The 68th Annual Grammy Awards took place in Los Angeles, California, at the Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, hosted by South African comedian, Trevor Noah.
The Grammys is an annual award show celebrating people in the music industry from musicians, producers, songwriters, etc. I like to consider the Grammys as the "Super Bowl of music."
The show was full of exhilarating performances, unique fashion and even the comedic remarks from the presenters and winners. I decided, as a first blog post, to share my top 10 moments from this year's ceremony.
10. Best New Artist medley
According to the Grammys' website, the award for "Best New Artist" is awarded to an artist who has released music within the eligibility period and has made an impact in the musical landscape. This year's nominees were Olivia Dean (winner), Katseye, The Marias, Addison Rae, Sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young.
Similar to last year's show, the nominees performed a medley of their hit songs, No One Noticed by The Marias, Fame Is a Gun by Addison Rae, Gnarly by Katseye, Mutt by Leon Thomas, Ordinary by Alex Warren, Messy by Lola Young, Man I Need by Olivia Dean and 12 to 12 by Sombr.
I personally enjoyed this medley performance. It was astonishing seeing these talented artists prove to the audience and millions of people watching why they were nominated for the award.
One thing that I loved about the medley was the production value. Each artist used the arena to their advantage, from Addison Rae and Katseye performing backstage to Alex Warren performing from the other side of the arena to Sombr emerging from a platform in thin air.
9. Cher "Luther Vandross"
Cher, a musical icon who was awarded this year's "Lifetime Achievement Award," made an appearance as a presenter to give the award for "Record of the Year." The winner for this award was rapper, Kendrick Lamar, and singer, SZA for their collaboration, luther.
Before Cher announced the winner, she did hesitate for a second after the nominees were named because she thought they [Grammys producers] were going to show the winner on the prompter. When she opened the enveloped to announce the winner, she accidently announced the name, Luther Vandross.
Obviously, this was a minor mistake, however everyone, including myself, knew who she meant to say.
8. "ICE OUT"
Right now, in this country, we are experiencing millions of families being detained by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Law Enforcement) agents. This has caused a number of celebrities who were in attendance of the Grammy's to speak out against ICE and even wearing pins that say, "ICE OUT."
The "ICE OUT" pins are worn as a political protest calling for the removal of ICE.
Musicians such as Billie Eilish, Kehlani, Hailey and Justin Bieber and Joni Mitchell were shown wearing these pins in their Grammy's attire.
Not only were these pins worn by these artists, both Billie and Kehlani expressed their opinions on ICE in their acceptance speeches for "Song of the Year," for Wildflower (Eilish) and "Best R&B Performance" and "Best R&B Song" for Folded (Kehlani). They expressed their thoughts by saying, "F**k ICE."
7. In Memoriam tributes
The memoriam is tribute to all of the incredible and talented individuals that we have lost leading up to the ceremony. I love the memoriam portion of the show because it is a way of showing appreciation for all of the artists and creative minds who have given us hit after hit and also made an impact on music.
This year's tribute performers were Reba McEntire, Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson performing Trailblazer, during the Memoriam photo montage. Post Malone, Duff McKagan, Slash, Chad Smith and Andrew Wyatt perform, War Pigs by heavy metal band, Black Sabbath in tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.
The one moment of the memoriam tribute that had me on my feet was when Lauryn Hill, Lucky Daye, Raphael Saadiq, Anthony Hamilton, Leon Thomas, Bilal, Alexis Jayy, Jon Batiste, Leon Bridges, Lalah Hathaway, October London, John Legend, Chaka Khan and Wyclef Jean all came together to perform medley of songs by singers, D'Angelo and Roberta Flack in their tribute.
6. The Red Carpet
The red carpet for any award show is a must-watch for me. The fashion is something that draws me in the most because the world of fashion is evolving and celebrities love to make political statements with their wardrobe or even give a little glimpse into their new "era" in their career.
Although there were many looks that I personally admired, there were some that are... debatable, like Joy Villa. I have no idea who this person is or what she does, but I do know this is not her first time attending the Grammys wearing an outfit with a political statement. Villa has worn a gown with President Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again," in 2017 and in 2018, she wore a white gown with a hand painted rainbow-colored fetus to show her stance on abortion. This year she wore a blue bodysuit with the statement, "Scientology Kills."
Aside from that, the celebrities that really had the best looks, in my opinion were Teyana Taylor, Lady Gaga and Doechii if I had to be honest.
5. Interactions
This may not matter as much to some, but I personally love seeing interactions amongst celebrities at award shows. I am one of those people who will have their fingers crossed hoping that I will see of my favorite celebrities taking a picture together.
The interactions aren't always just taking pictures, they are even a part of the show between the host, presenters and performers as well. I thought Trevor Noah interacting with Bad Bunny and doing a little impromptu duet in Spanish was fun and something that gave extra light to the show.
I never would have thought I would see female rappers, Queen Latifa and Doechii together on stage as presenters. The two rappers presented the award for "Best Rap Album," ultimately won by Kendrick Lamar for his album, GNX. This was a pairing I never thought I needed, but here we are.
4. Jelly Roll's Acceptance Speech
Country singer and songwriter, Jelly Roll, won the award for "Best Contemporary Country Album," for his album, Beautifully Broken. You could definitely tell it meant so much to him to receive that award.
He spoke with passion during his acceptance speech and also delivered a powerful message on how music and God had the power to change his life.
Some may think he was just yelling into the microphone, but when you know about the life and experiences that Jelly Roll has faced, you would understand why he spoke with this much passion.
There are artists that write music, documenting their lives in hopes that it inspires others to chase their dreams and believe in themselves and to never give up. Jelly Roll is definitely an artist who has turned his life around and put his experiences into a successful music career.
3. Tyler, the Creator performance
Tyler, the Creator's performance was absolutely my favorite performance from the show. He performed I Thought I Was Dead, from his album, Chromakopia (2024) and Sugar on My Tongue, from his most recent album, Don't Tap the Glass (2025).
The performance began with Tyler coming from the audience onto the stage to perform, I Thought I Was Dead, in a green suit and the mask resembling the one in his Chromakopia album cover. Actress Regina King made an appearance during his performance delivering a monologue while dressed like a mechanic.
This performance had theatrical elements that I look for in a Grammys performance. I love a costume change so that was something I caught was when he changed from the green suit into a red attire performing his single, Sugar on My Tongue.
Towards the end of his performance, he goes inside a gas station structure with an explosive in his hand and after he enters the structure, it explodes on stage. I am not sure what the secret was to that explosive, but it was a jaw dropper for me.
2. Zara Larsson at the Pre-show
Although Zara Larsson did not perform at the main ceremony, she still delivered an acoustic performance of her hit single, Midnight Sun, at the Grammys pre-show.
First, I will say that she did deserve to perform at the main ceremony because honestly, Midnight Sun was everywhere. People were singing that song as if summer was never ending, no pun intended.
I am so glad that Zara is finally getting her moment and people are actually paying attention to her talent and what she brings to the table. She has hits such as, Lush Life, Ain't My Fault and Never Forget You. I am definitely keeping my eye on her and I cannot wait to see what she does next because she is taking it for me.
1. Bad Bunny Winning Album of the Year
Bad Bunny winning album of the year deserved the number one spot because he has had an amazing year. It touched my heart seeing him get emotional when he heard his name being announced as the winner.
During his acceptance, he made a statement saying, "ICE out," and there is so much hate, and we need more love in this country (in which I agree). I thought the award was definitely deserved and I am thrilled to see his performance at the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
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