If you missed what happened at this year’s Grammys, I’ve got you covered
This year’s ceremony took place in Los Angeles on Feb.1, 2026 the first day of Black History Month. It started at 8 pm and could be watched live on Paramount+.
There was a lot to take away from some historic wins and spectacular performances to stances on ICE.
So here are some takeaways from this year’s ceremony.
They left everything on the stage
The tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack was one of the highlights of the night. This performance featured Lauryn Hill, Chaka Khan, Bilal, Leon Thomas, Raphael Saadiq, Anthony Hamilton and others performing a medley of songs. The set of this performance was simple but it felt like a Black church service that went on for too long. It has been 27 years since Lauryn Hill last graced the stage at the Grammys.
Tyler the Creator put on an absolute show. He merged his last two eras “Chromakopia” and “Don’t Tap the Glass” with a medley consisting of “Thought I Was Dead,” “Like Him” & “Sugar On My Tongue.” His set was the standout with him performing in his Chromakopia mask for “Thought I Was Dead,” “Like Him” and then in a red leather outfit with a sports car and a convenience store with “Sugar On My Tongue.”
Sabrina Carpenter took flight with her performance of “Manchild.” She wore a flight attendant outfit on her airport-inspired set. It was a very energetic performance with the different male background dancers wearing “traditional” male blue-collar and white-collar job outfits. Even though she didn’t take any awards home, her performance was something to remember.
Lady Gaga knows how to give a stellar performance. She performed her smash hit “Abracadabra” in a red-and-black feathered, shoulder-padded top and hip-padded skirt with a woven eyeball headpiece. The set of the performance was lightly dimmed with two guitarists, a drummer and Gaga on the keyboard. Even though one of the guitarists was staring at me during the performance, it just shows that Gaga is one of the best performers of all time.
Melanin on top
Durand Bernarr won his first Grammy, Best Progressive R&B album, for his album “BLOOM”. The internet quickly turned a clip of him running into a meme. He has such a great personaliy and he’s going to do great things in this industry. I’m definitely going to keep him on the radar and stream his album.
Leon Thomas also won his first two solo Grammys for his album “MUTT.” He won Best R&B Album for “MUTT” and Best Traditional R&B Performance with his song “VIBES DON’T LIE.” Following his journey from “Victorious” and seeing him win his first Grammys is just such an amazing feeling and I’m happy for him.
Kendrick Lamar made history as he passed Jay-Z for the most Grammys earned as a rapper. He won five more including Best Rap Album for GNX, Best Rap Song for “TV Off,” Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Luther,” and Best Rap Performance for his feature on Clipse’s “Chains & Whips,” along with winning Record of the Year for his song “Luther” featuring SZA. Although GNX isn’t Kendrick’s best album you can’t deny his cultural impact, especially over the past couple of years and he deserved the Grammys he received.
Kehlani and Shabozeey also became first-time Grammy winners. Kehlani won her first two Grammys for her hit song “Folded.” She won Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance. Shaboozey became the first Black male to win Best Country Duo/Group Performance for his song “Amen” with Jelly Roll.
I’m happy to see Kehlani finally get her flowers and that hard work pays off in the end and I can’t wait to see where she goes from here. While Shaboozey faced some backlash for his acceptance speech, I’m glad he won as well and hopefully in the future, he can win a solo Grammy.
Puerto Rico took center stage
Bad Bunny took home 3 Grammys for his 2025 release “Debí Tirar Mas Fotos,” including Best Global Music Performance for EoO, Best Música Urbana Album and a history-making Album of the Year. He became the first Latin artist to win the category with an all-Spanish language album.
During his acceptance speech for Best Urbana Album he also addressed ICE saying “ICE OUT.” “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans,” he said.
For his Album of the Year speech, he gave all the love to Puerto Rico in Spanish translated to”Puerto Rico, believe me when I tell you that we are much bigger than 100 by 35.” He also gave thanks to God and ended his speech with “I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland to follow their dreams.”
This album meant so much not only to Bad Bunny but also to Puerto Rico. Seeing him win Album of the Year was such a joyous moment and it reminded me of when Beyoncé won the awards last year. Both artists have something to say and won the biggest award of the night for the first time which is truly special and will live in history.
This year’s Grammys followed the trend from last year with more diversity being highlighted and represented. They got it right for the second time in a row and I love to see it.
