On Feb. 1, the 2026 Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles, featuring nominees and performers including Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Billie Eilish. In the show’s aftermath, fans debated red carpet looks, who deserved which award and which performers excelled or fell short of expectations.
The four major categories, Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year went to well-deserving and hard-working artists. Eilish, who released “Wildflower” as a single in February 2025 from her album “Hit Me Hard and Soft”—released in May 2024—won the award for Song of The Year. This brought joy to many fans who were angry when she was snubbed at the 2025 Grammys.
Record of the Year went to “Luther,” a collaboration by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, which made Kendrick Lamar the first rapper to have back-to-back wins for Record of The Year.
British “Man I Need” singer Olivia Dean won Best New Artist, much to the joy of her many fans worldwide, but also caused discourse with many KATSEYE fans online, who believed the emerging girl group had a better year than Dean.
Arguably the most anticipated award of the night, Album of the Year, went to Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.” This win presented its own issues online, mainly from Sabrina Carpenter’s fanbase, who were angry she won nothing for her latest album, “Man’s Best Friend.” Although fans were upset, awards-season disappointment is common, and doesn’t mean the winners were any less deserving.
The Grammys chose an array of performers, ranging from new and upcoming artists, like Addison Rae and Sombr—both Best New Artist nominees—to classic and timeless singers, such as Reba McEntire. During Addison Rae’s performance of “Fame Is a Gun” from her debut album “Addison,” she engaged in complex choreography on a garage-like set, and although her stage presence received praise, she was also victim to backlash for her vocal abilities and heavy reliance on a backtrack. Although vocally Rae may not be as experienced, everyone starts somewhere, and with more practice, she will be able to execute not only remarkable presentation skills but also have stable vocals.
One of the most striking and upbeat performances of the night was Lady Gaga’s. She performed her song “Abracadabra,” which won Best Dance Pop Recording earlier that night. Gaga wore a bold outfit and headpiece while utilizing aggressive camera techniques and flashing strobe lights as she stood at a keyboard and sang.
For an emotional intermission to the show, Reba McEntire took the Grammys’ stage for the first time with Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson for the “In Memoriam” segment. The group performed a tribute to artists lost in 2025 with McEntire’s song, “Trailblazer.”
Lastly, one of the later performances of the night was Tyler the Creator’s, who did a medley of his songs, “Thought I Was Dead” and “Sugar On My Tongue.” His performance was theatrical and dramatic, featuring pyro on a gas station set, and brought a surge to the energy at the Grammys and the living rooms of people’s homes.
Fashion was another focal point of the night spanning from designer pieces to casual outfits. Dean wore a custom red mini dress by Chanel, while Justin Bieber performed “Yukon” in boxers and socks. On the carpet, Tate McRae, nominated for Best Dance Pop Recording, stunned in a structured black custom Balenciaga dress, which although some said was ‘boring’ and ‘had nothing going on,’ was actually chic and suited her style. KATSEYE wore custom Ludovic de Sain Sernin white lace dresses along with Swarovski jewelry, a look which received praise for the coordination among each of the girls. Eight time winner John Batiste had a custom, black jacket featuring a gold trim pearls, and 100,000 gemstones, paired with black trousers and leather boots. Throughout the night, artists changed their looks from the carpet to their performances, and all the outfits made a bold statement for this year’s Grammys, notably when artists chose to wear ICE OUT pins on their clothing.
Political statements surfaced not only through these pins, but also throughout the night’s speeches. In her Best New Artist speech, Dean referenced her immigrant roots highlighting her belief that nonnatives aren’t a threat. Eilish called out ICE during her acceptance speech for Song of The Year, saying, “No one is illegal on stolen land,” resulting in people online twisting her words and message behind them, leading to another wave of backlash. Furthermore, as he accepted his award for Best Música Urbana Album, Bad Bunny said, “Before I say thanks to god, I’m going to say, ICE OUT.” Similarly, upon accepting his award for Album of the Year, Bad Bunny dedicated his award to, “all the people that had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams.”
Overall, this year’s Grammys featured many memorable performances from rappers to legends, bold fashion statements, a broad range of winners for the main four categories and a plethora of political comments from musicians. Although there are plenty of angry fans after the Grammys, the truth is, not everyone will be happy with who wins or the comments they make about the state of our country. As a collective, it is important to appreciate music for what it is, instead of degrading musicians because a fan favorite didn’t win or because of that artist’s beliefs.
