On Feb. 1, the 68th Grammy Awards had record breaking award winners, memorable speeches and controversial fashion statements along with a talent-packed group of performers.
Rosé and Bruno Mars started off the night by performing their hit song “APT.” The group performed a hard rock version of the song, adding energy to the room before Kendrick Lamar received the award for Best Rap Album, for “GNX”.
Then Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, commonly referred to as Bad Bunny, won the award for Best Música Urbana Album. During his speech, the Puerto Rican singer made powerful statements about the current administration and the societal views of the world.
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say ICE out. We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans,” Ocasio said.
After each of the nominees for Best New Artist performed, Olivia Dean took home the award. She sang “Man I Need”. Several performances followed, including: Addison Rae, Katseye, Alex Warren, Sombr, Lola Young, The Marías and Leon Thomas III.
During Dean’s speech, she also used the time to speak up about ICE.
“I’m up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant. I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated,” she said.
This year’s Song of the Year winner raised controversy. The category was filled with many popular artists such as Chappel Roan, Doechii, Kendrick Lamar and Sza, Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga. But, Billie Eilish won the award for her 2 year old song “Wildflower.” The song originally came out in 2024 with her album “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” but it was released as a radio single in February 2025, making it eligible for this year’s Grammys.
This makes her the first artist in history to win Song of the Year three times, with her songs “Bad Guy” (2020), “What Was I Made For? (2024) and “Wildflower” (2026).
Eilish’s speech has – so far – been the one to receive the most backlash. During her acceptance, she expressed her negative feelings towards ICE, just like Ocasio and Olivia Dean.
Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said that Eilish should give up the Grammy because of her speech.
“I think Billie Eilish ought to give the Grammy back and probably her mansion, which, I guess, is on stolen land, too,” Schmitt said.
Along with their criticisms of ICE, many artists including Justin Bieber also wore “ICE OUT” pins to the event, showcasing them on the red carpet.
Along with the controversies concerning speeches, there was also backlash over the red carpet and performance fashion. Chappell Roan and Justin Bieber received the most criticism for their revealing outfits, with social media asking why they weren’t kicked out. But, Roan has recently responded to the hate, saying she has had a good laugh about the controversy.
“Giggling because I don’t even think this is THAT outrageous of an outfit. The look’s actually so awesome and weird. I recommend just exercising your free will. It’s really fun and silly,” Roan stated in an Instagram post.
Later in the night, the awards for Best Pop Vocal Album, Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year were announced. The awards went to Lady Gaga for her album “Mayhem”, Lola Young for her song “Messy” and Kendrick Lamar and SZA for their song “Luther”.
Yet, at the very end of the night, the most looked forward to award also went to Bad Bunny. His album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” won Album of the Year, going down in history for the first ever Spanish-sung album to win in that category.
