On Sunday, February 1st, 2026, the 67th annual Grammy Awards opened with Rosé and Bruno Mars sharing the stage for a collaborative set of APT that was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group performance. The energy continued with Sabrina Carpenter “touching down” and performing Manchild dressed as a pilot.
The spotlight then shifted to rising talent as all eight “Best New Artist” nominees performed in a dedicated segment. Celebrities such as Addison Rae, Katseye, Sombr, Alex Warren, Leon Thomas, The Marias, Lola Young, and Olivia Dean performed back to back live sets of their most popular songs including Fame is a Gun, Gnarly, 12 to 12, Ordinary, MUTT, No One Noticed, Messy, and Man I Need. After closing the showcase, Chappell Roan presented the “Best New Artist” award to Olivia Dean. When her name was announced, Dean took the stage to claim her award and shared, “I’m a granddaughter of an immigrant,” framing the win as a tribute to her family and as a protest against ICE.
Later, Lady Gaga delivered a theatrical performance of her February 2025 release Abracadabra, which earned her a loud applause. Following after, Justin Bieber returned to the Grammy stage with Yukon, from a four-year hiatus and marking one of the ceremony’s biggest comebacks.
After Lola Young’s previous acoustic performance of her hit Messy, she won her first Grammy in “Best Pop Solo Performance”. Young reacted with visible shock and joy, breaking into an excited near sprint toward the stage as the audience cheered. After she reached the stage, Young immediately began to cry and profusely thank everyone for her award.
Later in the evening, Cher took the stage to accept the “Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement” award and present “Record of the Year”. After leaving the stage, Cher realized she did not announce the winner and returned in an awkward humorous moment. To make matters even more confusing, Cher announced the late Luther Vandross as the winner of “Record of the Year” instead of the actual winners, Kendrick Lamar and SZA.
Throughout the night, Lamar quickly emerged as the night’s headliner, winning the most Grammy’s out of all of the nominees that night. Lamar went on to win five awards, the most of any artist that evening. Luther earned Lamar and SZA, “Record of the Year” and “Best Melodic Rap Performance”. Additionally, Lamar also won “Best Rap Album” for GNX, “Best Rap Song” for writing TV Off and “Best Rap Performance” for Chains and Whips with Clipse.
After, Billie Eilish won “Song of the Year” and used her speech to deliver a political message. Eilish expressed, “No one is illegal on stolen land,” a line that directly attacks the mass deportations under the Trump Administration and spread rapidly across social media within minutes.
Bad Bunny delivered one of the ceremony’s most emotional moments when he won Album of the Year. The victory marked the first time a primarily Spanish-language album claimed the top honor. Cameras showed him taking a private moment at his seat as he fought back tears before walking to the stage. In his speech, he addressed immigration and identity, telling the audience, “we’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans.” Online speculation suggested he wore a bulletproof vest after he received multiple death threats during the ceremony, but no confirmed source supported the claim.
Throughout the night, politics shaped the red carpet and the audience. Several celebrities wore “Ice Out” pins, including Justin and Hailey Bieber, Billie Eilish, Kehlani, Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, Carole King, Hayley Williams, and Jack Antanoff. The accessory sparked online discussion and underscored the political tone that ran through much of the night.
The 2026 Grammy Awards balanced celebration, protest, and historic milestones. All the breakthrough wins, emotional speeches, and major returns turned the ceremony into one of the most talked-about nights in recent Grammy history and without a doubt, there will be more to come.
