By Mia Gutierrez, February 10, 2026
Music’s biggest night featured many incredible artists and some unfortunate mishaps at the 68th annual Grammy Awards Feb. 1, while also bringing attention to the horrific actions of ICE including families being torn apart.
The award show kicked off with a high energy performance by Rosé and Bruno Mars of their Grammy nominated hit “APT” as well as an upbeat performance of “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter that left the audience on cloud 9 with her fun and creative airport theme that had me out of my seat.
Trevor Noah hosted for his third and final time, choosing not to hold back when it came to making jokes about Nicki Minaj, the president and Diddy. Trevor made fun of the female rapper’s new alliance with the president causing the audience’s reaction toward Minaj to be unwelcoming.
The night took a new route with back-to-back performances by all best new artist nominees such as Katseye, Addison Rae, Sombr and category winner Olivia Dean.
Katseye and Olivia Dean exceeded my expectations. Although the performances couldn’t be more different, they both represented the variety in music today. Katseye had my jaw on the floor with their iconic “Gnarly” dance break while Deans simplistic, Motown feel performance of her hit song “Man I Need” transported the audience back to another era.
Kendrick Lamar also took home multiple well-earned wins, including Best Rap Album for “GNX” and Record of the Year for his song “Luther” featuring SZA.
Many artists such as Billie Eilish, Dean and Bad Bunny used their acceptance speeches to speak against ICE and show their support for those who have been affected. Other artists made it very clear where they stand by wearing pins that wrote “ICE OUT.”
It was an especially emotional night for Bad Bunny after taking home two Grammy’s for Best Música Urbana Album as well as Album of the Year. These wins meant a lot not only for Bad Bunny but also Puerto Rico and the Latin community, representing a message of unity many people needed to see and hear.
“Before I say thank you to God, I’m going to say ICE out. We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans,” the Latin artist said.
An anticipated performance that stood out the most was Justin Bieber’s performance of his song “Yukon” off his newest album “Swag.” The last time he performed at the Grammys was in 2022. Justin’s laid-back performance reminded fans of what his music is about and why we fell in love with Bieber in the first place.
Artists don’t always need to be over the top with dancers and flashing lights. It was one of Bieber’s best vocal performances to date and gave a promising preview of what he has up his sleeve for Coachella. It truly gave me chills and reminded me of what a talented artist Bieber is, regardless of what people think. Bieber was the best performance of the night.
Tyler, the Creator also took the stage with a visionary and well executed performance complete with his iconic “Chromakopia” green aesthetic that only his fans might understand. He showcased two popular songs from the album including “Thought I was Dead” and “Sugar on My Tongue,” where he did a quick change and colorful transition from one song to the next while portraying his creative abilities as an artist.
As the ceremony came to an end, iconic artists such as Lauryn Hill, Slash, Post Malone and Leon Thomas put together touching performances to pay tribute to those we have lost in the music community such as Ozzy Osbourne and R&B artist D’Angelo.
Pharrell Williams was also honored with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award for his influential work in the music industry and the path he has carved for up-and-coming artists. The award seemed well deserved when looking back on how many projects Pharrell has been a part of and all that he has accomplished in his career.
The Grammys came to an end with laughs toward Cher as she presented the last award to Kendrick. She almost forgot and began to walk off after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award as well as thinking the song title name “Luther” was actually Luther Vandross who was an R&B singer who died in 2005. It seems that Cher could’ve benefited from a rehearsal before the big night.
The Grammys continues to capture some of our favorite moments and highlight some of the biggest names in music. This year really tuned into our countries division and the messege of spreading love and not hate. It was more than celebrating music but in the best way.