Did The Grammys Get It Right? Recapping The 2026 Awards

Somehow, some way, Music's Biggest Night once again feels vital.

I cannot believe I’m saying this, but the 2026 Grammy Awards were… a good time? This now marks two straight years of legitimately enjoyable shows, which is two more than anyone could say following about a decade of mediocrity.

Comedian Trevor Noah, in his last year as host ahead of the show’s move to ABC in 2027, decided to pull no punches. He took plenty of shots at the current President of the United States and his new best friend, Nicki Minaj, whose absence from the proceedings received extended applause. In fact, political solidarity was one of the underlying themes of the night, culminating with Bad Bunny’s first Album of the Year win.

In November, I attempted to predict the winners of the “Big Four” categories. Of course, those four categories are Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year. Were my predictions correct? Eh.

On the night, we had 18 different performances, eight of which were from the Best New Artist nominees. Of the 18, most of them were enjoyable. Even Addison Rae, who was easily the least complete performer to take the stage (and whose live vocals have been the subject of plenty of ridicule so far in her career), sounded like she belonged.

Some of the highest points of the night on the performance side of the event included Rosé and Bruno Mars cold opening the show with a rock rendition of their smash hit “APT.,” Sabrina Carpenter (in a pilot’s outfit) delivering a performance of “Manchild” in an airport, and Tyler, The Creator’s usual bombastic creativity taking center stage with “Thought I Was Dead” and “Sugar On My Tongue,” complete with a cameo from the great Regina King.

Of course, Lady Gaga brought the theatrics to yet another fantastic performance of “Abracadabra.” Olivia Dean stood out among the Best New Artist nominees with the breeziest performance of the night, delivering an effortless live rendition of “Man I Need.” Then, the legendary Lauryn Hill played the role of honorary bandleader while a who’s who of R&B stars from the last 40 years came through to pay tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack, ending with a brief Fugees reunion that saw Hill and Wyclef Jean perform “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”

On the flip side, Alex Warren brought his woefully uninteresting hit “Ordinary” to the show. The longevity of that song continues to remain one of music’s greatest mysteries. Lola Young’s acoustic arrangement of “Messy” was equally inexplicable. Even though I’m not a fan of the original song, pretty much all of its appeal was tied to its original sound. It’s clear that she wanted to show off her vocal chops, but it is more than okay (encouraged, even) to play the original version of your star-making song at a show like this. Congratulations to her on actually winning a Grammy, though.

I also wish the producers had told KATSEYE to stick to the standard version of their song, as “Gnarly” felt like it just kept going. I understand that they played a slightly shorter version of the one that made it onto their tour setlist, complete with a dance break, but after hearing “gna-gna-gna-gna” on loop for what felt like an eternity, I found myself waiting for it to end. “Gabriela,” which actually received the Grammy nomination, is the better song anyway, but I digress. Only three performances I disliked out of 18 make the show a successful outing, I’d say.

As for the “Big Four” awards, I correctly predicted two of them. I was shakiest on Olivia Dean’s chances at the time, as artists like Warren and KATSEYE had huge years as well, but her star has only gotten brighter since November. By the time the show started, I couldn’t see anyone but her coming away with Best New Artist. “Man I Need” is currently fighting for the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and that win may have been the last thing she needed to finally earn that distinction. Dean’s rise feels very similar to Adele’s, down to them both being British “pop soul” artists. Though I doubt anyone new will ever produce the numbers that Adele did, I feel pretty confident in saying that pop music has a new superstar. Her next album will be a massive deal.

Song of the Year genuinely surprised me. “Golden,” the ubiquitous single by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami from the equally ubiquitous K-pop Demon Hunters, became the first K-pop song to win a Grammy, nabbing the award for Best Song Written for Digital Media. I would have been very fine with it winning one of the main awards, but I also did not think it had a real chance. An Oscar win is still on the table, though.

Sabrina Carpenter was also up for this award. Shockingly, “Manchild” was shut out entirely, winning zero of its four nominations. Doechii’s “Anxiety” won Best Music Video, but also had little to no chance in the other categories. I expected Kendrick Lamar and SZA to win both Song and Record of the Year for “Luther.” I was only half right. Song of the Year went to Billie Eilish & Finneas for “WILDFLOWER,” arguably the strongest song on Eilish’s 2024 release, HIT ME HARD & SOFT.

Its inclusion in the category was controversial, and on some level, she probably knew she was gaming the system. Releasing a song from your 2024 album (which already got nominated in the previous eligibility period) in 2025 (during a new eligibility period) to have another chance at winning something for your 2024 album? Very strategic. But it worked, and now Eilish stands as the only three-time Song of the Year winner. With 10 Grammys to her name at just 24 years old, she feels well on her way to ending her career as the most-awarded artist ever.

As previously mentioned, Record of the Year went to Kendrick Lamar and SZA for “Luther,” which Cher excitedly introduced by saying that the award went to Luther Vandross. Notably, Vandross has been dead for 20 years. It was the funniest gaffe of the night, which Lamar and friends played off by giving the song’s namesake several shoutouts. Producer Sounwave, Lamar’s most frequent collaborator, even had a few words. With his five wins in nine categories, including his fourth for Best Rap Album, Lamar surpassed Jay-Z to become the rapper with the most Grammys to date, at 27.

If I were Jay-Z, I’d respond to this by putting out my first new album in almost a decade, but what do I know?

Considering Lamar’s continued acclaim from fans, critics, and peers alike, it would be disingenuous not to place him among hip-hop’s all-time greats at this point in his career. I look forward to hearing what he does next.

In my original predictions article, I mentioned Bad Bunny in passing, saying that Debí Tirar Más Fotos could become the first album sung entirely in Spanish to win Album of the Year. That is where it ended, as I did not think it had much of a chance at all, despite his own superstardom. I expected either Lamar’s GNX or Gaga’s Mayhem to win.

Clearly, I should have taken Bunny’s chances more seriously. He won both Best Música Urbana Album and Album of the Year for DTMF, using his acceptance speech for the former to condemn ICE to a rapturous standing ovation from those in attendance. For the latter, he spoke almost solely in Spanish, dedicating his award to those who’ve left their homeland to follow their dreams.

With his win, Bad Bunny became the first artist to do so with an entirely Spanish-language album. Considering that we’re nearing year 70 of the Grammy Awards as an institution, that feels overdue. But someone had to finally do it, and it helps that he did so for an excellent album. Of course, his next stop is the Super Bowl. In just six days, he’ll be taking the stage for what could very well become the most-watched halftime show ever.

Overall, I find myself actively looking forward to the Grammys these days, and the last two events are exactly why. Since the Recording Academy refocused its energy on ensuring (mostly) high-quality performances and producing generally agreeable sets of nominees and winners, it’s hard to come away feeling as if I wasted my time. Of course, two straight good shows mean that 2027 will be a disaster. If it is, at least this one was a lot of fun.