From breakout artists commanding the stage to acceptance speeches rooted in heritage, resilience and gratitude, t h e 2 0 2 6 G r a m m y s showcased talent and lived experience in equal measure, giving audiences a glimpse of the industry’s evolving priorities.
The night, held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, opened with an electrifying “APT.” performance by Rosé and Bruno Mars. Sabrina Carpenter, meanwhile, sang the nominated song “Manchild.”
Key winners
Olivia Dean took home Best New Artist and used her acceptance speech to honor her roots as a granddaughter of an immigrant: “I want to say I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant. I wouldn’t be here… I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We are nothing without each other.”
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their soaring rendition of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. Doechii, whose music video for “Anxiety” was recognized as Best Music Video.
Major category winners reflected the diversity of today’s music scene. Bad Bunny dominated with Album of the Year for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS and Record of the Year for “DtMF.” Billie Eilish took home Song of the Year for “Wildflower,” while Lady Gaga earned Best Pop Vocal Album for Mayhem and Best Dance-Pop Recording for “Abracadabra.”
Kendrick Lamar extended his legacy in hip-hop, winning Best Rap Album (GNX) and Best Rap Song (“TV Off”), while Leon Thomas was recognized with Best R&B Album for Mutt. In rock, Turnstile swept the major categories, including Best Rock Album, Best Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance.
Behind the scenes, Amy Allen was named Songwriter of the Year and Cirkut earned Producer of the Year, highlighting the talent shaping music beyond the spotlight. The night also honored Steven Spielberg with Best Music Film for producing Music by John Williams, completing his EGOT.
Here’s the complete list of winners:
Album of the Year
Debí Tirar Más Fotos — Bad Bunny
Record of the Year
"Luther" — Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Song of the Year
"Wildflower" — Billie Eilish
Best New Artist
Olivia Dean
Best Country Solo Performance
"Bad As I Used To Be" (From ‘F1 The Movie’ — Chris Stapleton
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
"Amen" — Shaboozey & Jelly Roll
Best Country Song
"Bitin’ List" — Tyler Childers, songwriter (Tyler Childers)
Best Music Video
"Anxiety" — Doechii
Best Rock Album
Never Enough — Turnstile
Best Rap Performance
"Chains & Whips" — Clipse, Pusha T & Malice Featuring Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams
Best Melodic Rap Performance
"Luther" — Kendrick Lamar With SZA
Best Rap Song
"tv off" — Jack Antonoff, Larry Jayy, Kendrick Lamar, Dijon McFarlane, Sean Momberger, Mark Anthony Spears & Kamasi Washington, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar Featuring Lefty Gunplay)
Best Rap Album
GNX — Kendrick Lamar
Best R&B Performance
"Folded" — Kehlani
Best Traditional R&B Performance
"VIBES DON’T LIE" — Leon Thomas
Best R&B Song
"Folded" — Darius Dixson, Andre Harris, Donovan Knight, Don Mills, Kehlani Parrish, Khris Riddick-Tynes & Dawit Kamal Wilson, songwriters (Kehlani)
Best R&B Album
Mutt — Leon Thomas
Best Pop Solo Performance
"Messy" — Lola Young
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
"Defying Gravity" — Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical
Amy Allen
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Cirkut
Best Pop Vocal Album
Lady Gaga — Mayhem
Best Dance Pop Recording
"Abracadabra" — Lady Gaga
Best Dance/Electronic Album
Eusexua — FKA twigs
Best Latin Pop Album
Cancionera – Natalia Lafourcade
Best Música Urbana Album
DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS — Bad Bunny
Best Latin Rock, Urban, or Alternative Album
PAPOTA — CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso
Best Rock Performance
"Changes" (Live From Villa Park) Back To The Beginning — YUNGBLUD Featuring Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, Adam Wakeman, II
Best Metal Performance
"BIRDS" — Turnstile
Best Rock Song
"As Alive As You Need Me To Be" — Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, songwriters (Nine Inch Nails)
Best Alternative Music Performance
"Alone "— The Cure
Best Alternative Music Album
Songs Of A Lost World — The Cure
Best Americana Album
BIG MONEY – Jon Batiste
Best Contemporary Country Album
Beautifully Broken — Jelly Roll
Best Traditional Country Album
Ain’t In it For My Health — Zach Top
Best Song Written for Visual Media
"Golden" — KPop Demon Hunters
American Roots Performance
"Beautiful Strangers" — Mavis Staples
American Roots Song
"Ancient Light" —Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins, songwriters (I’m With Her)
Bluegrass Album
Highway Prayers — Billy Strings
Traditional Blues Album
Ain’t Done With the Blues — Buddy Guy
Contemporary Blues Album
Preacher Kids — Robert Randolph