Entertainment’s awards season is unfolding at a time when US President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign in Minneapolis continues to unfold. It has prompted artistes to come together and speak out against immigration crackdowns. That pushback was visible at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday night (Monday morning, India time). The ceremony also delivered several memorable performances and some well-deserved wins.
Barrier Broken
Bad Bunny has made Grammy history as his hit album Debí Tirar Más Fotos became the first Spanish-language record to win Album of the Year. The Puerto Rican rapper paused in silence before walking on stage to accept the award from Harry Styles.
The 31-year-old had already broken ground in 2023, when Un Verano Sin Ti became the first Latin album nominated in the category.
The 17-track album moves fluidly through salsa, bomba and plena, while still embracing reggaeton and Latin trap. It is also his most openly political work. In Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii, he sings in Spanish: “They want to take away the river and also the beach… don’t let go of the flag.”
In just over a week, Bad Bunny will reach another milestone when he headlines the Super Bowl halftime show, having previously appeared during Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s 2020 performance.
K-pop Gold
Golden, the breakout song from KPop Demon Hunters, has made history as the first K-pop track to win a Grammy Award. The song picked up Best Song Written for Visual Media during the pre-telecast ceremony in Los Angeles. A self-empowerment anthem at its core, Golden is led by Ejae, who performs in character as a member of the film’s fictional girl group, Huntr/x.
The track was written and produced by a group of prominent K-pop names, including Ejae — who also provides vocals for the character Rumi — alongside Teddy, Lee Yu-han, Kwak Joong-gyu and Nam Hee-dong. It has already made chart history, becoming the first K-pop song to simultaneously top both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Official Singles Chart.
“It’s a historic moment,” Ejae said on the red carpet, noting that the win held special meaning for her as a Korean American. Fan enthusiasm has extended well beyond streaming, with characters from the film becoming popular Halloween costume choices.
Fresh Soul
British R&B singer Olivia Dean, best known for Man I Need, has won the Grammy for Best New Artiste. The 26-year-old’s warm, soulful style has often drawn comparisons to Amy Winehouse, Sade and Carole King.
On stage, Dean made it clear how much her background means to her, especially amid recent deportation headlines in the US. “I want to say I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant,” she said. “I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We’re nothing without each other.”
Although she has been releasing music since 2019, it was her 2023 debut album Messy that first turned heads. Its follow-up, The Art of Loving, delivered the biggest opening week for a British female artiste since Adele released 30.
‘Luther Grandross’
Kendrick Lamar has become the most-awarded hip-hop artiste in Grammy history, overtaking Jay-Z, who previously held the record with 25 trophies. The 38-year-old sealed the milestone with a win for Best Rap Album for GNX.
“It’s hip-hop as usual, man,” he said. “I’m not good at talking about myself, but I express it through the music. It’s an honour to be here. Hip-hop is always going to be right here.”
He wasn’t done for the night. Luther, his collaboration with SZA, was named Record of the Year, his second consecutive win in the category after Not Like Us in 2025.
Released in November 2024 as part of GNX, Luther peaked at No. 1 and spent 46 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. The track samples If This World Were Mine, written by Marvin Gaye and originally performed with Tammi Terrell, later by Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn.
Presenting the award, Cher joked that it went to “Luther Grandross”. Lamar smiled and collected his prize. He also won Best Rap Performance and Best Melodic Rap Performance.
Bare Performance
Justin Bieber returned to the Grammy stage, delivering a stripped-back performance of his R&B track Yukon. It marked his first major live and televised performance in nearly four years. His last Grammy appearance came in 2022, when he joined Daniel Caesar and Giveon for Peaches.
Dressed casually — in shorts and boxer shorts — Bieber performed solo, using loop pedals in a setup reminiscent of Ed Sheeran. The appearance signalled a careful return to live performance after he cut short his Justice World Tour in 2023 amid ongoing health issues. Around that time, Bieber revealed he had been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which temporarily caused partial facial paralysis.
At the end of the performance, he quietly walked offstage before returning to switch off his loop pedal and set down his guitar, a moment that echoed the raw intimacy of his Twitch livestreams.
Next up is a headline slot at Coachella in April.
Messy Wins
British singer Lola Young, who broke through with her viral hit Messy, was the surprise winner of the Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance. Clearly caught off guard, the 25-year-old delivered what felt like a completely unscripted acceptance speech.
“I don’t know what to say, thank you so much! F**king — sorry, sorry… I’m very, very grateful for this,” she said, laughing through the moment.
The slip stood out, especially after how tightly censored the broadcast had been earlier in the night. During the opening performance, Sabrina Carpenter’s Manchild was repeatedly bleeped, even when it sounded like she was saying “eff” rather than the full swear word.
Abraca-Gaga
Lady Gaga turned things up to 11 at the Grammys with a dramatic performance of Abracadabra, the track she first teased in a Mastercard advert during last year’s ceremony. The song went on to win Best Dance Pop Recording, while her album Mayhem picked up the trophy for Best Pop Vocal Album.
“I’ve been making music since I was a little girl, and every time I’m here I still feel like I need to pinch myself,” Gaga said on stage.
Her Abracadabra performance leaned heavily into spectacle. Gaga spent much of it behind a keyboard, dressed in red bird feathers, her face framed by a cage-like headpiece. Set against swirling smoke and mirrors, the camera panned and spun as she closed the performance.
Final bow
Trevor Noah has been the best part of the Grammy Awards for the past few years. From teasing Kendrick Lamar about his high-profile beef with Drake to throwing shade at the Trump administration, he closed out the ceremony for the sixth and final time.
