamar with SZA, Luther – record of the yearAdrian HortonSounwave, Jack Antonoff, Kendrick Lamar, Scott Bridgeway, Kamasi Washington and SZA. Photograph: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
OK so Cher botched the winner envelope (lol) and then said “Luther Vandross” (LOL) before correcting herself to the real winners … Kendrick Lamar and SZA for their song Luther, which is indeed a tribute to the late soul singer Luther Vandross.
“Let’s give a shout out to the late great Luther Vandross,” joked producer Sounwave – except it’s not a joke, as Lamar added that getting clearance from the Vandross estate to sample his song made him shed a tear. (He respected their request for no cursing.)
Added SZA, speaking more broadly: “Please don’t fall into despair. I know it’s a scary time…we can go on, we need each other, we need to trust each other.”
And added Noah: “I love live television.”
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Updated at 05.43 CET
Adrian Horton
The head of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr, came out for his obligatory paean to the power of music, but it turns into a bizarre lifetime achievement celebration for the icon that is Cher.
Cher. Photograph: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
“It’s a good thing that they did it now,” she joked before rambling through an acceptance speech when she was maybe supposed to announce the nominees for record of the year – how she was “either on the top or the bottom”, either “losing or winning an Oscar”, in the “elephant’s graveyard” of Las Vegas and becoming the first artist to use autotune (I’m going to trust her on that).
“Never give up on your dream no matter what happens. Live it, be it, and if it’s not happening now, it will happen soon,” she added before leaving the stage … until Trevor Noah calls her back to read out the nominees, eek.
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Updated at 05.25 CET
Benjamin Lee
One of the more fun performances of the night!
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A lot of swears cut out tonight but one got through! Huge for Brits:
ShareAdrian HortonLauryn Hill. Photograph: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
We’re deep in the in memoriam section now, with Ms Lauryn Hill (!) on stage to celebrate the life and legacy of D’Angelo, starting with their duet Nothing Even Matters.
Ms Hill then emcees a veritable who’s who of R&B stars in honor of both D’Angelo and the late Roberta Flack: Lucky Daye (for D’Angelo track Brown Sugar), Leon Thomas, Bilal (for a rousing rendition of Untitled (How Does It Feel)), Leon Bridges, Jon Batiste, John Legend and Chaka Khan, to name a few.
And for the exclamation point, she’s joined by Wyclef Jean on guitar, for both an original and Fugees version of Flack’s Killing Me Softly. Best believe everyone got on their feet for that one, an impressive finale to an extra-stacked tribute.
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Updated at 05.07 CET
Benjamin Lee
Yet another fiery speech tonight here from Billie Eilish. Good luck topping all of this, Oscars:
hell yes to Billie Eilish’s Grammys speech: “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
“It’s really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I feel really hopeful in this room and I feel like we need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. Our voices really do… pic.twitter.com/83i0FEquIO
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) February 2, 2026
ShareAdrian HortonReba McEntire. Photograph: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
It’s time for the tributes: Bruce Springsteen for Brian Wilson, John Mayer for Bobby Weir and for the first time ever at the Grammys (?!), Reba McEntire (along with Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson), saluting several of those lost in the past year – including her son (and Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband) Brandon Blackstock – with her new song Trailblazer.
Man, I forgot we lost so many legends – now it’s Andrew Watt, Guns N’ Roses’s Slash and Duff McKagan, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’s Chad Smith and Post Malone paying tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, among others.
Duff McKagan, Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, Post Malone and Slash. Photograph: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording AcademyShare
Updated at 05.08 CET