The 68th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and it was a night of politics, humor and, yes–music. Kendrick Lamar wound up dominating the night, but the legend out of Compton wasn’t the only headline-grabber of the evening. Besides Heidi Klum’s dress, hip-hop vet Mad Skillz winning his first Grammy, and a heartfelt, emotional performance from Justin Bieber in his underwear.
But Okayplayer picked seven moments from the 2026 Grammy Awards that truly made the night special.
7. Olivia Dean wins Best New Artist
The 26-year-old British singer-songwriter took home the Best New Artist trophy against some pretty stiff competition, including Warren, Katseye, Lola Young and Sombr. After accepting the award from last year’s winner, Chappell Roan, Dean gave a shoutout to immigrants.
“I’m up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant,” Dean said. “I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”
6. Trevor Noah Calls Out Nicki Minaj
It’s quite an accomplishment to host the Grammys a whopping six times, but Trevor Noah can now say that he has that distinction. The comedian and former host of The Daily Show used the night to get a few shots in at celebs, of course, and one of his first targets was Nicki Minaj. Following Nicki’s recent MAGA turn, Noah got in some easy digs at her.
“Nicki Minaj is not here,” he said. “She’s still at the White House with Donald Trump, discussing very important issues.” He went on to imitate Trump, comparing butts with the famous rapper.
"Actually, Nicki, I have the biggest a–,” Noah joked as Trump. “I know they say it's you, but it's me."
In another quip, Noah joked to Kendrick Lamar himself that he would have roasted him, but because he saw what KDot did to “light-skinned men from other countries,” he decided against it. Ouch.
5. Durand Bernarr
No one was happier on Grammy night than Durand Bernarr. His win for Best Progressive R&B Album for his independent project BLOOM was a highlight and he made sure to let everyone know how happy he was with the win.
“Happy Black History Month for the rest of my life,” he said after sprinting to the stage. “I want to remind everyone that we are all we got and we know what I am referring to, so please give yourself some grace and extend some kindness to your neighbor who needs it."
“To all independent artists out there and to every Butch Queen who was made to feel like you were too much, I am the proof that you needed and the sign that you have been waiting for. Be yourself.”
He concluded by thanking himself.
“I want to thank myself because this was some hard work, y’all — 20 plus years.”
4. Kendrick Lamar Dominates
Kendrick Lamar was the night’s biggest winner, picking up a total of five trophies en route to becoming the most-awarded rapper of all time with 27 total wins, surpassing Jay-Z’s previous record.
The 38-year-old won Best Rap Album for GNX, and took home Record of the Year for “luther” featuring SZA. He also won Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips” (with Clipse, Pusha T, Malice, and Pharrell), Best Melodic Rap Performance for “luther” and Best Rap Song for “tv off.”
“I’m not good at talking about myself, but I express it through the music,” Lamar said during his acceptance speech. “It’s Tyler, the Creator, Clipse… every time I tell you this, hip hop is always going to be right here. We gonna be in these suits. We gonna be looking good. We gonna have our folks with us. We gonna have the culture with us.” He concluded with gratitude: “So I appreciate y’all, God is the glory. Love y’all.”
3. Bad Bunny’s Acceptance Speeches
Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos became the first Spanish-language Album of the Year Grammy winner, and it also won Best Música Urbana Album. He took the occasion to speak out during his acceptance speeches.
“I’m going to say, ICE out. We’re not savage. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans,” he said while accepting the trophy for Best Musica Urbana Album. “I know it’s tough not to hate these days. … The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them – we love our people, we love our family and that’s how you do it.”
He delivered his Album of the Year speech primarily in Spanish. “Puerto Rico, believe me when I tell you we are much bigger than [this]. Thank you to God, thank you to the Academy, thank you to all the people who have believed in me throughout my career, to all the people who worked on this album, thank you mom for giving birth to me in Puerto Rico. I love you,” he said in part, per Forbes.
2. Regina King during Tyler, The Creator’s Performance
Tyler, the Creator performed a medley from his two albums Chromakopia and Don’t Tap the Glass. After leading a marching line of soldiers onto the stage, he was joined by none other than Regina King, before driving a red car into a stunt double dressed as his Chromakopia self. The performance ended with Tyler blowing up a gas station set with prop dynamite.
1. Lauryn Hill’s in Memoriam Tributes to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack
But the highlight of the night was a bittersweet moment for music fans everywhere. Lauryn Hill served as master of ceremonies during the “In Memoriam” tributes to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack. Wearing shades and a billowing gown, Ms. Hill dove into her fellow neo-soul icon D’Angelo’s greatest hits, including their classic duet “Nothing Even Matters,” with Lucky Daye taking the stage for “Brown Sugar,” and Raphael Saadiq and Anthony Hamilton appearing to rock the hit "Lady.” Leon Thomas tackled "Devil's Pie," before Bilal and Jon Batiste sang "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" and "Africa," respectively.
Hill introduced each performer and segued into the Flack portion of the tribute, which featured Batiste reteaming with Hill for "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." Leon Bridges and Alexia Jayy then joined to sing "Compared to What." The legendary Lalah Hathaway and October London then performed a rendition of "Closer I Get to You."
Finally, Hill paid double tribute to Flack and D'Angelo by singing "Feel Like Makin' Love," which was a hit for Flack in 1975 that D'Angelo covered in 2000. She was then joined onstage by her former Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean to perform their hit version of “Killing Me Softly,” which was a hit for Flack in 1973.
You can check out the Grammy winners list below:
Album of the Year
“Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Bad Bunny.
Record of the Year
“luther,” Kendrick Lamar with SZA.
Best Rap Album
“GNX,” Kendrick Lamar
Best Latin Urban Album
“Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Bad Bunny
Best New Artist
Olivia Dean
Best Pop Vocal Album
“Mayhem,” Lady Gaga.
Best Pop Solo Performance
“Messy,” Lola Young.
Song of the Year (Songwriter’s Award)
“Wildflower,” Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell
Best Dance/Electronic Album
“EUSEXUA,” FKA twigs
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Defying Gravity,” Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
Best Rock Album
“Never Enough,” Turnstile
Best Contemporary Country Album
“Beautifully Broken,” Jelly Roll
Best R&B Album
“Mutt,” Leon Thomas
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
“A Matter of Time,” Laufey
Best Latin Pop Album
“Cancionera,” Natalia Lafourcade
Best Música Mexicana Album
“Palabra De To’s (Seca)," Carín León
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
“Sinners,” various artists
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (composer’s award)
“Sinners,” Ludwig Göransson
Best Gospel Album
“Heart of Mine,” Darrell Walls, PJ Morton
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
“Coritos Vol. 1,” Israel & New Breed
Best Song Written for Visual Media
“Golden,” from “KPop Demon Hunters”
Best Jazz Vocal Album
“Portrait,” Samara Joy
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
“Southern Nights,” Sullivan Fortner featuring Peter Washington and Marcus Gilmore
Best African Music Performance
“Push 2 Start,” Tyla
Best Reggae Album
“BLXXD & FYAH,” Keznamdi
Best Music Video
“Anxiety,” Doechii
Best Music Film
“Music by John Williams”
Best Alternative Music Album
“Songs of a Lost World,” The Cure
Songwriter of The Year
Amy Allen
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
Cirkut
Best Comedy Album
“Your Friend, Nate Bargatze,” Nate Bargatze
Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording
“Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness The Dalai Lama,” Dalai Lama
Best Spoken Word Poetry Album
“Words for Days Vol. 1,” Mad Skillz
Best Album Cover
“Chromakopia”
The Dr. Dre Global Impact Award
Pharrell Williams
