The 2026 Grammys on Feb. 1 were filled with unpredictable, unscripted, memorable moments.
Trevor Noah hosted the event for the fifth year in a row.
Big names like Sabrina Carpenter were nominated for six Grammys but didn’t take home any hardware. She stunned audiences with her performance of “Manchild” on a set resembling an airport and hit her final notes with a live dove in her hand. This has received some backlash from animal rights activists.
Justin Bieber was nominated for four Grammys. His performance took a different approach. He surprised crowds by walking out in shorts and socks to perform “Yukon” alone on stage.
Other prominent artists, such as Lady Gaga, won Best Pop Vocal Album for “Mayhem” and Best Dance Pop Recording for “Abracadabra.” Her performance of “Abracadabra” perfectly captured the eccentricity Gaga is known for.
The Best New Artists category was a tight one this year. This category was presented by Chappell Roan, last year’s winner.
After a medley of all the nominees, including Addison Rae’s “Fame is a Gun,” KATSEYE’s “Gnarly,” Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” and Alex Warren’s “Ordinary.” During Warren’s set, his in-ear pieces malfunctioned, and he fought to finish his performance. Dean ultimately took home the Grammy.
Best Pop Solo Performance went to “Messy” by Lola Young, surprising audiences and Young herself. She performed “Messy” earlier that night as a powerful piano ballad.
During her acceptance speech, she dropped a couple of f-bombs.
“I have no idea what to say, I didn’t have a speech prepared,” Young said.
Arguably, this is the perfect response after winning for a song called “Messy.”
Tyler, The Creator, went out with a bang during his performance – literally. To end his set, he blew it up.
Song of the Year shocked crowds as it went to Billie Eilish’s “WILDFLOWER,” a song that came out in the summer of 2024. This makes Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, the first to have won Song of the Year three times. “WILDFLOWER” beat out “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters and “Manchild” by Carpenter. During her acceptance speech, Eilish spoke out against ICE.
Cher had audiences confused when she walked offstage before presenting her award, Record of the Year award. After returning, she was surprised to find the Grammy winner’s name wasn’t on the teleprompter and hastened to look at the envelope.
Instead of announcing “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar for Record of the Year, she called the late Luther Vandross, who was sampled in the song.
Bad Bunny took home Best Música Urbana Album and Album of the Year, using his acceptance speech to speak out against ICE.
“We’re not savage,” Bunny said. “We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We’re humans, and we are Americans.” It was an emotional moment for Bunny and built anticipation for his Super Bowl performance.
