Grammys 2026: Bad Bunny wins top honours in politically charged awards

LOS ANGELES – Bad Bunny, the Latino rap star whose upcoming Super Bowl gig has ignited a culture wars controversy, won the top Grammy prize on Feb 1, a first for a Spanish-language album, with Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, a celebration of his Puerto Rican roots.

The 31-year-old performer-producer edged out fellow megastars Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga in what amounted to a three-way race to clinch his first Grammy for Album of the Year, considered the pinnacle of the music industry’s highest honours.

“I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams,” the Puerto Rican artiste said in his acceptance speech, tapping into expressions of solidarity for immigrants evident throughout the show.

Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, a musical tribute to Bad Bunny’s Caribbean island homeland, marked his sixth studio set. It was heavily favoured after winning the Latin Grammys’ Album of the Year award in November 2025.

Recognition of Bad Bunny carries political overtones

Grammy recognition of Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, carried strong political overtones, given his outspoken criticism of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweeps ordered by US President Donald Trump in cities across the country.

The artiste skipped the continental United States on his recent concert tour, saying he feared federal immigration agents would show up to arrest his fans.

The Grammy accolades also burnished his reputation ahead of a wider introduction to a mainstream English-speaking US audience on Feb 8, when he is due to headline the National Football League’s Super Bowl half-time show.

His selection for one of the marquee live sports and entertainment events on US television has rankled some traditionalists – including Mr Trump, who called it “absolutely ridiculous” and said he had never heard of Bad Bunny.

Bad Bunny openly supported Mr Trump’s Democratic opponent Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.

“ICE out,” Bad Bunny said to a standing ovation as he accepted the award for Best Latin Urban Music Album for Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, another of the three awards he received. “We are not savage. We are not animals. We are not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.”

Opposition to Mr Trump’s deportation drive emerged as a recurring theme throughout the three-hour-plus live Grammy telecast, in which many attendees, including Canadian singer Justin Bieber, were seen sporting “ICE out” buttons.

American singer Billie Eilish, who won Song of the Year with her brother Finneas O’Connell for her hit single Wildflower, gave a shout-out to the protests occurring across the US. 

“No one is illegal on stolen land,” she said to loud applause. “I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter.”

Best New Artist Olivia Dean

Accepting her award as Best New Artist, British soul-pop singer Olivia Dean paid tribute to a grandmother who immigrated to Britain from Guyana as a teenager seeking a new life.

“I must say I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant,” the 26-year-old said, evoking cheers from the star-studded audience. “I am a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We’re nothing without one another.”

Lamar – the chart-topping hip-hop sensation who led the field of Grammy contenders going into the show on Feb 1, with nine nominations – came away with five awards, including Best Rap Album for his latest studio set, GNX. He also nabbed a shared award for Record of the Year for Luther, his wistful duet with R&B singer-songwriter SZA.

Golden, the smash hit from the Netflix animated movie KPop Demon Hunters (2025), made history during the non-televised portion of the awards when it was named Best Song Written for Visual Media, marking the first time the K-pop music genre has ever earned Grammy glory.

The song was performed in the film by a fictional girl group called Huntrix, voiced by real-life vocalists Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami.

Lady Gaga won Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Album with Mayhem and Best Dance-Pop Recording for Abracadabra.

South African comedian Trevor Noah returned to host the festivities for a sixth time, which he had said would be his last Grammys gig. The show aired live on the CBS network from the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

Legendary film-maker Steven Spielberg, 79, achieved EGOT status – one of the rarest honours in the entertainment industry – after winning his first Grammy award for Best Music Film for Music By John Williams, which he produced. EGOT stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, referring to top awards in television, music, film and theatre respectively.

Grammy winners are chosen by the roughly 15,000 voting members of the Recording Academy – industry peers including artistes, songwriters, producers and engineers – whose ranks have been revamped over the past seven years to increase diversity.

About 1,000 Latin Grammy voters became eligible to vote in 2026, and 73 per cent of members have joined since 2019. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG

Key winners

Album of the Year: Debi Tirar Mas Fotos – Bad Bunny

Record of the Year: Luther – Kendrick Lamar with SZA

Song of the Year: Wildflower – Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell

Best New Artist: Olivia Dean

Best Pop Solo Performance: Messy – Lola Young

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Defying Gravity – Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande

Best Pop Vocal Album: Mayhem – Lady Gaga

Best Rap Album: GNX – Kendrick Lamar

Best Rap Performance: Chains & Whips – Clipse (Pusha T & Malice), featuring Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams

Best Music Video: Anxiety – Doechii

Best Musica Urbana Album: Debi Tirar Mas Fotos – Bad Bunny

Best Global Music Performance: Eoo – Bad Bunny

Best Global Music Album: Caetano E Bethania Ao Vivo – Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethania

Best Song Written for Visual Media: Golden from KPop Demon Hunters

AFP