Lauryn Hill’s emotional tribute to Roberta Flack and D’Angelo
Lauryn Hill performed a soulful tribute to soul legends Roberta Flack and D’Angelo, both of whom passed away in 2025. Adorned in a black gown, gorgeous locs and bold diamond jewelry, Hill reminded the audience of why she is one of the greatest in music history. Hill began her emotional tribute with 1998 hit “Nothing Even Matters” featuring D’Angelo, stating that she and the late singer never had the chance to perform it live together. Hill was later joined on stage by neo-soul and R&B artists Lucky Daye, Raphael Saadiq, Anthony Hamilton and October London, as well as 2026 Grammy winners Jon Batiste, Leon Thomas and Wyclef Jean.
Together, they performed a soulful medley of D’Angelo’s hits such as “Brown Sugar,” “Lady” and “Untitled (How Does It Feel).” This special moment paid homage to D’Angelo and the immense impact his music had on advancing the neo-soul movement. The sacred space honored D’Angelo’s legacy while ushering in a new generation of artists carrying the neo-soul movement’s torch.
After the D’Angelo medley, Hill sang a heartfelt tribute for the late Roberta Flack, performing songs “Killing Me Softly,” “Compared to What” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” The tribute concluded with a harmony of the late Rev. Richard Smallwood’s “Amen.” The performance demonstrated that even as we lay our loved ones to rest, their legacies never die—rather, they transcend through time, space, music and soul.
Kendrick Lamar breaks the record for most-awarded rapper in Grammy history
Kendrick Lamar has officially broken Jay Z’s record as the most awarded rapper in Grammy history. In 2025, Lamar swept the 67th Grammy Awards with five wins and gave a historic Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. Lamar uses his work to make political statements regarding police brutality, racism and oppression. His work also explores discourse in relationships, community and politics.
In a custom Chanel suit, Lamar accepted four Grammys on Sunday: Record of the Year for “Luther” featuring SZA; Best Rap Performance for his feature on “Chains & Whips,” by Clipse and Pharrell Williams; Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Luther”; and Best Rap Song for “tv off” featuring Lefty Gunplay. With these new wins, Lamar has totaled 27 Grammy Awards.
Durand Bernarr won his first Grammy — and it’s about time!
R&B singer-songwriter Durand Bernarr has bloomed into a musical powerhouse, and it’s about time he receives his flowers. Bernarr won Best Progressive R&B Album for his LP Bloom, and he is so deserving. The singer is known for his eclectic stage presence, powerhouse vocals and groundshaking musical performances. Those unfamiliar with his name are familiar with his voice. Over the years, Bernarr has provided background vocals for prominent musicians such as Erykah Badu, Ari Lennox, Sam Sparro, Thundercat and Teedra Moses. As an independent artist, Bernarr demonstrates a path forward for creatives who maintain musical success while remaining independent from major record labels.
“To all the independent artists out there and to every butch queen who was made to feel you’re too much, I am the proof you need and the sign you’re waiting for, be yourself!” Bernarr said in his acceptance speech. “Happy Black History Month for the rest of my life!”
Bad Bunny made history as the first artist to win Album of the Year for a Spanish-language album
Bad Bunny won Album of the Year for critically-acclaimed album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” making it the first Spanish-language album in history to win the Grammy’s most-coveted award. During his acceptance speech, Bad Bunny switched between Spanish and English as he paid homage to his mother and homeland of Puerto Rico.
“To all the people who worked on this album, thank you mamí for giving birth to me in Puerto Rico, I love you,” he said. “I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland to follow their dreams.”
Bad Bunny swept the Grammy Awards with Best Global Music Performance for “EoO” and Best Música Urbana Album for “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.” He will headline the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime show on Feb. 9.
Bad Bunny and artists use acceptance speeches to speak out against ICE
While accepting the award for Best Música Urbana Album, Bad Bunny began his speech with, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say, ‘ICE out.’” He continued by advocating for immigrants and for fighting hate with love. “The only thing more powerful than hate is love so please we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love.”
The Puerto Rican artist is not the only musician to speak out against ICE. Billie Eilish used her acceptance speech for Song of the Year to challenge ICE as well, stating “No one is illegal on stolen land…We need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting.”
During her acceptance for Record of the Year with Kendrick Lamar, SZA said,
“We’re not governed by the government, we’re governed by God.”
In her Best New Artist Grammy acceptance speech, British singer-songwriter Olivia Dean also spoke out against ICE by honoring her roots. “I am up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant,” Dean said. “I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”
Kehlani won her first-ever Grammy Awards for “Folded”
After over a decade in the industry, Kehlani finally won her first two Grammys with her single “Folded.” With albums like It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, SweetSavageSexy and Crash, the R&B singer has truly made an everlasting impact on the genre, and it’s about time she has been recognized by The Recording Academy. It was a full-circle moment to witness her take home awards for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song.
Kehlani used her acceptance speech to speak out against ICE. “I wanted to say fuck ICE. I think everybody — we’re too powerful of a group to all be in a room at the same time and not make some kind of statement in our country, so it’s brainless to me,” she said.
In addition to being a musical powerhouse, Kehlani has used her platform for advocacy, speaking up for Palestinians in Gaza, LGBTQ+ rights and Black Lives Matter. She is proof that you can still find mainstream success while using your work to make a political statement.
Leon Thomas finally gets his flowers after making great impact in the music industry
R&B singer-songwriter Leon Thomas has been changing the music industry from behind the scenes with his incredible vocals, songwriting and musical production for years. Last night, the former Nickelodeon star took home Grammy Awards, not for his behind-the-scenes work, but his own stardom, winning the awards for Best R&B Album for Mutt and Best Traditional R&B Performance for “VIBES DON’T LIE.”
Leon Thomas missed his first Grammy win of the evening due to rehearsals for his D’Angelo tribute. In a wholesome moment, his mother accepted the award on his behalf.
Prior to taking the musical forefront, Thomas produced hits such as SZA’s “Snooze” and Ariana Grande’s “nasty.” Thomas has produced and written over 100 songs in his career, and it only feels right that he is garnering global recognition for his formidable artistry.
Justin Bieber bares his soul on music’s biggest stage
Justin Bieber took the Grammy stage in nothing but purple boxers, heavy black socks and a purple guitar. In the shirtless performance, he debuted a new back tattoo of his wife Hailey’s face.
In an emotional rendition of “Yukon,” Bieber sang, “What would I do if I didn’t love you, baby?” This was a raw and emotional performance where Bieber demonstrated that even in moments of grandeur such as performing at the Grammy Awards, sometimes the path forward is vulnerability and showcasing your authentic self behind the glitz and glam of Hollywood lights.
Unfortunately, although he received four Grammy nominations for his album Swag, Bieber did not take home any awards.
The artists did not come to play on the red carpet
This year’s red carpet looks were reflective of where the artists are in their careers and lives. Doechii dazzled in a corset gown adorned with boho-style hand embroidery and a 13-foot train. Doechii said her look is inspired by home life and her upcoming album.
Teyana Taylor stole the show in an elegant gold-studded Tom Ford gown as a body chain adorned her body. Her hair was slicked back as she showed off her rock-solid abs in the cut-out gown. Taylor is known for making fashion statements and, on this night, did not disappoint.
Lady Gaga wore a custom Matières Fécales black feather look on the red carpet. The look included high-neck feathers that cradled her face. With fierce makeup and long blonde hair, it’s safe to say Mother Monster brought MAYHEM to the red carpet.
Aura V becomes the youngest individual Grammy winner in history
Eight-year-old Aura V and her father Fyütch won Best Children’s Music Album for Harmony. This makes Aura V the youngest individually named Grammy winner in music history.
Prior to Aura V, Blue Ivy was the youngest individually named Grammy winner for being a featured artist on Beyoncé’s “BROWN SKIN GIRL,” which won Best Music Video in 2021.
In the father-daughter duo’s acceptance speech, Fyütch condemned voting against children’s rights in our current political state. “We are failing our children anytime we vote against feeding, protecting, clothing and educating our kids; we are condemning our collective future. This mission is activism and revolution,” Fyütch said.
In a wholesome moment, Aura V used her acceptance speech to congratulate jazz singer Laufey on her Grammy wins.
“It’s an honor to be here today. I was not expecting us to go this far. Shout-out to Laufey,” Aura V said. “I just saw her on the red carpet and I saw she won a Grammy too so congratulations to her as well.”