After weeks of intense political anxiety gripping the United States, some of the music industry’s brightest stars met the moment at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday with powerful statements of solidarity.
There were also several historic and heartwarming moments: Kendrick Lamar became the most awarded rapper in history, while Bad Bunny became the first Spanish-language artist to win album of the year.
Here are some more unforgettable highlights from music’s biggest night.
Kendrick Lamar took the crown
It didn’t take long for Kendrick Lamar to command attention at this year’s Grammys. After emerging victorious in his beef with Drake at last year’s show, where he swept all five of the categories he was nominated in, the L.A. rapper took a victory lap on his legendary status by breaking Jay-Z’s record for the most-awarded rapper right out of the gate on the broadcast. Lamar’s “GNX” was named best rap album, which pushed him past Jay-Z’s previous record of 25 wins.
“Hip-hop is always going to be right here,” Lamar said in his speech. “We’re gonna be having the culture with us.”
Lamar bumped his career tally to 27 later in the night as he shared a record of the year win with SZA for their chart-topping single “Luther.” His tour mate and collaborator joined him on stage, and delivered a moment of inspiration against the heavy cloud over the evening.
“Please don’t fall into despair,” SZA told the room.
“I know the algorithms tell us that it’s so scary and all is lost. There’s been world wars, there’s been plagues, and we have gone on. We can go on. We need each other. We need to trust each other and trust ourselves. Trust your heart. We’re not governed by the government. We’re governed by God.”
Host Trevor Noah barbed Nicki Minaj
Grammy host Trevor Noah foreshadowed the political edge of the night early in the proceedings, as he waded through the crowd of famous faces during his opening monologue. After greeting Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and others, he dropped a bomb: Nicki Minaj was in the building.
It was a joke he couldn’t keep up for long, admitting a few seconds later that he was just kidding.
“Nicki Minaj is not here,” he confirmed to rapturous applause.
Minaj grabbed headlines last week for meeting with Donald Trump and declaring herself his “No. 1 fan.”
“She is still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues,” Noah said, before diving into an impression of the U.S. president.
”‘Actually Nicki, I have the biggest ass. Everybody’s saying it, Nicki.’”
Noah revisited the tense political climate throughout the show, aiming several of his punchlines at Trump and the collective anxiety tied to the current U.S. administration. Sharing that this will be his sixth and final year as Grammys host, he explained his thinking: “I believe in term limits,” he said. “I wanted to set an example for anyone who’s watching the show.”
Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish got political
Many performers used their speeches to address the tension around U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Bad Bunny didn’t mince words on ICE when he accepted best música urbana album for “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.”
“ICE out,” he declared to roaring applause.
“We’re not savage, we’re not aliens, we’re not animals. We are humans and we are Americans.”
He returned to the stage to accept the historic Spanish-language album of the year win with tears in his eyes. “I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland to chase their dreams,” he said.
A shocked Billie Eilish won song of the year for “Wildflower” over several assumed frontrunners, including “Apt.” by Bruno Mars and Rosé and “Golden” by Huntrix. Eilish, a long-time favourite of Grammy voters, seemed taken aback by the surprise win, but quickly turned the attention to the moment.
“No one is illegal on stolen land,” she said. “It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now. I feel really hopeful in this room. And I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting.”
Justin Bieber stripped down for a solo
Canadian superstar Justin Bieber wore only a pair of boxer shorts and socks when he stepped into a spotlight to perform his minimalist song “Yukon.” The stripped-back performance — his first at the Grammys in four years — brought the audience to their feet. It felt like we were seeing a more mature side of the former teen heartthrob; Bieber became a father in August 2024 — the camera cut more than once to his wife, Hailey, watching lovingly — and has since been gradually moving away from his teenybopper roots and toward a more sophisticated R&B sound.
Joni Mitchell won her 11th Grammy
Canadian legend Joni Mitchell won best historical album for “Joni Mitchell Archives — Volume 4: The Asylum Years,” a sprawling collection of previously unreleased recordings from the 1970s, at the Grammy’s Premiere ceremony, a pre-telecast event where most of the awards were handed out. The 82-year-old singer-songwriter took to the stage wearing an “ICE OUT” button, which were a popular accessory at the Golden Globes in January, though she didn’t talk about the protests against immigration officers in her speech, allowing the pin to speak for itself.
When Mitchell’s win was announced and she came on stage, she told the adoring audience, “This is the most glittering glam I ever saw at the Grammys.” She appeared not to realize she had won the award, asking her companion “did I win? Oh I won!” She went on to speak about two other albums from her past.
Mitchell’s win puts her career tally at 11 trophies.
Canadian hitmaker Cirkut got a double
Halifax-born pop powerhouse Cirkut (a.k.a. Henry Walter) had a Grammy in each hand early in the night, as he landed trophies with some help from Lady Gaga. The hitmaker won best dance pop recording for Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” and producer of the year for a selection of tracks he helped shape last year, including Rosé and Bruno Mars’ smash single “Apt.”
Walter has spent more than a decade turning out pop earworms for the likes of Rihanna, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran, but he used his acceptance speech to show he hasn’t forgotten his roots. “Once upon a time, I was a kid from Canada making beats in my bedroom, and now I’m here,” he said.
Walter was also nominated for songs in the marquee record, song and album categories handed out on the main show.
Rufus Wainwright moonlighted as the Dalai Lama
Talk about unlikely pairings: Canadian singer Rufus Wainwright acknowledged it was a little odd that he was accepting a Grammy on behalf of the Dalai Lama, who won his first Grammy for the audiobook “Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama,” beating out U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and the evening’s host, Trevor Noah.
“I’m not the Dalai Lama, obviously,” admitted Wainwright, whose vocals appear on the audiobook. “It was a privilege to participate on this project.”
Toronto musician Justin Gray made history
Toronto’s Justin Gray became the first Canadian to win best immersive audio album for his aptly titled “Immersed.” The bassist and Humber Polytechnic music professor created the album to be heard on a Dolby Atmos surround sound system, which seemed to be music to the ears of the Recording Academy. Gray has spent the past decade remixing songs into the 360-degree sound format, including albums from Arkells, Mother Mother and Olivia Rodrigo. Gray told the Star on Sunday evening that he was still spinning from the win. “It all happened very fast,” he said in a call from the awards show. “It feels surreal, but it also feels, I don’t know, there’s a sense of just pure joy.”
