The 68th Annual Grammy Awards were held Sunday, Feb. 1, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with the ceremony was hosted for the sixth and final time by Trevor Noah.
The evening opened with Noah welcoming what he called the “royalty in the house,” singling out stars like Jamie Foxx and Reba McEntire, in addition to poking fun at Nicki Minaj’s public support of President Donald Trump.
History was made when Bad Bunny claimed Album of the Year for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, marking the first time a Spanish-language album has won the Grammys’ top honor. The Puerto Rican artist emotionally delivered much of his acceptance speech in Spanish. He also collected Best Música Urbana Album during the main broadcast and won Best Global Music Performance for “EoO” earlier in the day. During the ceremony, Bad Bunny used his platform to address immigration issues, declaring, “We are humans and we are Americans.”
Kendrick Lamar emerged as the most decorated artist overall, taking home five trophies. His wins included Record of the Year for “luther” with SZA and Best Rap Album for GNX, a milestone that saw him surpass Jay-Z as the rapper with the most Grammy wins in history.
The Recording Academy spread recognition across genres. “Golden,” from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, earned the first-ever Grammy for a K-pop act. Olivia Dean was named Best New Artist; Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell won Song of the Year for “Wildflower,” while Jelly Roll picked up Best Contemporary Country Album for Beautifully Broken, and Lady Gaga won Best Pop Vocal Album for MAYHEM.
The telecast featured a mix of long-awaited returns and striking collaborations. Justin Bieber made his first major public performance in four years with “Yukon,” appearing onstage in boxers and socks. Lady Gaga delivered a theatrical rock-funk performance of “Abracadabra,” wearing a red-and-black feathered bolero and sculpted skirt from Alexander McQueen’s iconic Horn of Plenty Fall/Winter 2009 collection, topped with a dramatic Philip Treacy headpiece.
Tributes were also a major focus of the show. Reba McEntire led the ‘In Memoriam’ segment alongside Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson with a reimagined version of “Trailblazer.” Later, Post Malone joined Slash, Duff McKagan, and Chad Smith for a heavy rendition of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” in honor of Ozzy Osbourne, as members of Osbourne’s family looked on. Lauryn Hill closed the tribute sequence with a medley honoring D’Angelo and Roberta Flack, joined by Jon Batiste and John Legend.
The night ended with a surprise appearance by Cher, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award before presenting Record of the Year. In her candid speech, she said, “I first want to thank the Recording Academy for giving me this lifetime achievement award. And it’s a good thing that they did it now, because I have good genes and I wouldn’t have been here that much longer. I’ve been in this business for 60 fu]*cking years, but I just want to tell you, never give up on your dream, no matter what happens. Live it, be it, and if it’s not happening now, it will happen soon.”
For the complete list of winners, head HERE.
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