Grammys 2026 live: Who won, performances, controversies and latest updates

Despite no British acts being nominated in the top three categories – Record, Song and Album of the Year – for the first time since 2018, UK stars still fared well at this year’s Grammys.

This includes Olivia Dean taking home the coveted Best New Artist prize, The Cure and Yungblud winning in the Rock and Best Alternative categories, Lola Young scooping Best Pop Vocal Performance for “Messy”, and Cynthia Erivo winning with Ariana Grande for Best Pop Duo / Group Performance for “Defying Gravity”, from the Wicked soundtrack.

The achievements were acknowledged by the BPI’s CEO Dr Jo Twist, who said: “Congratulations to Olivia Dean, Lola Young, FKA Twigs, Yungblud, Cynthia Erivo, The Cure, and the other British artists who were awarded and nominated at tonight’s Grammy Awards – and to Olivia and Lola for their sensational performances.

“Recognition like this is more than a gesture. It’s proof that British music is well and truly world-class, an acknowledgment of last year’s many UK musical breakthroughs, and a reminder that the UK remains one of the best places in the world for artists to launch and develop their careers, supported by our record label members and the wider music ecosystem.”

Good morning! What amazing work from our US team during the ceremony, I hope you’ve enjoyed the coverage if you stayed up. I’m back and taking over, doing a little dance of joy for Bad Bunny winning Album of the Year, what a moment.

Also howling at Cher causing absolute carnage while announcing Record of the Year to… “Luther Vandross!” Incredible scenes (she meant “Luther”, the song from Kendrick Lamar and SZA.

Bad Bunny wins Album of the Year, making history as the first entirely Spanish-language album to win the award.

He’s clearly emotional when Harry Styles makes the announcement, and remains seated with his hand covering his face as friends and fans dance nearby.

After he takes the stage, the first words out of his mouth are “Puerto Rico.”

Fittingly, his speech is delivered almost entirely in Spanish. He does however switch to English to say: “I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland to follow their dreams.”

Trust Cher to provide the night’s most memorable moment.

There’s confusion as Cher walks off stage after collecting her Lifetime Achievement Award, only to be called back by host Trevor Noah who reminds her she still has to announce the nominees for Record of the Year.

Cher then doesn’t realize she’s supposed to read the winner from the envelope, and when she does she accidentally declares the winner to be “Luther Vandross.”

She’s almost right: The winner is Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther”, which is named after the late soul singer who died in 2005. The song samples Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s “If This World Were Mine.”

Producer Sounwave and Lamar both use their speeches to pay their respects to Vandross, recalling his musical influence. Lamar says his estate insisted they not swear on the song, so they didn’t.

SZA also takes the opportunity to urge fans not to give in to despair.

After all that, Trevor Noah notes: “I love live TV.”

Cher delivers an entertaining speech after winning the Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I knew what I wanted to be when I was 5 years old, and I was famous at 19,” she says. “I thought I had it made, and it didn’t occur to me how tough my life would be… I was either on the top or the bottom.”

“The only thing I want you to take away with you, and I’ve been in this business [expletive…], but I want to tell you: Never give up on your dream. If it’s not happening now, it’ll happen soon.”

Lauryn Hill paid soulful tribute to two huge stars who died last year, D’Angelo and Roberta Flack, a performance that included a heart-stopping rendition of Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”.

She was accompanied by an impressive rotating roster of musicians including Raphael Saadiq, Jon Batiste, Lucky Daye, Bilal, Leon Thomas, Lalah Hathaway and October London.

Hill was also joined by her former Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean for Flack’s 1973 version of “Killing Me Softly With His Song”, which segued into their own 1996 version.

Post Malone sang a full-throated version of the Black Sabbath classic “War Pigs” in tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, joined by Andrew Watt, Duff McKagan, Chad Smith and Slash.

During the performance, the cameras cut to Osbourne’s family watching on tearfully:

Tyler, the Creator’s elaborately-staged performance of “Sugar On My Tongue” concludes with him spectacularly blowing up a garage he’d had constructed on the Grammys stage.