Grammys 2026: Major Highlights + Full Winners List

Across genres and speeches, the 2026 Grammy Awards reflected a music industry in the middle of a recalibration, shaped by global politics, cultural visibility, and long-standing questions about who gets heard and who gets rewarded.

We had Bad Bunny’s history-making Album of the Year win and his outspoken stand on immigration, as well as Kendrick Lamar, surpassing rap royalty with a record-breaking 27th Grammy.

For our African audiences, the conversation was more uneasy. Tyla’s repeat win in the Best African Music Performance category once again raised questions about how the Recording Academy defines African sound. Beyond the headlines, other wins and firsts across genres added layers to a night that will continue to be debated in the time to come. Key highlights below:

Bad Bunny’s Album of the Year win for Debí Tirar Más Fotos was historic, marking the first Spanish-language album to take the Grammy’s top prize. But his acceptance speech quickly became the bigger moment. Wearing an anti-ICE pin, the Puerto Rican star criticised the Trump administration’s immigration policies, saying immigrants are “humans and Americans.”

The speech drew applause in the room and backlash online after CBS failed to provide subtitles. Several artists, including Billie Eilish and Kehlani, were also seen wearing “ICE OUT” pins.

Tyla won Best African Music Performance for “Push 2 Start,” beating songs by Davido and Omah Lay, Burna Boy, and Ayra Starr with Wizkid. It marked her second consecutive win in the category and immediately sparked debate online, particularly among Nigerian fans who felt other records had a stronger cultural impact.

While supporters praised Tyla’s global reach and consistency, critics questioned how the Grammys continue to define African music, with many arguing that commercial crossover is still prioritised over regional dominance.

Kendrick Lamar swept the rap categories at the 2026 Grammys, winning five awards, including Record of the Year for Luther and Best Rap Album for GNX. With 27 career Grammys, he now surpasses Jay-Z as the most-awarded rapper ever.

The Compton-born artist gave shoutouts to Clipse and Tyler, the Creator during his speech, showing humility despite the historic feat. His wins prove Lamar’s dominance in the genre, barely a decade after his first Grammys in 2015. Now he moves closer to legends like Beyoncé (35 wins) and Quincy Jones (28).

Nearly 29 years after his death, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti became the first African artist to receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The honour was presented at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony on 31 January 2026, recognising Fela’s enduring influence on global music.

As the pioneer of Afrobeat, Fela’s rhythms and political voice reshaped music and inspired generations worldwide. The award marks a historic moment for African music at the Grammys and highlights the Academy’s acknowledgement of contributions that transcend decades, cementing Fela’s legacy as a true global icon.

Collins Obinna Chibueze, aka Shaboozey, won his first Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance with “Amen,” a collaboration with Jelly Roll. The Virginia-raised singer dedicated the win to children of immigrants, noting, “Immigrants built this country, literally.”

Breaking down on stage, he thanked his ancestors and everyone who believed in him. The win came during the Grammy Premiere Ceremony, highlighting the often-overlooked pre-show awards. Shaboozey’s story reinforces how immigrant artists continue to shape American music and culture, making his emotional acceptance a standout moment beyond the traditional spotlight.

Tyler, The Creator took home the first-ever Grammy for Best Album Cover for Chromakopia, acting as the project’s art director. The award was introduced in 2026 to recognise visual creativity in music, and Tyler beat out strong contenders, including Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos.

Chromakopia’s visuals were celebrated for their originality and design, cementing Tyler’s reputation as a multi-talented artist who excels beyond music. The win highlights the growing importance of album art in the streaming era, where visuals play a key role in storytelling and artist identity.

Read Also: 8 African Snubs: Tracks That Deserved a 2026 Grammy Nod

Below is the full list of winners, separated into Main Categories and Other Categories, as the ceremony continues to spark conversation across the global music landscape.

Song of the Year

Winner: Billie Eilish - Wildflower

• Lady Gaga – Abracadabra

• Doechii - Anxiety

• Rosé & Bruno Mars - APT

• Bad Bunny - DtMF

• Hunter/x - Golden

• Kendrick Lamar feat SZA - Luther

• Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild

Record of the year

Winner: Kendrick Lamar feat SZA - Luther

• Bad Bunny - DtMF

• Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild

• Doechii - Anxiety

• Billie Eilish - Wildflower

• Lady Gaga – Abracadabra

• Chappell Roan - The Subway

• Rosé & Bruno Mars - APT

Album of the year

Winner: Bad Bunny - Debí Tirar Más Fotos

• Justin Bieber - Swag

• Sabrina Carpenter - Man's Best Friend

• Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

• Lady Gaga - Mayhem

• Kendrick Lamar - GNX

• Leon Thomas – Mutt

• Tyler, the Creator – Chromakopia

Best new artist

Winner: Olivia Dean

• Katseye

• The Marias

• Addison Rae

• Sombr

• Leon Thomas

• Alex Warren

• Lola Young

Best pop vocal album

• Winner: Lady Gaga – Mayhem

• Justin Bieber – Swag

• Sabrina Carpenter – Man's Best Friend

• Miley Cyrus – Something Beautiful

• Teddy Swims – I've Tried Everything But Therapy Pt 2

Best pop solo performance

• Winner: Lola Young - Messy

• Justin Bieber - Daisies

• Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild

• Lady Gaga - Disease

• Chappell Roan - The Subway

Best pop duo/group performance

• Winner: Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande - Defying Gravity

• Huntr/x - Golden

• Katseye - Gabriela

• Rosé & Bruno Mars - APT

• SZA With Kendrick Lamar - 30 For 30

Best dance/electronic recording

• Winner: Tame Impala - End Of Summer

• Disclosure & Anderson Paak - No Cap

• Fred again.., Skepta, & PlaqueBoyMax - Victory Lap

• Kaytranada - Space Invader

• Skrillex - Voltage

Best dance/electronic album

• Winner: FKA Twigs - Eusexua

• Fred again.. - Ten Days

• PinkPantheress - Fancy That

• Rüfüs Du Sol - Inhale / Exhale

• Skrillex - F*** U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol But Ur Not!! <3

Best dance/pop recording

• Winner: Lady Gaga - Abracadabra

• Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco - Bluest Flame

• Zara Larsson - Midnight Sun

• Tate McRae - Just Keep Watching

• PinkPantheress - Illegal

Best traditional pop vocal album

• Winner: Laufey - A Matter Of Time

• Laila Biali - Wintersongs

• Jennifer Hudson - The Gift Of Love

• Elton John & Brandi Carlile - Who Believes In Angels?

• Lady Gaga - Harlequin

• Barbra Streisand - The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume 2

Best Latin pop album

• Winner: Natalia Lafourcade - Cancionera

• Rauw Alejandro - Cosa Nuestra

• Andrés Cepeda - Bogotá (Deluxe)

• Karol G - Tropicoqueta

• Alejandro Sanz - ¿Y ahora qué?

Best música urbana album

• Winner: Bad Bunny - DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS

• J Balvin - Mixteip

• Feid - Ferxxo Vol X: Sagrado

• Nicki Nicole - Naiki

• Trueno - Eub Deluxe

• Yandel - Sinfónico (En Vivo)

Best rock performance

• Winner: Yungblud ft Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, Adam Wakeman, II - Changes (Live From Villa Park) Back To The Beginning

• Amyl and The Sniffers - U Should Not Be Doing That

• Linkin Park - The Emptiness Machine

• Turnstile - Never Enough

• Hayley Williams - Mirtazapine

Best rock song

• Winner: Nine Inch Nails - As Alive As You Need Me To Be

• Sleep Token - Caramel

• Hayley Williams - Glum

• Turnstile - Never Enough

• Yungblud - Zombie

Best rock album

• Winner: Turnstile - Never Enough

• Deftones - Private Music

• Haim - I Quit

• Linkin Park - From Zero

• Yungblud - Idols

Best alternative music album

• Winner: The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World

• Bon Iver - Sable, Fable

• Tyler, The Creator - Don't Tap the Glass

• Wet Leg - Moisturizer

• Hayley Williams - Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party

Best alternative music performance

• Winner: The Cure - Alone

• Bon Iver - Everything Is Peaceful Love

• Turnstile - Seein' Stars

• Wet Leg - Mangetout

• Hayley Williams - Parachute

Best metal performance

• Winner: Turnstile - Birds

• Dream Theater - Night Terror

• Ghost - Lachryma

• Sleep Token - Emergence

• Spiritbox - Soft Spine

Best rap performance

• Winner: Clipse, Pusha T & Malice feat Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams - Chains & Whips

• Cardi B - Outside

• Doechii - Anxiety

• Kendrick Lamar feat Lefty Gunplay - TV Off

• Tyler, The Creator feat Teezo Touchdown - Darling, I

Best melodic rap performance

• Winner: Kendrick Lamar with SZA - Luther

• Fridayy feat Meek Mill - Proud Of Me

• JID feat Ty Dolla $ign & 6Lack - Wholeheartedly

• Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon feat Rapsody - WeMaj

• Partynextdoor & Drake - Somebody Loves Me

Best rap song

• Winner: Kendrick Lamar feat Lefty Gunplay - TV Off

• Doechii - Anxiety

• Clipse, Pusha T & Malice feat John Legend & Voices of Fire - The Birds Don't Sing

• Tyler, The Creator feat GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne - Sticky

• GloRilla - TGIF

Best rap album

• Winner: Kendrick Lamar - GNX

• Clipse, Pusha T & Malice - Let God Sort Em Out

• GloRilla - Glorious

• JID - God Does Like Ugly

• Tyler, The Creator - Chromakopia
  

Best country solo performance

• Winner: Chris Stapleton - Bad As I Used To Be

• Tyler Childers - Nose On The Grindstone

• Shaboozey - Good News

• Zach Top - I Never Lie

• Lainey Wilson - Somewhere Over Laredo

Best country duo/group performance

• Shaboozey & Jelly Roll - Amen

• Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton - A Song To Sing

• Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson - Trailblazer

• Margo Price & Tyler Childers - Love Me Like You Used To Do

• George Strait & Chris Stapleton - Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame

Best country song

• Winner: Tyler Childers - Bitin' List

• Shaboozey - Good News

• Zach Top - I Never Lie

• Lainey Wilson - Somewhere Over Laredo

• Chris Stapleton - A Song To Sing

Best contemporary country album

• Jelly Roll - Beautifully Broken

• Kelsea Ballerini - Patterns

• Tyler Childers - Snipe Hunter

• Eric Church - Evangeline vs The Machine

• Miranda Lambert - Postcards From Texas

Best R&B performance

• Winner: Kehlani - Folded

• Justin Bieber - Yukon

• Chris Brown feat Bryson Tiller - It Depends

• Leon Thomas - Mutt (Live From NPR's Tiny Desk)

• Summer Walker - Heart Of A Woman

Best R&B song

• Winner: Kehlani - Folded

• Summer Walker - Heart Of A Woman

• Chris Brown feat Bryson Tiller - It Depends

• Durand Bernarr - Overqualified

• Leon Thomas - Yes It Is

Best R&B album

• Winner: Leon Thomas - Mutt

• Giveon - Beloved

• Coco Jones - Why Not More?

• Ledisi - The Crown

• Teyana Taylor - Escape Room

Best African music performance

• Winner: Tyla - Push 2 Start

• Burna Boy - Love

• Davido feat Omah Lay - With You

• Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin - Hope & Love

• Ayra Starr feat Wizkid - Gimme Dat

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

• Winner: Cirkut (Lady Gaga, Rosé, Jade)

• Dan Auerbach

• Dijon

• Blake Mills

• Sounwave

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

• Winner: Amy Allen (Rosé, Jennie, Sabrina Carpenter)

• Edgar Barrera

• Jessie Jo Dillon

• Tobias Jesso Jr

• Laura Veltz

Best comedy album

• Winner: Nate Bargatze - Your Friend, Nate Bargatze

• Bill Burr - Drop Dead Years

• Sarah Silverman - PostMortem

• Ali Wong - Single Lady

• Jamie Foxx - What Had Happened Was

Best compilation soundtrack for visual media

• Winner: Sinners - Various artists

• A Complete Unknown - Timothée Chalamet

• F1 The Album - Various artists

• K-Pop Demon Hunters - Various artists

• Wicked - Various artists

Best score soundtrack for visual media (includes film and television)

• Winner: Ludwig Göransson - Sinners

• John Powell - How To Train Your Dragon

• Theodore Shapiro - Severance: Season 2

• John Powell & Stephen Schwartz - Wicked

• Kris Bowers - The Wild Robot

Best score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media

• Winner: Austin Wintory - Sword of the Sea

• Pinar Toprak - Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - Secrets of the Spires

• Wilbert Roget II - Helldivers 2

• Gordy Haab - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

• Cody Matthew Johnson & Wilbert Roget II - Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card & A Pirate's Fortune

Best song written for visual media

• Winner: Huntr/x – Golden (From K-Pop Demon Hunters)

• Nine Inch Nails - As Alive As You Need Me To Be (From Tron: Ares)

• Miles Caton – I Lied To You (From Sinners)

• Elton John & Brandi Carlile - Never Too Late (From Elton John: Never Too Late)

• Jayme Lawson – Pale Pale Moon (From Sinners)

• Rod Wave – Sinners (From Sinners)

Best audiobook narration

• Winner: Dalai Lama - Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama

• Kathy Garver - Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story

• Trevor Noah - Into The Uncut Grass

• Ketanji Brown Jackson - Lovely One: A Memoir

• Fab Morvan - You Know It's True: The Real Story Of Milli Vanilli

Best music video

• Winner: Doechii – Anxiety

• Sade – Young Lion

• Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild

• Clipse – So Be It

• OK Go - Love

Best music film

• Winner: John Williams - Music by John Williams

• Devo - Devo

• Raye - Live at the Albert Hall

• Diane Warren - Relentless

• Pharrell Williams - Piece By Piece

Best jazz vocal album

• Winner: Samara Joy – Portrait

• Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap – Elemental

• Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell – We Insist 2025!

• Michael Mayo – Fly

• Nicole Zuraitis, Dan Pugach, Tom Scott, Idan Morim, Keyon Harrold & Rachel Eckroth - Live at Vic's Las Vegas

Best jazz instrumental album

• Winner: Sullivan Fortner feat Peter Washington & Marcus Gilmore – Southern Nights

• Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade – Trilogy 3 (Live)

• Branford Marsalis Quartet – Belonging

• John Patitucci feat Chris Potter & Brian Blade – Spirit Fall

• Yellowjackets – Fasten Up

Best alternative jazz album

• Winner: Nate Smith – Live-Action

• Ambrose Akinmusire - Honey from a Winter Stone

• Robert Glasper - Keys To The City Volume One

• Brad Mehldau – Ride Into The Sun

• Immanuel Wilkins – Blues Blood

Best jazz performance

• Winner: Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade – Windows (Live)

• Lakecia Benjamin feat Immanuel Wilkins & Mark Whitfield – Noble Rise

• Samara Joy - Peace Of Mind/Dreams Come True

• Michael Mayo – Four

• Nicole Zuraitis, Dan Pugach, Tom Scott, Idan Morim, Keyon Harrold & Rachel Eckroth – All Stars Lead To You (Live)

Best musical theatre album

• Winner: Buena Vista Social Club

• Death Becomes Her

• Gypsy

• Just In Time

• Maybe Happy Ending

Best opera recording

• Winner: Heggie: Intelligence - Kwamé Ryan, conductor (Houston Grand Opera; Gene Scheer)

• Huang Ruo: An American Soldier - Carolyn Kuan, conductor (American Composers Orchestra; David Henry Hwang)

• Kouyoumdjian - Adoration Alan Pierson, conductor (Silvana Quartet; The Choir Of Trinity Wall Street)

• O'Halloran: Trade & Mary Motorhead - Elaine Kelly (Irish National Opera Orchestra; Mark O'Halloran)

• Tesori: Grounded - Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus; George Brant)

Best orchestral performance

• Winner: Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie - Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

• Coleridge-Taylor: Toussaint L'Ouverture; Ballade Op. 4; Suites From '24 Negro Melodies' - Michael Repper, conductor (National Philharmonic)

• Ravel: Boléro - Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra Of Venezuela)

• Still & Bonds - Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)

• Stravinsky: Symphony In Three Movements - Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)