On February 1, 2026, the 68th Annual Grammy Awards took place in Los Angeles. The Grammy Awards are a series of awards presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. They are highly prestigious, the highest form of recognition for a musical artist. There are 86 Grammys that musicians can receive. The Grammys are very popular because of the big-name singers who attend.
Some of this year’s Grammy winners include Bad Bunny (Best Album of the year) for Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, Billie Eilish (Song Of The Year) for Wildflower, SZA and Kendrick Lamar ( Record of the Year for “Luther”), Olivia Dean for Best New Artist, Lady Gaga for “Mayhem” (Best Pop Vocal Album), and Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande for Best Pop/Duo Group Performance for Defying Gravity from Wicked. Some of the big names who attended are: Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus, Bad Bunny, Rose, Kelsea Ballerini, Shaboozey, Tyla, Tate McRae, Benson Boone, Doechii, and Laufey.
The first Grammy Awards took place on May 4, 1959, in two locations: Beverly Hills and New York, with 270 people in attendance. This number has since risen to 14.4 million for the 2026 Grammys, including viewers watching on TV. The first winners in 1959 included: The Kingston Trio, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra.
There were two new categories introduced this year: Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album, which were won by Tyler, the Creator and Zach Top, respectively. These new categories will help artists gain recognition for their musical talents and give fans additional ways to see their favorite artists awarded. K-pop also made history. “Golden” by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, written for the movie “Kpop Demon Hunters,” became the first-ever Grammy winner for a K-pop act and took home “Best Song Written For Visual Media”. “APT” by Rose and Bruno Mars was also nominated for Record and Song Of The Year.
Artists are voted into categories by experts who sort the music into its genre. According to the Grammy Awards website, voting members are allowed to “vote in up to ten categories across up to three fields in the genre fields plus the four categories of the General Field.” The recording with the most votes in a single category wins.
The 2026 Grammys were record-breaking. Bad Bunny became the first artist to win Album Of The Year for a Spanish album. Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas proudly hold the record for most Song of the Year with three wins. Director Steven Spielberg became an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards) winner after winning the Best Original Score category. Shaboozy became the first black man to win Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Jelly Roll. Before the awards were handed out, Kendrick Lamar became the first rapper to win five Album Of The Year nominations. Rosé (a member of the K-pop group BLACKPINK) became the first K-pop singer to win a nomination in one of the “Big Four” categories. The Big Four categories are Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist. ROSÉ was nominated for three awards for her hit song “APT.” with Bruno Mars: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Based on a form, students at Fallon think most of the artists deserved their awards. However, most people thought that KATSEYE would win Best New Artist as they have gained massive popularity.
