The 2026 Grammy Awards took place Sunday, Feb. 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, celebrating the best (or what is more often the case, most popular) music of the past year. Hosted by former Daily Show host Trevor Noah and featuring great performances from artists like Sabrina Carpenter and rap duo Clipse, striking speeches and beautiful tributes, this Grammy Awards was one for the books.
Notable winners from the night include Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower” claiming Song of the Year; Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” winning Record of the Year; and the young singer Lola Young’s “Messy” snatching Best Pop Solo Performance from Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Chappell Roan.
However, the final award arguably stole the show, with Bad Bunny’s “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” earning him the Grammys’ first ever non-English Album of the Year award. Earlier in the night, his album also won the Best Música Urbana award, leading him to give a speech denouncing ICE and defending his community:
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say, ‘ICE out.’ We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans,” he said.
So, it came as no surprise that much of his Album of the Year speech was given largely in Spanish, again celebrating his heritage and uplifting those in his community.
“To all the dreamers, to everyone who has lost a loved one and still had to move forward and carry on with great strength, this award is for you,” he said. “To all the Latinos around the entire world, and to all the artists who came before and deserved to be on stage receiving this award, thank you very much.”
Bad Bunny was far from the only one to talk about politics, though. Host Trevor Noah opened the show with jabs at President Donald Trump and Nicki Minaj (a highly criticized Trump supporter), while Billie Eilish passionately stated “No one is illegal on stolen land” during her Song of the Year award speech.
Newcomer Olivia Dean joined in too, highlighting her status as the granddaughter of an immigrant while accepting her Best New Artist award.
“I am a product of bravery, and I think that those people deserve to be celebrated,” she said.
Even country star Jelly Roll got in on the action, accepting Best Contemporary Country Album by saying “Jesus is for everybody. Jesus is not owned by one political party.” It appears that no matter how much political awards speeches may annoy some people, artists don’t seem to be stopping any time soon.
Other notable moments from the night included A Tribe Called Quest rapper Q-Tip presenting Pharrell Williams with the Dr. Dre Global Impact award and Cher being given the Grammys’ Lifetime Achievement award. Some awards, like Best Contemporary Country Album and Best Pop Album, were presented by movie stars from 2025 such as Jeff Goldblum and Teyana Taylor, making the night a veritable who’s-who for both music and film.
Towards the end of the show, an incredibly well-constructed In Memoriam segment began, featuring performances from Reba McEntire; Post Malone alongside Slash from Guns N’ Roses; and Lauryn Hill joined by Leon Thomas, Bilal, John Legend, Chaka Khan and Hill’s former Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean, with the latter group honoring the late artists D’Angelo and Robert Flack specifically.
Overall, this wasn’t a boring Grammys night by any means. Not only was great music celebrated, it was performed and honored, too, making the show feel less like a network’s unfocused, nearly corporate vision, and more like an organic memento cherishing music that can be looked back upon for decades to come. It seems these creative mementos come fewer and farther between as time goes on, but if this Grammy Awards is any indication for the future, we have little to worry about.
