The Grammys are a highly anticipated event among music fans, producers and, most importantly, the artists themselves. This year, the Grammys were hosted on Sunday, Feb. 12, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The most prestigious awards given are Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. For the sixth consecutive year, popular comedian Trevor Noah, took the stage as the host. This year many artists used their voice to present support for the anti-ICE movement.
Bad Bunny
The greatest achievement and biggest headline of the night went to Bad Bunny, who made history for winning Album of the Year. Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” became the first Spanish language album in history to win Album of the Year. This accomplishment shocked everyone, including Bad Bunny himself and Harry Styles who delivered the trophy. Bad Bunny gave a very powerful speech in Spanish in which he dedicated the trophy to the people who had to leave their homeland in order to pursue their dreams. In his speech, which emphasized the importance of immigrants, he said “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.” To end his heartfelt speech and to express his disdain toward ICE, he yelled “ICE out.”
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar surpassed Jay-Z as the most-awarded rapper at the Grammys. Lamar and SZA won Record of the Year for his song “Luther,” which was a tribute to R&B artist Luther Vandross. Among his nine nominations, he won four awards, including Best Rap Album for “GNX.” Lamar gave a speech about rap and hip-hop always topping everything, emphasizing his artistic lyrics as well.
Olivia Dean
British singer Olivia Dean won the Grammy for Best New Artist. She won the Grammy because of her highly recognized song “Man I Need” from her 2025 album, “The Art of Loving.” She defeated a few well-known new artists like Addison Rae, Alex Warren, Lola Young, and Katseye, which shocked many on the internet. Due to the current political environment, in her acceptance speech she highlighted being a granddaughter of an immigrant. She also performed at the event.
Billie Ellish
Billie Ellish won her 10th Grammy award for her song “Wildflower” with her brother Finneas. As she is 24 years old, she holds the record of being the youngest artist to hold several Grammys, with 34 nominations in her career. Her dark, melancholic moods, vocals and pop style attracts young listeners, explaining her rise in popularity. Her album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” has received seven nominations over the years, where this year she won Song of the Year for the song from her album. Similar to other artists, Ellish used her voice to give a political speech by criticizing U.S. immigration enforcement as well as wearing an “ICE out” pin.
Mishaps on stage
With a night full of laughter and applause, there were still unusual moments which caught attention on social media. During Alex Warren’s performance on stage, he had an earpiece malfunction, which led to delay in the sound system, yet he still finished the performance. Cher had a slight delay in announcing the Record of the Year, since the artist name didn’t show up on the prompter. After a pause, she said “Luther Vandross” instead of saying “Luther” which is the name of the song by Kendrick Lamar. Lastly, when Billie Ellish presented her hatred towards ICE by giving a speech and saying “No one is illegal on stolen land,” a guest at the Grammys posted a video of her reaction, mocking Ellish on Instagram. Some stars like Sabrina Carpenter, Alex Warren, and Tyler, the Creator were left unsatisfied after not winning any awards despite being nominated.
