The Grammy Awards once again honored the musicians who shaped today’s music scene, recognizing both established stars and rising talent. All the biggest names in the music industry all gathered at Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles on February 1, 2026 for a night full of memorable performances and awards.
Starting off the night, Bruno Mars and ROSÉ performed their 2024 single “APT”. Their performance brought the energy for the night to come.
One of the most notable performances of the night was by all the nominees for “Best New Artist”. The Marías started the performance with their song “No One Noticed”, followed by Addison Rae singing “Fame is a Gun.”
The former TikTok star has faced backlash for her part in the “Best New Artist” performance as a lot of fans have been saying her music isn’t grammy deserving and is overhyped on social media.
KATSEYE performed after Rae, singing their upbeat song “Gnarly,” Leon Thomas III performed “Mutt,” and Olivia Dean performed her hit song “Man I Need” and secured the win for “Best New Artist” of 2026.
Freshman Ruby Plummer stated, “her performance was good but I don’t think she was the best pick for the award.”
Following Olivia Dean was the up and coming artist, Alex Warren who performed his song “Ordinary,” differentiating himself from his peers through his raw vocals and emotion, even while battling through a technical issue he had during his portion of the performance.
Lola Young performed an acoustic version of her hit song “Messy”and Sombr closed the “Best New Artist” performance with his popular song “12 to 12.”
It was a big night for rapper Kendrick Lamar, as he secured five Grammy wins. He won in the categories “Record of the Year” for his song “luther” that featured artist SZA, “Best Rap Album” for his album “GNX”, “Best Rap Performance” for “Chains & Whips”, “Best Rap Song” for “tv off”, and “Melodic Rap Performance” for “luther.”
Lady Gaga came out with a booming performance of her 2025 song “Abracadabra.” The performance was only elevated by her gothic Alexander mcqueen dress.
Although it was loved by many, Navitha Kadali (9) stated, “Her performance was really mainstream, I feel like she could benefit from being a bit more unique.”
Bad Bunny had a very successful night as he secured the win for “Album of the Year” for his album “DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS,” being the first all spanish album to win that award. That album also won the award for “Best Música Urbana Album.”
Another big winner of the night was Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS. For the third year, they won “Song of the Year” for their song “WILDFLOWER.” Their first win was in 2020 when she won it for the song “Bad Guy,” then again in 2024 for her song “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie Movie.
While Leon Thomas III didn’t win the grammy for “Best New Artist” he did win two other awards, “R&B Album” and “Traditional R&B Performance,” both for his song “Mutt.”
Overall, the 2026 Grammys delivered a night that highlighted talent, controversy, and history all on one stage.
