Grammys 2026 as it happened: Bad Bunny wins album of the year as artists speak out against ICE

Where did the past few hours go? Another Grammys ceremony is done and dusted, and boy, did they pack a lot into it. To help you process it all, here are five of the most notable moments from the night.

Kendrick breaks records, not hearts
What a night for Kendrick Lamar. The US rapper broke the record for most Grammys won by a rap artist basically as soon as the official ceremony began, exceeding the previous record-holder Jay-Z. By the time the night ended, Lamar had well and truly secured his spot at the top of the ladder, having won record of the year alongside SZA with Luther. This took his all-time Grammy Awards total to 27. Well played, King Kendrick.

Cher steals the show
It’s impossible for Cher not to steal any show she’s in, really. As soon as she took the stage to accept the lifetime achievement award and to present the winner of record of the year, we knew we were in for a wild ride. Firstly, she nearly forgot to present the award altogether, forcing host Trevor Noah to get her back on track. Then, when she opened the winner envelope, she simply stopped speaking, later explaining that she was waiting for the name to appear on the teleprompter. And finally, she seemed to get Lamar’s name wrong when reading out the winner (I think she thought the winner was someone called Luther?). It was just pure comedy the whole way through.

Based on the number of times host Trevor Noah pulled Bad Bunny in view of the cameras throughout the ceremony, punters had a pretty good idea of who was taking home album of the year … and he did!

The Puerto Rican rapper, singer and record producer – whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio – has made history.

When the words left 2023 winner Harry Styles’ lips, Debi Tirar Mas Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos in English) became the first-ever Spanish-language album to win in the category in the Grammys’ 68-year history.

“I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams,” Bad Bunny said from the stage.

What better way to receive a Grammy than from Cher? The absolute icon took the stage to receive the lifetime achievement award (more on that later) and to present the record of the year winner, which went to the one and only Kendrick Lamar for Luther (feat. SZA).

This takes Lamar’s all-time Grammy victories to 27, well and truly consolidating his record for most golden gramophones for a rap artist, which he secured only a few hours ago.

“This is what music is about – Luther Vandross,” Lamar said while accepting the award. “This is special for me, I gotta take my time. This is one of my favourite artists of all time. They granted us the privilege to do our version of it. When we got that clearance, I promise you we damn near all dropped a tear because we know how much they poured into that record. To be able to put our vocals on top of it, it proves we were somewhat worthy … They said no cursing, though. That was the only thing … Luther forever. Thank y’all.”

His collaborator SZA also briefly took the mic to once again touch upon the political turmoil currently pervading the US amid ongoing immigration raids.

At 52, musician and record producer Pharrell Williams had a laundry list of achievements (did we mention he’s also Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director?) to be read out before he could accept the Dr Dre global impact award on stage.

That’s something he isn’t necessarily a fan of, if his speech is anything to go by.

“It’s always awkward for me to sit through these montages … it’s like listening to your voicemail over your loudspeaker,” Williams told the audience before thanking Q-Tip, his “teacher”, and encouraging the audience to cheer for the rapper.

“To everyone who believes in the power of Black music, thank you so much,” he said.

“I’m so blessed to call this a job, I’ve never stopped loving this job, I’ve never stopped being a student.”