Los angeles: Bad Bunny clinched the coveted album of the year award at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night for his groundbreaking album, "DeB TiRAR M¡S FOToS," APA reports, citing The Hollywood Reporter. The Puerto Rican artist's victory marks the first time a Spanish-language album has won this prestigious award. In an emotional acceptance speech delivered mostly in Spanish, Bad Bunny expressed his gratitude and emphasized a message of love over hate. Earlier in the evening, he also secured the best mºsica urbana album award and is scheduled to perform at next Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Kendrick Lamar emerged as another big winner, taking home the record of the year for "luther," a collaboration with SZA. Lamar also won the best rap album for "GNX," surpassing Jay-Z's record for the most career Grammy wins by a rapper. Rising star Olivia Dean was named best new artist, while Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell's "Wildflower" earned the song of the year accolade. The night also saw Jelly Roll winning best contemporary country album for "Beautifully Broken," and Lady Gaga securing the best pop vocal album for "MAYHEM."
The Grammy Awards ceremony, held at L.A.'s Crypto.com Arena, distributed a total of 95 awards across two ceremonies. The Premiere Ceremony, which took place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, was streamed live on live.grammy.com and the Recording Academy's YouTube channel. The primetime telecast, hosted by Trevor Noah for the sixth and final year, aired on CBS and Paramount+ Premium, revealing the winners in the remaining categories.
This year's event introduced two new categories: best traditional country album and best album cover. The show featured performances from stars like Gaga, Justin Bieber, Ros©, Bruno Mars, and Pharrell Williams, who also received the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. A special segment showcased performances from all best new artist nominees, including Olivia Dean and Leon Thomas. In a memorable moment, Cher received a lifetime achievement award, later presenting the record of the year Grammy.
Memorable tributes were paid to legendary artists Ozzy Osbourne, D'Angelo, and Roberta Flack, with performances by Post Malone, Slash, and Lauryn Hill, among others. A larger 'In Memoriam' segment honored recent music industry losses, narrated by Bruce Springsteen, and included video tributes to Brian Wilson, Bob Weir, and Sly Stone.
Presenters at the ceremony included prominent figures such as Carole King, Harry Styles, and Queen Latifah. The Premiere Ceremony opened with a performance by Grace Potter and others, hosted by Darren Criss, who expressed his honor in participating in the event celebrating musical talent and dedication.
Early winners of the night included Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande for best pop duo/group performance, Doechii for best music video, and Lady Gaga for best dance pop recording. Notably, Steven Spielberg achieved EGOT status by winning his first Grammy for producing the "Music By John Williams" documentary, which won best music film.
The Grammy Awards were produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy, with Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor, Jesse Collins, and Trevor Noah serving as executive producers.