The 2026 Grammys

Written by: Sitara Nair

This past Sunday, February 1st 2026, the Grammy Awards, or colloquially known as the Grammys, took place. Presented by the Recording Academy, the Grammys award music artists a gramophone trophy, a highly prestigious honor that celebrates their remarkable achievements in the music industry. The Recording Academy was formerly known as NARAS and awards are given out by Music professionals voting for the best of the best. The biggest categories are Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. This event is one of the most exciting nights in music, and is even a part of artists earning one of the greatest achievements, an EGOT (an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). Let’s find out about how this year’s show went and what incredible artists took home awards. 

The 68th Annual Grammy Awards Winners

Starting off, there were eight nominees for Best New Artist, with last year’s presenter of the award, Chappel Roan, announcing the winner. This year, the award went to Olivia Dean, beating out other nominees like KATSEYE, The Marías, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, and Lola Young. Olivia Dean has had an incredible past year, with her album The Art of Loving topping charts and cultivating audiences worldwide! Past best new artist, other awards were received, like artist Kendrick Lamar took home Best Rap Album for GNX, and his collaboration song, “Luther” with SZA on the album, took home Record of the Year, two incredible outcomes for the over two-decade-long rapper. Arguably, the most important award, Album of the Year, was stacked with incredible artists: Kendrick Lamar (GNX), Sabrina Carpenter (Man's Best Friend), Lady Gaga (MAYHEM), Bad Bunny (DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS), Tyler, the Creator (CHROMAKOPIA), Justin Bieber (SWAG), Clipse (Let God Sort Em Out), and Leon Thomas (Mutt). The award ended up going to Bad Bunny for DtMF, an incredible win for the Latin community, as he was the first to make an all-Spanish-language album take that award home in history. Additionally, Bad Bunny won Best Música Urbana Album for DtMF and delivered a powerful speech when accepting the award. 

Beyond the major award wins, the Grammys featured incredible, unforgettable performances, making the night special. Many artists performed, showcasing their incredible musical talents and powerful storytelling abilities, including newer artists; all eight Best New Artist nominees performed. First-time winner Olivia Dean delivered her song “Man I Need”, a song that was flying up the charts and took over social media, and her performance showed her vocal range and emotional depth, a clear reason why she won the Best New Artist Title. Additionally, some artists didn't perform just one song; Kendrick Lamar, for example, performed a medley of songs from GNX, captivating audiences in the room and at home. Some artists even went all out with visuals, like twelve-time Grammy nominee Sabrina Carpenter, who performed her song “Manchild”, where she was dressed like a pilot and had a whole airplane theme during the performance. She had great vibes and incredible dance moves, getting celebrities in the audience off their seats and up vibing along. 

In addition to accepting awards, artists give speeches, often thanking their production team, family, and supporters for helping them get to this point, and the 68th Grammys was no different. Many artists thanked their fans, families, and teams while also addressing important topics such as artistic freedom, working as independent artists, musical diversity, and the ongoing hardships in our country today. These speeches came from a heartfelt place for all artists, and really brought awareness to problems in our society that need it. 

Overall, the 2026 Grammys were a success, and yet another night of celebrating incredible music! Dd you watch? It’s okay if you didn’t it’s all live streamed and you should check it out here!