Every Can't-Miss Moment From the 2026 Grammys

As Bad Bunny took home the award for Best Música Urbana Album, he delivered the speech we all need to hear right now. The reggaeton superstar began with a simple statement, “ICE out,” and sent a positive message of hope. “We're not savages, we're not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans,” he said. “The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So, please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don't hate them. We love our people, we love our family, and that's the way to do it: with love. Don't forget that, please.”

It was a moving moment and a powerful statement from the star who was just awarded for his anti-gentrification, anti-colonialization, uniquely Puerto Rican LP—and I’m hoping this was just his first of many honors of the night. —SB

​​I think Justin Bieber may have felt he had a lot riding on this Grammys performance. He hasn’t taken to the awards show’s stage since 2022 and has seldom performed in general over the past few years. And yet, he made his grand, long-awaited return to the spotlight in 2025 with the release of SWAG, and he’ll be headlining Coachella in April. It felt like this performance may have been a tease of what to come—and to prove he’s still got it. Walking out on stage shirtless, in boxer shorts, with solely a guitar, he might’ve left viewers questioning what was to come. But singing a stripped-down “YUKON,” he highlighted what’s always been his strength: his swoon-worthy vocals. By the end, he definitely left us feeling Bieber fever.

One star-making moment of the night? Olivia Dean’s set right into her big win for Best New Artist. Her vocals sounded pristine while she performed her mega-hit “Man I Need,” and she brought sheer charisma to the stage. Maybe it’s the old-school, soulful flair of her sound, but she felt like a musical legend of yesteryear up on the stage. That made all the more sense when moments later, last year’s Best New Artist winner, Chappell Roan, revealed that the British singer-songwriter had earned this year’s gramophone.

Dean herself was surprised, making a humble speech and taking the opportunity to speak out in support of immigrants. “I guess 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.” Amen to that—and to Dean’s well-deserved win. —SB

KATSEYE cemented their place as the girl group to watch with their performance of “Gnarly,” which took viewers through the venue to the Grammys stage. The sextet brought their signature high-energy performance, including synchronized twerking in front of vanity mirrors backstage, and a frenetic dance break with jaw-dropping splits. As someone who binged Pop Star Academy on Netflix in a single day, it was hard not to get emotional about how far the pop princesses have come. —QL

Leave it to our resident gonzo pop princess Addison Rae to bring camp to the Grammys. It was all too fitting for her to perform her Addison album standout “Fame Is a Gun,” a song about the price of ambition, on the awards show stage. She sang in a bedazzled trench with a troupe of dancers backstage, leaning into her skill as a true performer with a captivating dance break. I think I gasped, “Oh, my god,” several times—which is exactly what we want from our pop girls! She may have just gotten a “taste of the glamorous life,” but may this be her first of many Grammys to come. —SB

The Best Moments From the Pre-Ceremony

The Grammys famously only air a handful of the awards during the live ceremony, dishing out most gramophones during the pre-show. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t wins worth paying attention to, even if they didn’t make the broadcast. I was thrilled to see avant-pop auteur FKA twigs finally getting her flowers, with her phenomenal EUSEXUA winning Best Dance/Electronic Album. Another well-deserved win? Amy Allen won Songwriter of the Year for the second year in a row, thanks to her collaborations with Sabrina Carpenter, ROSÉ, Tate McRae, and others. With songwriter/producer opportunities for women in the studio still being few and far between, we love to see Allen’s work getting recognition.

Plus, as an indie/DIY fan, I personally also love that hardcore experimentalists Turnstile have become somewhat of Grammys darlings ever since their 2021 album GLOW ON propelled them to new heights. They won Best Rock Album for NEVER ENOUGH and Best Metal Performance for its single “BIRDS,” and I’m always for The Recording Academy embracing genre-bending guitar music (rather than exclusively honoring legacy acts, as they’ve done in the past). —SB

Some pre-ceremony wins that I’m celebrating: Kehlani is finally a Grammy winner! The singer took home Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance for “Folded,” a decade after her first-ever nomination in 2016. Some of my other R&B faves who took home awards include Leon Thomas’s MUTT for Best R&B Album and Durand Bernarr’s BLOOM for Best Progressive R&B Album. Also, the team behind KPop Demon Hunters continued their awards-season sweep, with “Golden” winning Best Song Written for Visual Media. —QL

Sabrina Carpenter had a big performance to top after last year’s Old Hollywood screwball comedy debut—and she stuck the landing. You can tell she has a total blast on stage, and this year she delivered an adorable, theatrical showstopper of her four-time-nominated “Manchild,” set in a bustling airport. Plus, Pan Am-inspired look! We were on board with this one. —SB

The 2026 Grammys started off with a party! To bring up the energy early, ROSÉ and Bruno Mars opened the ceremony with a performance of the Song of the Year nominated collab "APT.," complete with Mars's live band and some dancers partying at the foot of the stage. (Also, thanks to host Trevor Noah for the quick explainer on the song's Korean-drinking-game influence.) Excited to keep this going all night! —QL

It’s Music’s Biggest Night, baby! Although I must say, going into this Grammys has been interesting because it doesn’t feel like there’s necessarily that clear a narrative this year. Last year was all about “the pop girls” (Beyoncé! Billie Eilish! Chappell Roan! Charli xcx! Sabrina Carpenter! Taylor Swift!) sweeping nominations, and the anticipation of whether Queen Bey would finally snag her Album of the Year title for COWBOY CARTER (which she inevitably and rightfully did!). This year is more of a toss-up, though.

However, I think one thing to look out for is whether this becomes Bad Bunny’s big year, which I certainly think is possible and would love to see. He’s won in the Best Música Urbana Album and Best Latin Pop or Urban Album categories and was nominated for Album of the Year in 2023 for Un Verano Sin Ti, but this could be the first year he wins big. The stellar DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS and its hit “DtMF” are up for the big three categories—Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. He’s already made history as the first Spanish-language artist to be nominated in the categories at once, and, if he wins Album of the Year, he’ll reach another milestone with the first Spanish-language album to do so. DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is his best yet, immensely colorful sonically, and a compelling piece of anti-colonialist art. Plus, a winning streak from him would be powerful to see right now, given how the Puerto Rican hitmaker has long spoken out about what we gain by bringing people together and the efforts he’s made protecting his international fanbase against ICE and division. Benito, I’m rooting for you!

It’ll also be interesting to see how the Best New Artist category unfolds. The Recording Academy loves to honor artists with an old-school flair, like Olivia Dean and Leon Thomas (I think Olivia Dean will likely take the title), but I would love to see Addison Rae win. She’s arguably made the most daring, innovative choices of the nominees—and arguably of anyone in pop over the past year—and arrived fully formed as a recording artist with her dance-pop fantasia Addison. Her performance is my (and every other club rat’s) most anticipated of the night, and I feel certain the showgirl is going to deliver. That’s my best new artist. —Sadie Bell, Senior Culture Editor

--

I agree that 2026 is likely Bad Bunny’s year, and his potential win would be part of hip-hop’s biggest Grammy year in recent history. Along with Bunny’s genre-bending reggaeton record, three rap albums are nominated for Album of the Year: Kendrick Lamar’s GNX, Clipse’s Let God Sort ‘Em Out, and Tyler, the Creator’s Chromakopia. Hip-hop heads like me have our best chance in a decade of a third rap Album of the Year, joining The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. (Yes, there have only been three in the past 67 years.)

I also have more excitement for the performances this year than I’ve felt in a while. The Best New Artist medley was my highlight of last year, and I’m hoping its return will feature an Olivia Dean/KATSEYE hand-off that will give me as much life as the RAYE/Doechii one did. Lauryn Hill’s D’Angelo tribute is guaranteed to bring me to tears. That’s not to mention Lady Gaga, Tyler, the Creator, and ROSÉ bringing K-pop back to the main ceremony!

Also, this may be a controversial opinion, but I like that the Grammys have become an opportunity for a pop superstar to announce a new release. Maybe Bruno Mars could debut a new single off The Romantic. Perhaps the night’s “additional surprise presenter”(ahem, Beyoncé, is that you?) will tease their next act? Maybe BTS will take a break from their social-media pause to promote Arirang? All of these are long shots, but it’s the Grammys! Let a girl dream. —Quinci LeGardye, Culture Writer