The nominees for the 2026 Grammys were announced on Feb. 1, marking the 68th annual event held in Los Angeles. The award winners and their acceptance speeches elicited controversial reactions from the audience.

The pop vocal, pop solo, and dance sections opened up the ceremony, announcing Lady Gaga, Lola Young, and Tame Impala. The most anticipated by the audience was the big four awards: song of the year, record of the year, album of the year, and best new artist, especially as various highly qualified artists competed for them.

Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower” was nominated for the song of the year, an award recognizing songwriting, among other nominees such as Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” Rosé & Bruno Mars’s “APT,” and Doechii’s “Anxiety.” As she accepted her reward, she acknowledged the issue of ICE within America, standing against the current immigration activities.

Record of the year that acknowledges technical production of a specific recording was given to “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar feat SZA, famously the song that was performed at the Super Bowl the previous year. There were prominent competitors such as Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild,” Chappell Roan’s “The Subway,” Bad Bunny’s “DtMF”, and more.

The winner of the Album of the year was Bad Bunny with his “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”

The best new artist was given to Olivia Dean, recognizing the recent trend of the song “Man I Need” and “Diva” going viral on social media such as TikTok. The ceremony itself was produced through various artists and their performances also garnered lots of positive attention.

“It was great to see more representation in the Grammys this year especially with Bad Bunny,” Hannah Park (11), avid music listener, said. “As a Korean, I hope to see more Korean representation in the future like APT, K-pop Demon Hunters, or BTS.”