Bad Bunny took him Album of the Year honors — the first ever for a Latin artist — for Debí Tirar Más Fotos to cap an entertaining and outspoken night at the 68th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The Puerto Rican superstar gave an impassioned speech against recent ICE immigration raids earlier in the evening, proclaiming, “we’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.”
“I want to dedicate this award to all the people who have to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams,” he said after accepting the Album of the Year trophy from Harry Styles.
Bunny was contractually unable to perform due to his Super Bowl Halftime Show headlining appearance next weekend in Santa Clara, Ca., but host Trevor Noah eventually got him to sing a few bars backed by the Latin Street Band as the show went to a commercial break.
The night’s other top winners included Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS for Song of the Year (“Wildflower”), Lola Young for Best Pop Solo Performance (“Messy”), Kendrick Lamar for Best Rap Album (GNX) – the trophy for which allowed him to eclipse Jay-Z for the most Grammys of all time with 26. Lamar won again later in the evening for Record of the Year for his song “luther” featuring SZA, before which Cher provided a hilarious moment of live television.
After a rambling speech about her career, she seemingly walked offstage without announcing the nominees for the category. Host Revor Noah was able to talk her back to center stage, but when she announced the winner, she mistakenly said “Luther Vandross” — leading to an instant meme moment. Lamar saved the situation with a thoughtful speech about sampling Vandross for the track.
Olivia Dean won Best New Artist and Pharrell Williams was presented the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award by Q-Tip. Williams later performed with longtime friends and collaborators Clipse, who earlier won the first Grammy of their careers for Best Rap Performance. Their song, “Chains & Whips,” features both Lamar and Williams.
Other performance highlights came from Lady Gaga, who debuted a rocked-up version of “Abracadabra” with MAYHEM producer Andrew Watt on guitar, a Justin Bieber solo performance of “YUKON” where the artist wore nothing but lacrosse shorts and socks, and Tyler, the Creator, who zipped across the stage in a Porsche and then rapped amid a service station.
Post Malone fronted a band featuring Watt, Guns N’ Roses’ Slash and Duff McKagan and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith for “War Pigs” in honor of late Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, and Lauryn Hill led dual tributes to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack featuring a cavalcade of guests, including Jon Batiste, Raphael Saddiq, Leon Thomas, Leon Bridges, John Legend, Chaka Khan and, to the roar of the crowd, her Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean for “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”
Click here for a complete list of winners.
