Music’s biggest night occurred on February 1, 2026 with the 68th annual Grammy Awards ceremony at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles, California with comedian and writer, Trevor Noah, hosting. The Grammys hand out awards for 95 categories, ranging from Best Folk Album, Best Alternative Music Performance, Best Spoken Word Poetry Album, to the more popular awards like Album of the Year and Best New Artist. 14.4 million people watched the Grammys this year via streaming but only about 13,000 people attended in person.
The major televised awards of the night include Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. Album of the Year was awarded to DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS by Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s song “luther” won Record of the Year, Billie Eilish took home Song of the Year with “WILDFLOWER” and singer Olivia Dean was awarded Best New Artist. Everyone who was nominated for Best New Artist did a performance along with some nominees from other categories. There were mixed opinions about the awards. On one hand, some fans were happy that their favorite artist won an award. “‘Hard Fought Hallelujah’ definitely deserved a Grammy, best song of all time,” Elizabeth Davis, junior, said. Other watchers were dissatisfied with the results. “I thought Sabrina Carpenter should have won over ‘Anxiety’ by Doechii,” Claire Prohaska, junior, said.
A special tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne featuredPost Malone, Chad Smith of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slash and Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses and producer Andrew Watt. Post Malone sang the song “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath, the band that Osbourne was the front man of.
Album of the Year is regarded as the most prestigious award and Bad Bunny’s win was an emotional watch for many viewers, as the artist had to take a moment to himself before walking on stage. DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is the first all Spanish-language album to win the award. Bad Bunny, real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, comes from the island of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. During his speech, he referenced the importance of his heritage to his musical career. “Thank you, mami, for giving birth to me in Puerto Rico,” Bad Bunny, 2026 Album of the Year winner, said. “To all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams.”
The 2026 Grammy Awards showcased up and coming stars and awarded musicians who have been staples in the music scene. As music continues to grow and change, so will the variety of artists that will be featured. The period of eligibility for the 2027 Grammy Awards runs from August 31, 2025 to August 30, 2026. Stay tuned for next year’s awards.
