2026 Grammys Takeaways: Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar Take Top Awards

On a night marked by explicit political statements, Bad Bunny became the first Spanish-language artist to win the ceremony’s top prize, while Kendrick Lamar is now the winningest rapper in Grammy history.

Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny were the top winners at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, in a night of musical milestones and sharp commentary from stars opposing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Bad Bunny, who dominates streaming and is set to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show next Sunday, took album of the year for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” which mingles traditional sounds from his native Puerto Rico with booming electronic beats. It was the first time a Spanish-language album had won the Grammys’ most prestigious prize.

And Lamar took home five trophies, more than any other artist. His victories included for record of the year (“Luther”) and best rap album (“GNX”), and they strengthened his position as the hip-hop laureate: With 27 lifetime wins, he is now the Grammys’ winningest rapper.

The night was marked by explicit political statements, and many artists — including Eilish, Carole King and Justin Bieber — wore pins reading “ICE OUT.” When Bad Bunny accepted the prize for best música urbána album early in the ceremony, he gave voice to the sense of protest that bubbled throughout the evening.

“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out,” he said, to a roar of approval from the celebrities gathered at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.”

Eilish, in accepting a trophy for song of the year for “Wildflower,” said, “No one is illegal on stolen land.” She added, “We need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting.”

And Olivia Dean, a young British singer, accepted the award for best new artist by saying she was “up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant.”

Those messages were threaded through a show that was packed with eye-catching performances and breakout moments for winning artists.

Jelly Roll won best contemporary country album for “Beautifully Broken,” giving a speech effusively thanking Jesus Christ. Lola Young, a young British singer who sings with brutal honesty about her anxieties, beat Bieber, Lady Gaga and other stars in best pop solo performance for “Messy.” Lady Gaga won best pop vocal album for “Mayhem.”

Here are some takeaways from the night:

• New benchmarks: In addition to Bad Bunny’s and Lamar’s groundbreaking nights, Billie Eilish and Finneas, her brother and collaborator, took song of the year a third time with “Wildflower,” more than any songwriter has won before. And when “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” took best song written for visual media, it was another breakthrough: the first time the K-pop genre won a Grammy.
• Dominating rap: Kendrick Lamar swept the rap field, taking rap album as well as melodic rap performance (“Luther”) and rap song (“TV Off”). Even when he lost rap performance with “TV Off,” he won it as a featured artist on Clipse’s “Chains & Whips.”
• R&B and rock: The R&B and rock fields both had artists who won multiple awards. Leon Thomas, who started as a child actor on Broadway, took R&B album (“Mutt”) and traditional R&B performance (“Vibes Don’t Lie”). In rock, the veteran band the Cure won alternative rock performance (“Alone”) and alternative music album (“Songs of a Lost World”), and the Baltimore hard-rock group Turnstile won both best rock album (“Never Enough”) and metal performance (“Birds”).

• Eye-catching performances: Lady Gaga performed her retro-electro hit “Abracadabra” in classic Gaga fashion with eccentric headgear that resembled a basket or possibly a wicker bird cage. Tyler, the Creator wore red leather while straddling a red sports car. Justin Bieber went instead to intimate minimalism, singing “Yukon” in just boxer shorts and socks, with the camera trained close on his skin.
• Empty-handed: Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan were two of the most high-profile nominees, but both went home without winning any awards.
• “In Memoriam”: Extended tributes to departed pop stars have become a Grammy signature. This year, in filmed segments, Bruce Springsteen praised Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, while John Mayer spoke about Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. In an elaborate, 20-minute live segment, Post Malone sang Ozzy Osbourne songs and Lauryn Hill honored Roberta Flack and D’Angelo, joined by Bilal, John Legend, Jon Batiste, Raphael Saadiq and others.
• More Times analysis: After the show, the “Popcast” team of Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli gave their reactions to the Grammys live on Instagram.

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