A Record-Breaking Night: The History Makings of the 68th Annual Grammy Awards
By: Olivia Woloz
During the 68th annual Grammy Awards, which occurred on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA, several different aspects of music history were made. Every year, the award ceremony consists of around 95 different categories that are given to the most deserving artists and composers through a two-step process between peer-voters and the Recording Academy. Some notable awards include Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. Along with the different types of awards, there are different fields they fall in, including Latin, Pop, Rap, R&B, Gospel, and Jazz. This year, there were some outstanding artists that have added to the rich history of the Grammy Awards.
The world’s #1 artist, Bad Bunny, swept the Grammy floor when his album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” won the Album of the Year award as the first Spanish-language album to receive such honor. Upon accepting his trophy, the artist made a compelling speech regarding the current issue of ICE in the U.S. As he cried tears of joy and courage, Bad Bunny said, “ICE out…We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.” He will continue his journey of achievements next Sunday where he will perform as the first solo Latino Artist to headline the Superbowl Half-time show.
In another turn of events, American rapper, songwriter, and producer, Kendrick Lamar, won five out of his nine nominations. Most significantly, his song “Luther” featuring SZA on his new album “GNX” won Record of the Year. In addition, he was included the wins for Best Rap Performance, appearing in “Chains and Whips” by Clipse, Pusha T, Malice, and Pharell Williams, Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Album. With his current holding of 66 nominations and 27 awards, Lamar has become the most awarded rapper in Grammy history.
While the prior two artists have been most recognized, other prominent events occurred last Sunday, including renowned director, Steven Spielberg, who has officially completed the puzzle of receiving an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). His final piece was placed after working on the film, “Music by John Williams” in which he won the award for Best Music Film. Along with Spielberg, the Dalai Lama is now officially a Grammy Award Winner after releasing his audio book, “Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” In a very different field, there was a record-breaking moment for the K-Pop community as the Netflix film, “K-Pop Demon Hunters” won for Best Song Written for Visual Media. This is the first time that a K-Pop song has won a grammy.
Nominations were proposed, awards were won, and history was made. We will just have to wait until next year to see who is making it to the Grammy textbooks!
