On Feb. 1, 2026, the best musical artists of the year walked into the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, to experience the biggest music event of the year: the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, hosted by comedian Trevor Noah. The votes of nearly 15,000 members of the Recording Academy determined who would receive accolades such as Best Record of the Year and Best Pop Album of the Year –– awards often considered to be the most prestigious in the music industry.
The Grammy Premiere Ceremony, streamed by the Recording Academy on Youtube, occurred first. Hundreds of artists won awards in the majority of the categories, including Laufey for Best Traditional Pop Album, Leon Thomas for Best R&B Album, and Clipse for Best Rap Performance.
Hours later, the main broadcast included a red carpet with celebrities and musicians in jaw-dropping outfits, the main awards of the night, and incredible performances.
Bad Bunny won Best Musica Urbana Album, and, most importantly, Best Album of the Year for his latest album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” which you can read about here. Lady Gaga took home Best Pop Vocal Album with her album “Mayhem,” and Jelly Roll won Best Contemporary Country Album with “Beautifully Broken.”
After a year of record-breaking success, British artist Olivia Dean won Best Artist, one of the most famous awards of the Grammys. Kendrick Lamar also notably broke the record for most Grammy Awards won by a rapper, earning five awards to total twenty-six, beating rapper Jay-Z’s former record of twenty-five awards. Bad Bunny’s Best Album of the Year win marked the first time a Latin album has ever won the award.
For the first time, there were two separate categories for Best Country Album: Best Contemporary Country Album (which Jelly Roll won) and Best Traditional Country Album (which Zach Top won for “Ain’t In It For My Health”). This change was considered by many as a reaction to intense criticism by country fans after Beyoncé took home the award for her 2024 album “Cowboy Carter.”
Additionally, a new award for best album cover was introduced, with Djo, Wet Leg, Perfume Genius, Bad Bunny, and Tyler, The Creator being nominated. Tyler, The Creator’s “CHROMAKOPIA” took home the award, which features him posing as his alter ego St. Chroma.
Yet the night didn’t go completely as planned. During Alex Warren’s performance of his hit song “Ordinary,” there seemed to be a technical malfunction with his earpiece (which was later confirmed by him on social media), resulting in his apparent off-beat singing.
However, this mistake was nowhere near the level of sheer miscommunication that Cher’s speech had. Trevor Noah introduced the 79-year-old pop icon, claiming she would present the Best Record of the Year award after an acceptance speech about her win of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy.
It began as a typical acceptance speech, but soon steered into a monologue of major achievements in her lifetime. Cher then abruptly walked off stage.
Noah quickly jumped on stage to ask Cher if she could introduce the Best Record of the Year award; however, she kept walking until someone from backstage was seen talking to her. She then made her way back to the microphone to announce the winner.
As she read the name of the record out, “luther” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, she mistakenly said that the award went to the late Luther Vandross, who died nearly twenty-one years ago. She then corrected herself, clarifying that the award went to Kendrick Lamar and SZA, who quickly joined her on stage.
Almost every acceptance speech mentioned the heightened political tension around immigration, with many artists wearing buttons with the phrase “ICE OUT.” Artists like Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, and Shaboozey all made comments about the situation in their acceptance speeches.
The Grammys also featured incredible televised music performances. The show opened up to K-pop artist Rosé and pop singer Bruno Mars performing their hit song “APT.,” which received thunderous applause. Other performers included Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and Tyler, The Creator.
Additionally, many new artists performed their biggest songs. The Marías played their hit song “No One Noticed,” followed by Addison Rae, who, hanging on to the back of a white delivery truck, sang “Fame is a Gun.” Other performers included KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, and Sombr.
Millions of people watch the Grammys each year, including many members of the PCDS student body. Junior Juliana Crisalli shared that she was “surprised that the Song of the Year went to Billie Eilish,” continuing to explain that the “WILDFLOWER” was released and popular the year before. However, she still thought “that [the award] was very deserving.”
Crisalli admitted that she “didn’t particularly like the first few” new artist performances, mentioning Addison Rae and KATSEYE, as well as Alex Warren’s mishap. Freshman Gaby Wagner said that her favorite performance was Sabrina Carpenter’s, saying that she thought it was “entertaining to watch” how Carpenter doesn’t “just sing but also performs.”
Sophomore Alec Saenz weighed in on Bad Bunny’s Best Album of the Year acceptance speech, saying, “It was really cool that Bad Bunny, who speaks Spanish, was on TV. You just don’t see that that much.”
Crisalli, Wagner, and Saenz all agreed that Olivia Dean was very deserving of the Best New Artist award.
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards proved to be another excellent night for music, with breathtaking performances and impressive wins and speeches. The 69th Annual Grammy Awards are set for early 2027 and will no doubt be a continuation of the stunning show that only music and musical legends can provide.
