{"id":316632,"date":"2026-02-02T16:51:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T16:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/316632\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T16:51:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T16:51:13","slug":"rob-sheffield-on-bad-bunny-kendrick-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/316632\/","title":{"rendered":"Rob Sheffield on Bad Bunny, Kendrick and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tNow that\u2019s what you call a Grammy Night. Trevor Noah<\/a>, who\u2019s hosted for the past six years, set the tone for this Grammy era a few years ago. \u201cDon\u2019t even think of this as an award show,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a concert where we give out awards.\u201d That\u2019s the attitude that has given us a string of Grammy shows heavy on live music and short on show-biz schmaltz. And that\u2019s why the 2026 bash <\/a>felt like an all-night music celebration, with one top-notch performance after another, from rookies, veterans, stars, legends, upstarts, from Lauryn Hill to Bieber in his underwear<\/a>. Noah didn\u2019t show up with many jokes, but he didn\u2019t need them \u2014 he just got out of the way and let the music play.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut almost everyone showed up with something to say. The rage was in the air all night \u2014 and in the music. The ICE Out buttons<\/a> were everywhere, from Joni Mitchell to Billie Eilish<\/a>, and the winners felt free to speak their minds in solidarity with immigrants.. It was a drastic but welcome change from the Golden Globes just a few weeks ago, where the stars looked too shell-shocked and defeated to speak.<\/p>\n

\n\tBad Bunny was the star of the night, winning Album of the Year<\/a> for Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos,<\/a> his love letter to his native Puerto Rico. It was a massive win \u2014 not just for him, but for the Grammys, the first Album of the Year in Spanish. (The Grammys needed a Bad Bunny win far more than he needed the Grammy.) But it made it matter on a personal and historic level. Early in the night, he won Best Musica Urbana Album and declared, \u201cBefore I say \u2018thanks to God,\u2019 I\u2019m going to say \u2018ICE Out.\u2019\u201d That got the night\u2019s wildest ovation, but Benito wasn\u2019t finished. \u201cWe are not savages, we\u2019re not animals, we\u2019re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tTrevor Noah and Bad Bunny catching up between awards <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKevin Mazur\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tHe took the top prize at the end of the night, sobbing at his table when he heard his name. (Previous winner \u2014 and birthday boy \u2014 Harry Styles gave him the Grammy, a gracious touch.) It\u2019s not the first time a Latin artist has won Album of the Year \u2014 Santana won in 1999, back when absolutely nobody noticed or cared who won any Grammys. (It\u2019s only in the past decade or so that people have come to think of Grammys as awards that anybody \u201cshould\u201d win.) But he dedicated it \u201cto all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n

\n\tKendrick Lamar<\/a> was the night\u2019s other massive winner, to nobody\u2019s surprise. He won Best Rap Album for GNX<\/a> early on \u2014 his tenth win, giving him more Grammys than any hip-hop artist ever. (And he did it on the tenth anniversary of the night he blew the roof<\/a> off the 2016 show with \u201cAlright,\u201d still the top Grammy live moment ever.) \u201cHip-hop as usual,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery time, I tell you this. Hip hop is always going to be right here. We are going to be in these suits. We\u2019re going to be looking good. We\u2019re going to be having our folks with us. We are going to be having the culture with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBut it was a weirdly beautiful moment later in the show when he won Record of the Year<\/a> (for the second straight year) and got handed his prize by none other than Cher<\/a>. Nobody was less excited to be at the Grammys than Cher, and when Trevor Noah handed her a surprise lifetime-achievement award, she made an evidently unplanned speech and headed offstage. Noah had to gently remind her she was also there to give out an award. In an absolute instant-classic moment, she opened the envelope, saw the song title \u201cLuther,\u201d and announced, \u201cThe Grammy goes to Luther Vandross!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt could have been awkward and embarrassing \u2014 a La La Land Oscar gaffe. Except the artists didn\u2019t let that happen, because they had too much respect for Vandross \u2014 and for Cher. (If you\u2019ve ever seen Lamar at the Grammys, accepting awards from Tony Bennett or Diana Ross, you know that he\u2019s impeccably respectful with his elders.) Sounwave said, \u201cFirst and foremost, let\u2019s give a shout out to the late Luther Vandross.\u201d Lamar took it further with a deeply moving tribute, calling Vandross \u201cone of my favorite artists of all time.\u201d He revealed that they got the clearance for the sample only on the condition that they didn\u2019t curse on the record. \u201cWhen we got that clearance, I promise you, we damn it all dropped a tear because we know how much him and Cheryl Lynn poured into that record.\u201d He signed off with \u201cLuther forever.\u201d SZA<\/a> added a few words of her own, urging the audience, \u201cPlease don\u2019t fall into despair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n

\n\t(Note: This bizarrely sweet and human moment only could have happened at the Grammys, because the Grammy honchos actually respect the artists, so they don\u2019t hire an orchestra to shut up the winners. I wonder every year: Why can\u2019t other award shows learn more from this one?)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tLady Gaga<\/a> performing \u201cAbracadabra\u201d <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChristopher Polk\/Billboard<\/p>\n

\n\tLady Gaga was riding the edge of glory all night, celebrating her Mayhem<\/a> era. She raged on a powerfully anthemic \u201cAbracadabra\u201d<\/a> that was billed as a \u201cRock Version,\u201d though it\u2019s hard to imagine any non-rock version of that song, since it\u2019s so steeped in the blood and thunder of the Eighties goth clubs. Gaga transformed into some kind of demon Medusa queen. She also won Best Pop Vocal Anthem, urging the female musicians out there to \u201cfight for your ideas, fight for your songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSabrina Carpenter<\/a> is one of the great award-show performers of our time \u2014 she\u2019s made that one of her trademark specialties. She didn\u2019t disappoint with \u201cManchild<\/a>,\u201d in a very sexy airport where she made her big entrance on the baggage-claim belt, rocking her pink pilot outfit. She got bleeped for singing \u201cFuck my life,\u201d but that didn\u2019t stop Nikki Glaser \u2014 or anyone else \u2014 from singing along.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSabrina Carpenter performed \u201cManchild\u201d in a very sexy airport<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChristopher Polk\/Billboard<\/p>\n

\n\tBillie Eilish<\/a> easily took the Grammy for Most Valuable Audience Member, if they gave an award for that (and they should). She was everybody\u2019s biggest fan all night, singing and dancing for the hits (oh, her love for \u201cManchild\u201d) and cheering on the winners. A real clutch performance, especially with no Taylor Swift in the house. (Showgirl isn\u2019t eligible until next year.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tBillie gave one of the night\u2019s big speeches<\/a> when she won Song of the Year for \u201cWildflower,\u201d with a blunt \u201cFuck ICE,\u201d adding, \u201cNobody is illegal on stolen land.\u201d She was obviously moved to get her award from Carole King \u2014 the most revered legend in the room. How cool to see the woman who wrote \u201cWill You Love Me Tomorrow\u201d over 60 years ago strut to the podium with her unmissable ICE Out button, matching Billie\u2019s. It was such a beautiful cross-generational moment to see Billie and Finneas get to embrace King. (Also you couldn\u2019t fail to notice Carole applauding Billie\u2019s speech with a big proud smile on her face. Queens supporting queens.)<\/p>\n

\n\tJustin Bieber gave one of the night\u2019s most dazzling live performances with a stripped-down \u201cYukon.\u201d <\/a>Really stripped down, as in, wearing just his underwear, solo with an electric guitar and a full-length mirror. It was a daring move that brought out all the pained soul in the song. It was touching to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers\u2019 Chad Smith stand there clapping, after everyone else sat down. Maybe it brought back some memories \u2014 or maybe for a moment he wondered if it was Flea up there.<\/p>\n

\n\tOlivia Dean won Best New Artist, giving one of the night\u2019s powerhouse speeches. \u201cI guess I want to say I\u2019m up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant,\u201d she announced. \u201cYeah, I\u2019m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Best New Artist medley<\/a> was an unruly mess, which is what made it fun. The Mar\u00edas definitely won themselves a lot of new fans tonight, with their intimate rock simmer. Katseye were incredible, blowing up \u201cGnarly\u201d into a massive eye-popping show-biz extravaganza. Leon Thomas was all soul swagger, while Addison Rae turned her all-too-brief spotlight moment into an Old Hollywood musical of \u201cFame Is a Gun. Sombr came in dangling from the ceiling in a silver space suit, then boogied through the crowd, ending up in a dance-off with Queen Latifah.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLola Young sang a gorgeously pained \u201cMessy\u201d bringing all the torch-song soul in her aching voice. But her win came late, for Best Pop Solo Performance. Presenter Charli XCX beamed when she opened the envelope, saying, \u201cI very much relate to this song \u2014 \u2018Messy!\u2019\u201d Lola was sheer delight at the podium, so shocked that she accidentally slipped past the censors with the most awesome unedited F-bomb in Grammy history. (Hope it\u2019s the first of many Grammys for Lola, with an F-bomb for each one.)<\/p>\n

\n\tRos\u00e9 kicked off the show<\/a> with a bang, doing \u201cApt\u201d in true rock-star style, kicking and dancing while Bruno Mars<\/a> struck his guitar-hero poses. The song\u2019s always had a strong early-Eighties new wave vibe, so it makes sense they banged it out as skinny-tie pop-punk. Bruno also snagged a rare second showcase, doing his 1970s Philly soul homage \u201cI Just Might.\u201d<\/a> Tyler, the Creator did an ambitious stage spectacle heavy on the special effects. He began as his Saint Chroma character from Chromakopia<\/a>, got a spiritual pep talk from Regina King, then finally blew up a gas station to \u201cSugar on My Tongue.\u201d Clipse had one of the night\u2019s knockdown musical peaks with \u201cSo Far Ahead,\u201d a crowning moment for Pusha T and Malice in their amazing comeback with Let God Sort Em Out, after a 16-year hiatus. (Before the show they also won Best Rap Performance, for \u201cChains & Whips.\u201d)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe In Memoriam segment<\/a> lasted a solid half-hour, full of highs and lows. It got off to a clumsy start with an awkwardly staged performance from Reba McEntire. The roll call of departed musicians was hidden behind her, on tiny corners of the screen. It might have looked okay in the room, but not on TV \u2014 it was weird to see, say, the late Rick Davies\u2019 face, with the name of his band blocked by the back-up musicians. (\u201cSupertramp,\u201d\u00a0that\u2019s the band \u2014 loads of hits.) Brian Wilson and Sly Stone were briefly mentioned, though not quite honored, along with Bob Weir. There was a well-meaning Ozzy tribute with a hard-rock supergroup (Slash, Duff McKagan, Chad Smith, Andrew Watt) doing \u201cWar Pigs\u201d while Post Malone proved it\u2019s a damn tough song to sing. But it was still cool to hear \u201cWar Pigs,\u201d a definitely timely choice politically.<\/p>\n

\n\tYet all the glitches were forgotten as soon as Ms. Lauryn Hill appeared. Absolutely nobody\u2019s Grammy Night bingo card would\u2019ve included \u201ca full-on Lauryn Hill set,\u201d but it was a delightful surprise\u2014 her first Grammy performance since she was the night\u2019s big winner in 1999. She led an all-star soul crew through a profoundly moving tribute to D\u2019Angelo<\/a>, a celebration of community with a pass-the-mic hip-hop spirit. Kindred spirits like Raphael Saadiq, Bilal, Leon Thomas, Jon Batiste, and more honored D\u2019Angelo\u2019s songs while the man\u2019s keyboard stood unplayed at the side of the stage \u2014 a poignant detail in an amazing tribute. It flowed into a Roberta Flack medley, with Chaka Khan and John Legend dueting on \u201cWhere Is The Love,\u201d while Lalah Hathaway honored her father Donny\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe whole Lauryn Hill interlude was easily the live performance of the night \u2014 one of the great Grammy live moments of recent year, musically, emotionally, every way. All you could ask is that they\u2019d thrown in a few Sly Stone songs, too. She brought out Wyclef Jean for \u201cKilling Me Softly,\u201d reviving their Fugees version. (The last time Hill played the Grammys, she was rapping about her beef with Clef, so it was a full-circle moment for fans \u2014 we might lose some but we just won one.) Sadly, Pras Michael is in prison, so he wasn\u2019t on hand to add \u201cone time\u201d or \u201ctwo times,\u201d though most viewers probably did it at home.<\/p>\n

\n\tJelly Roll gave a preacherly come-to-Jesus speech, thumping a suspiciously tiny-looking Bible in his hand, after winning for Best Contemporary Country Album. He was trying hard to make \u201cJesus is for everybody\u201d the new \u201cWu-Tang is for the children.\u201d But it was nowhere near as cool as Lauryn Hill giving the same speech in 1999, when she actually brought a big-ass Bible up to the podium and read a Psalm.<\/p>\n

\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n

\n\tAddison Rae<\/a> had a great moment on the E! Red Carpet pre-show, where she got asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s something about you that you wish people knew a little bit more about?\u201d \u201cHonestly, nothing,\u201d she said. \u201cI wish they knew less!\u201d That explains so much. (The other peak red-carpet moments: Sombr getting emotional about Taylor Swift baking him sourdough, and Paris Hilton announcing, \u201cI\u2019m always here to make the world a sparkly, more safe place.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\n\tAs always, most of the actual awards<\/a> got handed out before the show \u2014 congrats to first-time winners the Cure. (What can it mean that Robert Smith and the Dalai Lama just won their first Grammys the same day?) Queen Latifah and Doechii had peak presenter chemistry, showering each other with praise, as did Nikki Glaser and Teyana Taylor. (The camera caught SZA doing a triple or even quadruple take at Taylor\u2019s outfit. Nobody\u2019s judging.) Since Trevor Noah mentioned a few times that this is his final year hosting, this might have been Nikki\u2019s way of dipping her beak for a taste of the Grammy stage. See you next year, Nikki.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Now that\u2019s what you call a Grammy Night. Trevor Noah, who\u2019s hosted for the past six years, set…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316633,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[264],"tags":[8170,8164,27912,18,117,62287,19,17,1448,26293,337,37336,974,46731,101475],"class_list":{"0":"post-316632","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-billie-eilish","9":"tag-bruno-mars","10":"tag-cher","11":"tag-eire","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-grammys-2026","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-kendrick-lamar","17":"tag-lady-gaga","18":"tag-music","19":"tag-rose","20":"tag-sabrina-carpenter","21":"tag-sza","22":"tag-trevor-noah"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116002074450764534","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}