There’s one Cher joke that has endured over the years: "The only thing left after a nuclear war is cockroaches … and Cher."

It’s a wry reminder of the remarkable longevity, survival and staying power that the GRAMMY-winning singer has achieved in her legendary half-century career. 

First hitting the airwaves in 1964 with husband Sonny Bono, Cher has persevered in a perilous industry, one that long denied female artists autonomy, agency and artistic freedom. Not only has Cher sustained her popularity and relevance, but she has succeeded in most of her extracurricular endeavors of television, film, and fashion. One hundred million records and countless accolades along the way, Cher remains one of the world’s best-selling music artists and among its most timeless.

As a musician, Cher's career is tough to trump — from her Best Dance Recording golden gramophone for the seminal "Believe" to being the only solo artist to have a Billboard No. 1 single in seven consecutive decades. The singer’s fearlessness and tenacity has long resonated with listeners and musicians. The playbook Cher has followed — moving between genres, transforming her public image, launching countless "comebacks" — has been followed by later single-name contemporaries such as Madonna and Beyoncé. 

From donning her infamous bodysuit for "If I Could Turn Back Time" to insisting producers use the Auto-Tuned version of "Believe," Cher’s outspoken backing of herself has become the singer’s trademark attitude. If Cher believes she can, she will. Even her more recent wild and sometimes incoherent tweets reflect the way Cher has always boldly narrated her own story.

Whether through provocation, ingenuity or a complete reinvention, Cher stands as one of modern music’s most trailblazing and transformative female artists. Her career has mirrored the story of popular music — from the birth of rock and roll to the disruptive changes technology offered artists in the new millennium. Despite the odds stacked against her, the singer has continued to offer a powerful story of resilience, returning each decade with a return serve. 

In celebration of her new retrospective album, Forever and upcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, GRAMMY.com charts Cher’s folk-rock beginnings, countless rebirths, and recent dancefloor triumphs. The songbook reveals a pioneering female entertainer whose mantra has always been to sing, create and perform on her own terms — and rebel when the naysayers so no.

A Sonny Romance During "Free Love"

When Cher began her career in the 1960s, she intertwined her solo efforts with  duets featuring her musical and romantic partner, Sonny Bono. In the mid-'60s and through the end of the decade, the pair were an incredibly popular, if not saccharine, presence. In the era of free love, hedonism and rebellion, Sonny and Cher's sweet love songs celebrated sweet romance and monogamy.

A 16-year-old Cher first met Sonny when he was 27 and working as a record producer for Phil Spector. Romance and marriage followed, and the couple began to write and record together. Cher had intense stage fright and insisted that Sonny accompany her for early performances. Their debut 1965 album, Look at Us, was a smash success, hitting No. 1 in America and delivering their signature song "I Got You Babe." (The track was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 2017.) 

Cher’s early career might have been defined by a man but this designation was only short-lived. While performing as Sonny and Cher, the young singer tried writing her own verses. (Sonny recognized her viability as a solo singer and supported his partner.) Cher’s first single, a cover of Bob Dylan’s "All I Really Want to Do," attracted minor chart success, but "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" ushered in her first big hit (and many covers). Other releases dealt with contentious social issues, from divorce on "You Better Sit Down Kids" to "I Feel Something in the Air" on an unwanted pregnancy. 

While Sonny and Cher had fallen out of popularity by the end of the decade due, at least in part, to their ongoing conservatism, Cher's star rose. The singer, long known for her striking features, distinctive voice, and noteworthy sartorial choices, was pitched to the public as a folk-rock singer who was unafraid to share confessional tales on controversial issues. Her appearance was considered radical, confusing and likely exciting more middle-of-the-road audiences with such androgynous looks.

Still, Cher’s own rebelliousness and singularity — namely her contralto voice, which  according to her 1998 memoir The First Time, radio stations confused for the voice of a man — helped shore up a dedicated fan base. As she stepped away from Sonny and throughout her illustrious career, Cher continued to challenge popular views on sexuality and femininity. Cher's rebellion — seen on TV, in fashion circles and through music — soon made her a bold new music star on the rise.

Taking The Provocative Path Forward

Cher the solo artist soon gained a larger audience — to the tune of 30 million weekly viewers. On the primetime television show "The Sonny and Cher Show," Cher exuded performative femininity and daring sex appeal. Shielded by the figurative protection of her marriage, Cher was free to dress provocatively and showcase a more liberal side of her artistry.

Between 1971 and 1974, Cher used costumes, wigs and comedy to perform different female characters (and caricatures) often provoking shock or delight in viewers.  She performed her first No. 1 solo hit, "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," on the show — the rolling, narrative track detailed the prejudice and poverty of travelling gypsies, alluding to Cher’s own impoverished background.

"The Sonny and Cher Show" was not without backstage drama, however. It led to a string of arguments where the singer fought the network censors, including to have her navel exposed on television. "When I was married and doing the ‘Sonny and Cher Show,’ I could get away with all kinds of double entendre stuff, and nobody took it seriously," she wrote in The First Time. "But after my divorce, all that changed."

Sonny, Cher and their child Chaz would appear as a happy family on the show. And while 1974 saw the end of her marriage to Sonny, the year had signs of continuing success. "Dark Lady" (from the album of the same name) hit the top of the charts and became her third No. 1, making Cher the first female artist with the most Billboard number ones at that time. The narrative song paired folk music with pop sensibility to deliver a gritty yet toe-tapping tale of squaring fortunes and exacting revenge. It also was another song in Cher’s growing repertoire that celebrated a woman at the margins, a major theme of Cher’s 1970s output.

Around this time, Cher also released "Half-Breed," a controversial entry in her discography. The song retold the story of a young woman with a white father and a Native American mother, with the singer donning a feathered headdress in the music video and similar clothing for live performances (even as recently as 2018). Cher has no claim to Native American ancestry and many have now criticized her appropriative costumes in live performance. Nevertheless, the divisive song hit No. 1 and helped connect Cher's sound and image with an eclectic mix of class, race and gender identities. 

By the end of the decade, Cher was struggling to continue such formidable success. She released a series of flop albums — I’d Rather Believe in You, Cherished and Prisoner — before making a brief effort at disco, Take Me Home. Despite reportedly not wanting to enter the genre and stick with pop music, the 1979 release's title track had minor success. Whether that success was due to the music itself is debatable; its bold album cover featured Cher, half naked, staring right back at her audience.

The Comeback Queen

By the early 1980s, music had begun to take a backseat for Cher. A Giorgio Moroder produced song from 1980, "Bad Love," went nowhere. An experiment helming a punk band called Black Rose wrapped up only after one year. Another album, this time experimenting with new wave and soft rock, failed to chart. Cher, true to form, reassessed and reinvented, returning to acting. During a five-year hiatus from music, Cher the actor earned significant accolades — including an Academy Award for Moonstruck, a Golden Globe for Silkwood and the Best Actress gong at Cannes for Mask.

Cher emerged from this period as a successful and widely respected actor, soon proving to any skeptics that she was a truly multi-hyphenate artist. Cher’s new credentials as a talented actor did not come without naysayers, especially when musicians — including female artists — were mostly expected to stay in their own lane at the time. 

Cher made what would be one of several (and successful) comebacks, returning to her roots with the 1987 rock album Cher. The genre was a safe gamble, taking on the radio-friendly rock format (aided by the likes of producers Michael Bolton and Jon Bon Jovi it), and delivering the Top 10 cover "I Found Someone." Such success again — after 20 years in the music business — was an early providence of greater things to come. 

What followed in 1989 would attract equal parts public notoriety and critical acclaim. Heart of Stone was another rock foray, featuring the sweet Peter Cetera duet "After All" and forceful rock anthem "Just Like Jesse James." Its greatest and most iconic track, however, remains the Diane Warren-penned pop rock anthem "If I Could Turn Back Time" and its infamous music video.

In the video, Cher — wearing a leather thong sitting astride a cannon — serenades real-life sailors on a naval warship. Few female entertainers at the time were baring all, but Cher was an unapologetic provocateur who knew how to stir up controversy. MTV first banned the video before compromising by playing it only after 9 p.m.;  news outlets and the U.S. Navy went into a frenzy for her outrageous outfit. Risqué or not, Cher continues to don the ensemble that helped underscore her skill at using shock to her advantage. 

Purveyors of Cher’s lore will also recognize the title track "Heart of Stone" as an  autobiographical entry that nods to a string of relationships with younger men (from Tom Cruise to Val Kilmer). While those relationships became intense tabloid fodder, the song's music video stressed Cher’s fearlessness as she stood before a series of blinking televisions broadcasting key moments (and political events) from her career. 

Cher thrived amidst the controversy around her third "comeback" and achieved some of her biggest hits in a decade. This combination galvanized her image as a defiant and brash rock star — now with serious acting creds to boot.

Singing The New (Auto-)Tune

Before there was Believe, Cher released two respectable, if safe, albums: Love Hurts and It’s a Man’s World. The '90s would represent her fourth "comeback" (but who’s counting?). Cher would achieve chart domination by using Auto-Tune, catapulting her to global superstardom again and forever changing the music industry and expectations of an aging pop-rock star.

The decade did start with personal setbacks, including doubts about her film career (after difficulties with 1990's Mermaids) alongside chronic health problems (leading to a string of notorious and much parodied infomercials). Love Hurts delivered a series of middle-of-the-road ballads and covers, including "The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)" and Bonnie Tyler soft rock anthem "Save Up All Your Tears."

It was followed up by clever and inventive It’s a Man’s World, which saw the singer embrace soul songs from male artists associated with the Deep South. Remaking music first popularized by men fulfilled a personal belief of Cher’s: that she could do anything a man could, perhaps even better. Much like her often-quoted response to her mom on needing a rich man for marriage, Cher rebutted by saying she was "a rich man."

The album featured the standout cover "Walking in Memphis" — including a video of Cher impersonating a young aspiring Elvis-esque man — that saw the singer push herself vocally and musically where she hadn’t yet ventured before. Although the song didn’t chart in the U.S., the second breathy single "One by One" gained traction on the dance charts. In it, Cher’s high falsetto broke with her trademark husky register and made for intoxicating listening. Unfortunately, it didn’t fare well commercially, so Warner Brothers suggested she try dance for her next album. 

So begins the story of "Believe" and Cher’s transformative use of Auto-Tune. While the technology was typically used to mask vocal inaccuracies in recordings, Cher employed it for stylistic purposes. Embedding the digitized vocals into an anthemic Eurodance-inspired song about finding inner strength from past heartache helped Cher — in her early 50s, no less — radically revolutionize the music landscape. Soon others were adopting Auto-Tune for their tracks while aging female peers were embracing dance music to reinvigorate their careers. The manipulated sound wasn’t meant to remain on the final version until Cher insisted it stay even when the record label wanted it cut.

Believe was a cohesive, innovative and joyous dance record that once again pushed the singer to new sonic frontiers. Its declarative messages on freedom and self-knowledge ("I need time to move on/ I need love to feel strong") and transformative modern dance sounds exported from Europe (captured on "Strong Enough") took Cher’s career to new and unexpected heights. Soon enough, the album scaled the charts worldwide, hitting No. 4 in the U.S. and No. 7 in the U.K.

"Believe" eventually became the U.K.’s best-selling single ever from a woman, sold 11 million copies worldwide and won Cher the GRAMMY for Best Dance Recording. 

Read More: 10 Ways Cher’s "Believe" Changed Pop Music

Inventing the "Farewell" Tour

Then came her "farewell."

Pegged to promote her 2001 album Living Proof — another entry embracing Auto-Tune and dance music — Cher embarked on the Living Proof: The Farewell Tour that ran for three years. It retrospectively became known as the "first" farewell tour as two more tours would follow, plus a Las Vegas residency in between. The residency's opulence and campiness underlined both Cher’s grandiosity and perseverance; decades in, Cher had a powerful mythology that embodied rule-breaking, brashness and survival.

The Living Proof album itself galvanized Cher’s image as a pop music maker, one that delivered a series of dance song anthems celebrating empowerment and emancipation. "Song for the Lonely," originally a dance song on love, was quickly recut as a heartfelt tribute to the devastation from the September 11 attacks. Legions of fans have since taken comfort in this redemptive upbeat track on overcoming loneliness and loss.

The Farewell Tour may not have been her final farewell, but it did break countless records by its end. Running between 2002–05, the tour had an incredible 325 dates and earned the singer $250 million, soon becoming one of the highest grossing tours of the decade. It was an incredible feat for an older female entertainer on the brink of irrelevance a decade earlier. ("Follow this, bitches!" she regularly told tour audiences.)

Cher may have entertained the idea of a retirement (keeping a low profile between 2005–08) but returned to the spotlight with a long overdue and campish performance in 2010’s Burlesque. The cheesy movie-musical co-starred Christina Aguilera and introduced Cher to a whole new generation, one perhaps not familiar with her diva-ish, outspoken and exaggerated public persona. (A status perhaps most iconically captured on-screen when Cher calls for Aguilera to perform "Wagon Wheel Watusi.") 

Diane Warren also penned a new emotive ballad for the singer, aptly titled "You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me." Another declarative "comeback" track, it proved — vocally and musically — Cher was far from retirement, even at 64. The song attracted yet another Golden Globe Award and was nominated for a GRAMMY, achieving musical acclaim in a musical that has divided critics. 

Capitalizing on the renewed interest, Cher hit the studio for her 25th album. Pulling in other successful artists as collaborators, including Timbaland and Lady Gaga, the dance pop genre came calling again with the release of 2013’s Closer to the Truth. After meeting Gaga at the 2010 VMAs, Cher worked with the singer on the duet, "The Greatest Thing." The track never made it into the final album after an apparent disagreement over the final vocals but a leaked version remains available.

With its Playboy centerfold style cover, Cher reminded the masses of her sex appeal, self-mockery and age-defying talents in her sixties. The song "Woman’s World" was a playful dance-pop chart declaring the importance of female empowerment, sincerely. "I Hope You Find It" saw Cher at a more tender side, offering a rawer ballad that reminded many of her vocal prowess and emotive abilities that were not always seen in her dance music.

Remember, You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Cher

Seven decades into her career, Cher maintains her Midas touch. The diva herself has reminded us that rules, records and conventions (like on aging and gender) are there to be broken — and she remains determined to shatter them.

After an appearance in the Mamma Mia movie sequel, the entertainer again welcomed her dance diva appeal with an album of ABBA covers, Dancing Queen. The 2018 record not only jump-started another world tour for the singer but also saw her garner some of her best critical reviews since Believe. Chart success also achieved with placings of No. 3 in the U.S. and No. 2 in the U.K. 

In 2023, Cher set another music frontier to conquer: the Christmas album. The first single, "DJ Play a Christmas Song," was a pop-dance banger that continued the singer’s record as the only solo artist to secure No. 1 song on a Billboard chart in seven consecutive decades (from the 1960s to the 2020s). 

After more than a half century making music, Cher’s songbook — one that traverses folk rock and disco, R&B, dance and rock, ABBA to holiday music — remains a lesson in ingenuity and perseverance. Cher’s enduring message has remained one about empowerment and rebelling against expectations. 

Throughout, Cher has demonstrated an unparalleled ability to reinvent and persevere. Era after era, decade after decade, Cher has adapted (and mostly thrived) by challenging us to question and rebel against cultural, social and political biases against women, especially in the entertainment industry. 

Through comebacks, farewells and reinventions, Cher remains living proof that it’s possible to succeed by breaking life’s rules — you just need to do it time and time again.

See the full list of winners and nominees from the 2026 Grammys.

Watch highlights and exclusive Grammys content from the 2026 Grammys all year long.

At the 2026 Grammys, winning artists took to the stage with much more than gratitude on their minds. Grammy winners such as Lady Gaga and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Cher supported rising artists, particularly women in the music industry. Kendrick Lamar deflected from his own victories to pay tribute to Luther Vandross, namesake of his Record-Of-The-Year-winning tune, and the hip-hop community at large.

In particular, many artists reacted to the ongoing campaign of deportations and anti-immigrant violence happening across the U.S. Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish and Olivia Dean all spoke movingly in support of immigrants, while many other artists wore "ICE OUT" pins.

Below, revisit some of the most moving acceptance speeches from the 2026 Grammys.

Watch all the 2026 Grammys acceptance speeches in full.

Kendrick Lamar Makes Rap History & Shouts Out The Hip-Hop Community

After dominating the 2025 Grammys with "Not Like Us," Kendrick Lamar took home five Grammys this year and became the rapper with the most Grammy wins ever. After winning three Grammys earlier in the day during the 2026 Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony, the Los Angeles artist won the first Grammy Award of the telecast for Best Rap Album for GNX. With this Grammy win, he topped JAY-Z's 25 wins to snatch the record for most Grammys won by a rapper.

"Every time I tell you this: Hip-hop is gonna always be right here," Lamar said in his Grammy acceptance speech, dedicating his win to the hip-hop movement. "We gonna be in these suits, we gonna be looking good, we gonna be having our folks with us, we're gonna be having the culture with us."

Kendrick also shouted out Clipse, with whom he won Best Rap Performance earlier in the day for their track "Chains & Whips." He would return to the stage once more before the end of the night to take home the Grammy for Record of the Year for his song "luther" with SZA, bringing his career total to 27 Grammy wins.

Bad Bunny Stands Up For Immigrants

Of the many statements made in support of immigrants at the 2026 Grammys, few felt more powerful and resonant than Bad Bunny's, who twice spoke on the issue on the Grammy stage. Accepting the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, the Puerto Rican superstar front-loaded his acceptance speech with a rebuke of the dehumanizing rhetoric faced by immigrants, especially Latin Americans such as himself.

"Before I say thanks to God, I'm gonna say: ICE out," he declared. "We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans."

Later that night, after winning the Grammy for Album of the Year, a visibly shocked and overwhelmed Bad Bunny returned to the stage to deliver another Grammy acceptance speech, though this time mostly in Spanish. It was an appropriate move considering the history-making album is the first non-English-language album to ever win the Grammy for Album Of The Year. But given his stunned reaction, Bad Bunny may have just been too emotional to so quickly translate most of his thoughts. But in a fitting move, he dedicated his Grammy win to "all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams."

Olivia Dean Tearfully Takes Best New Artist

"I never imagined I'd be up here, let alone nominated," Olivia Dean said as she tearfully accepted the Grammy for Best New Artist. Having just performed her U.K. chart-topping single "Man I Need" on the Grammy stage, the British singer used her platform to speak out in support of immigrants, including her own grandmother, who immigrated to the U.K. from Guyana as part of the Windrush generation.

"I'm up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant," Dean said. "I'm a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated."

Lady Gaga Supports Women In Music

As well-known as she is for awards-show spectacles – Remember the meat dress? – Lady Gaga kept things (mostly) low-key and earnest. Following a dynamic performance of "Abracadabra," she returned to the stage to accept the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album for MAYHEM.

Thanking her fiancé, Michael Polansky, and her collaborators, including Cirkut, who won the Grammy for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical winner, and Gessaffelstein, the latter of whom won the Grammy for Best Remixed Recording for his remix of "Abracadabra," Lady Gaga offered some encouraging words for women in the music industry.

"When you're in the studio with a bunch of guys, it can be hard," she said. "Always listen to yourself and always fight for your ideas, fight for your songs, fight for yourself as a producer."

"Abracadabra" also won the Grammy for Best Dance Pop Recording, bringing her total career Grammy wins to 16.

Lola Young Swears She Didn't Expect Grammy Win

Though Lola Young certainly had stiff competition in the Best Pop Solo Performance Category, including veterans such as Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, nobody was more shocked at her Grammy win in than Young herself. The singer, also nominated for Best New Artist, had just wrapped an emotional piano rendition of her track "Messy" earlier in the evening, one of her first live performances in four months following a health scare.

"I don't have any speech prepared," a visibly shocked Young said. "I don't know what to say. Thank you so much!" Utterly overwhelmed and searching for words, Young dropped a few less-than-TV-appropriate words before thanking her friends and mother and fleeing the stage while in a state of pure ecstasy.

Billie Eilish Gets Serious During Song Of The Year Speech

Winning the Grammy for Song of the Year for "WILDFLOWER," her 10th Grammy, didn't seem to weigh heavily on Billie Eilish's mind as she took the stage to accept the award. Flanked by her brother and creative partner FINNEAS, both wearing "ICE OUT" pins, as were many of the other attendees, the pop star weighed in on the current anti-immigration policies being carried out in the U.S.

"No one is illegal on stolen land," Eilish said. "It's just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now … I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter."

The more serious tone of the speech contrasted with Eilish's previous wins, but it felt more than appropriate given the current climate.

Cher's Audacious Return To The Grammy Stage

Cher is always a class act. With dozens of hits across a decades-spanning career, she earned the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award deservedly. Her acceptance speech on the Grammy stage quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the night.

First, she gave a stirring speech reflecting on her storied yet tumultuous time in show business. "I was famous at 19 and had a top-rated show in my 20s, actually, but it didn't occur to me how rough my career was going to be," she said. "I was either a loser or winning an Oscar. I'm sure a lot of you in the audience know what I'm talking about."

Cher also reflected on her stint in the "elephant graveyard" of Las Vegas in the '80s and her pioneering use of AutoTune on her Grammy-winning hit single "Believe." She closed out her speech by encouraging the audience: "Never give up on your dream, no matter what happens. Live it, be it, and if it's not happening now, it will happen soon."

Then things got a little bit … whacky. Apparently unclear that she would be presenting the Grammy for Record of the Year, the singer nearly walked off the stage before the crowd and host Trevor Noah coaxed her back. Then she mistakenly declared the late Luther Vandross the winner, in reference to the winning song, "luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA. Oh Cher, don't you ever change!

Jelly Roll Goes Full Country Music

Jelly Roll had already won two Grammys earlier in the day for collaborations with Brandon Lake and Shaboozey, but it wasn't until the evening that he got to ascend the Grammy stage solo. Winning the Grammy for Best Contemporary Country Album for Beautifully Broken, he made his acceptance speech into a sort of country song in its own right, thanking his wife, referencing his Christian faith, and describing the troubles that led him to turn to music.

"I didn't think I had a chance, y'all," he said. "There were days that I thought the darkest things. I was a horrible human … There was a moment in my life that all I had was a Bible this big and a radio the same size and a six-by-eight-foot cell. And I believed that those two things could change my life."

The singer wrapped his speech by once again invoking religion: "Jesus is for everybody. Jesus is not owned by one political party. Jesus is not owned by no music label."

"luther" Wins Record of the Year

Cher may have been a bit off when she confidently misread that the Grammy for Record of the Year was going to "Luther Vandross." But the actual winners, Kendrick Lamar and SZA, made it clear that their chart-topping tune "luther" was a spiritual victory for the legendary R&B star who inspired the song, which prominently samples Vandross' and Cheryl Lynn's 1982 cover of "If This World Were Mine."

"First and foremost, let's give a shout-out to the late, great Luther Vandross," co-producer Sounwave began. "It was very, very, very important to keep the integrity of his record."

Lamar echoed the sentiment. "It's one of my favorite artists of all time, and they granted us the privilege to do our version of it. When we got that clearance, I promise you we damn near all dropped a tear.

"Being able to put our vocals on it, it proves that we were somewhat worthy to be just as great as them individuals," he continued. "They granted us that. They said, 'No cursing,' though."

Finally, SZA struck a note of hopefulness at the end of the speeches. "I know that right now is a scary time. I know the algorithms tell us that it's so scary, and all is lost," she said. "We can go on. We need each other. We need to trust each other and trust ourselves, trust your heart. We're not governed by the government, we're governed by God."

This Grammy win for "luther" puts Lamar in elite territory as a back-to-back Record Of The Year Grammy winner, joining fellow winners like Billie Eilish, U2, and the late Roberta Flack, the latter of whom was tributed in the annual In Memoriam celebration led by Ms. Lauryn Hill earlier in the ceremony.

See the full list of winners and nominees from the 2026 Grammys.

Watch highlights and exclusive Grammys content from the 2026 Grammys all year long.

The Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards Ceremony celebrating the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical Grammy Award recipients will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, during Grammy Week 2026, on the night before the 2026 Grammys. Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan, Cher, Fela Kuti, Paul Simon, and Whitney Houston are the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award honorees; Bernie Taupin, Eddie Palmieri and Sylvia Rhone are the Trustees Award honorees; and John Chowning is the Technical Grammy Award honoree. The official Grammy Week event will celebrate the honorees' outstanding contributions to the recording field.

"It's a true honor to recognize this year's Special Merit Award recipients — an extraordinary group whose influence spans generations, genres and the very foundation of modern music," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said. "Each of these honorees has made a profound and lasting impact, and we look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements on the eve of Grammy Sunday."

Grammy Week is the Recording Academy's weeklong celebration comprising official Grammy Week events celebrating the music community and current Grammy nominees in the lead-up to the annual Grammy Awards. Grammy Week 2026 culminates with the 2026 Grammys, which take place live Sunday, Feb. 1, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The 2026 Grammys will broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+ at 5-8:30 p.m. PT/8-11:30 p.m. ET. Hours ahead of the live telecast, the 2026 Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on live.grammy.com and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel.

Learn more about the 2026 Special Merit Awards honorees below.

Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees: This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy's National Trustees to performers+ who, during their lifetime, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. See past recipients here. (+through 1972, recipients included non-performers).

• For over five decades, Carlos Santana has been a pioneering force in music, fusing Afro-Latin, blues, rock, and jazz into a sound that transcends genre, culture and generation. A 10-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy winner, he made history with Supernatural in 1999, earning eight Grammys in a single night. He is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a Kennedy Center Honoree, and a recipient of Billboard's Century and Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Awards. Rolling Stone ranks him No. 11 on its "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list. Santana recently marked the 50th anniversaries of his groundbreaking album Abraxas and his iconic Woodstock performance, as well as 25 years of Supernatural. His latest album Sentient features collaborations with Cindy Blackman Santana, Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, and more. The feature documentary CARLOS, produced by Sony Music Entertainment and Imagine Documentaries, premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival and is now streaming globally. His Las Vegas residency at House of Blues, now in its 14th year, continues to thrill audiences. His newest release, Carlos Santana: Love, Devotion, Surrender (Insight Editions, 2025), is a visual journey through five decades of artistry.

• Chaka Khan is one of the most transformative vocal artists of the last five decades, a 10-time Grammy winner, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee (2023) and a creative innovator whose influence reaches across pop, R&B, jazz, rock, country, gospel, dance, classical, indie, and beyond.  She has collaborated with more artists, across more genres, than any other singer in history, with admirers and creative partners ranging from Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, Prince, Sia, Stevie Wonder, and Whitney Houston. The Chaka Khan Foundation champions wellness, emotional resilience and creative empowerment bringing meditation, music and healing practices to women, youth and system-impacted communities worldwide. What began as a local organization has grown into a global movement for hope, dignity and transformation. She is a trailblazer, storyteller and the voice of power and freedom for many generations. Her live performances are nothing short of electrifying. Chaka Khan remains a living force in music – an artist whose work and life continue to inspire, elevate and redefine what is possible.

• For nearly 50 years, Cher has remained one of the world's most enduring entertainers, with a career spanning music, film and television. The only artist with No. 1 hits in six consecutive decades, she is an Academy Award, Grammy, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner whose influence has shaped pop culture and fashion worldwide. Rising to fame with the groundbreaking hit "I Got You Babe," she went on to achieve solo chart-toppers like "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves," "Half-Breed" and "If I Could Turn Back Time," before redefining dance-pop with the Grammy-winning "Believe," one of the best-selling singles in history. On television, she became a trailblazer with The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and The Cher Show, cementing her status as a dynamic and innovative performer. As an actress, Cher earned acclaim in films such as Silkwood, Mask and Moonstruck, the latter earning her an Oscar for Best Actress. Her record-setting world tours and landmark Las Vegas residency have drawn millions of fans, while her documentaries, television work and humanitarian efforts continue to expand her legacy. Still evolving creatively, she remains one of the most influential performers of all time.

• Fela Kuti^ was a Nigerian musician, producer, arranger, political radical, outlaw, and the father of Afrobeat. In the 1960s, he created the genre by combining funk, jazz, salsa, calypso, and a blend of traditional Nigerian rhythms. A titanic sociopolitical voice, Afrobeat's revolutionary politics brought Fela into violent conflict with successive Nigerian military regimes, which made many attempts to suppress him and once sent in the army to burn down his communal home, Kalakuta Republic. Fela's mother later died as a result of the raid. Fela's influence and catalog of music have been widely celebrated and explored, including the podcast series Fela Kuti: Fear No Man (the New Yorker's No. 1 Podcast of 2025), and the Tony Award-winning Broadway run of Fela! The Musical from 2008-2010. Fela's influence spans generations, inspiring artists such as Beyoncé, Paul McCartney and Thom Yorke, and shaping modern Nigerian Afrobeats. His legacy lives on through his family: His sons, Femi Kuti and Seun Kuti, lead The Positive Force and Egypt 80, respectively, while his daughter, Yeni Kuti, and son, Kunle Kuti, are the keepers of the Kalakuta Museum and the New Afrika Shrine. An annual celebration in his honor, Felabration, takes place in Lagos and around the world each October.

• Songwriter, recording artist, performer, and philanthropist Paul Simon has shaped the sound of modern music across seven decades with classics like "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "The Sound of Silence" and his album Graceland. Widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, he has earned 16 Grammy Awards, three for Album Of The Year, and holds a rare place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a two-time inductee. His accolades also include the Kennedy Center Honors, the inaugural Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the Polar Music Prize, and the Smithsonian's Great Americans Medal. In 2023, Simon released his seven-movement masterwork Seven Psalms, earning his 36th Grammy nomination and inspiring the documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon. Despite significant hearing loss during its creation, he returned to the stage with his 2025 Quiet Celebration Tour, met with widespread acclaim. A devoted humanitarian, Simon co-founded the Children's Health Fund, supports global conservation efforts and has raised millions for education, arts and public health, extending his influence far beyond music.

• Whitney Houston^, renowned worldwide as "The Voice," was a record-breaking vocalist whose unparalleled talent and more than 220 million records sold made her one of the most celebrated artists in music history. Born into a dynasty of legendary singers, she rose from performing in New York clubs to signing with Clive Davis in 1983 and releasing her groundbreaking self-titled debut album in 1985, which became the best-selling debut album by a solo artist. Houston made history with seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits and eight consecutive multi-platinum albums, achievements that cemented her status as a generational icon. Her acting debut in The Bodyguard (1992) led to one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time and to her defining recording "I Will Always Love You," the biggest-selling single ever by a female artist. The six-time Grammy winner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 and became the first Black artist with three RIAA Diamond-certified albums. Today, the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation advances her lifelong commitment to uplifting youth, ensuring that her voice, spirit and influence resonate for generations to follow.

Trustees Award Honorees: This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy's National Trustees to individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance+, to the field of recording. See past recipients here (+through 1983, recipients included performers).

• Bernie Taupin is a celebrated lyricist, author and visual artist whose words have shaped some of the most enduring songs in modern music. Best known for his legendary partnership with Elton John, Taupin helped create more than 35 gold and 25 platinum albums, over 30 consecutive U.S. Top 40 hits and one of the best-selling singles of all time, "Candle in the Wind 1997." His achievements have earned him the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, a dozen Ivor Novello Awards, an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and a Commander of the British Empire honor. A best-selling memoirist and a prolific collaborator, Taupin continues to write across genres, most recently contributing to the Grammy-nominated album Who Believes in Angels? and earning an additional Academy Award nomination for "Never Too Late." Beyond music, he is an acclaimed visual artist whose abstract and mixed-media works have been exhibited in prominent galleries and major art fairs worldwide.

• Eddie Palmieri^ was a visionary pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader whose own personal signature took Afro-Caribbean music to new horizons for over seven decades. Born in 1936 in Spanish Harlem to Puerto Rican parents, he began playing piano in childhood and launched his professional career in the 1950s. In 1961, he founded La Perfecta, replacing trumpets with trombones to forge a bold new sound that helped define modern salsa. His landmark 1965 recording Azúcar Pa' Ti, exemplified his groundbreaking works and was inducted into the Library of Congress in 2009. In 1975, Palmieri became the first Latino ever to win the Grammy for his historic recording Sun of Latin Music, eventually earning eight Grammy Awards and two Latin Grammys. He was honored with the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the NEA Jazz Master distinction and induction into Lincoln Center's Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame. Palmieri also enriched film and multimedia. He received an honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of Music and remained a devoted educator at Rutgers University. His legacy endures as a cornerstone of Latin music's evolution.

• Sylvia Rhone is a pioneering music executive whose five-decade career reshaped the recording industry and forged historic pathways for women and people of color. Rising from Harlem, she became the first woman to serve as CEO of a major record label owned by a Fortune 500 company and went on to hold top executive roles across all three major music groups at four companies, including Atlantic Records, Elektra, Motown, and Epic Records, where she was named Chairwoman and CEO in 2019. Rhone expanded the labels' global reach, overseeing career-defining releases across genres — from Travis Scott, Future, En Vogue, Metallica, Björk, and Tracy Chapman to Zara Larsson and Tyla — while playing a vital role in shaping the rise of hip-hop and championing female trailblazers from MC Lyte and Missy Elliott to Nicki Minaj. Her leadership has earned her more than three dozen honors, including the Recording Academy's Global Impact Award, Billboard's Executive of the Year and the City of Hope Spirit of Life Award. Widely regarded as the most influential female executive in music history, Rhone's legacy endures through the artists she empowered, the institutions she reimagined, and the doors she opened for generations to come.

Technical Grammy Award Honorees:  This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Producers & Engineers Wing Advisory Council and Chapter Committees and ratification by the Recording Academy's National Trustees to individuals and/or companies/organizations/institutions who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field. See past recipients here.

• John Chowning is a transformative composer and computer-music innovator whose discovery of frequency modulation (FM) synthesis in 1967 revolutionized electronic sound. After studying with Nadia Boulanger and earning his doctorate at Stanford, he launched the university's early computer-music program and developed the first digital algorithm for surround-sound localization. Stanford's licensing of his FM patent to Yamaha led to the most successful synthesis engine in the history of electronic instruments. A co-founder of Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) in 1974, Chowning helped establish one of the world's leading hubs for computer-music research. Even after retiring in 1996, he continued a teenage interest in exploring reverberant caves. He initiated and assembled experts from relevant disciplines to explore ancient acoustic environments, projects to reconstruct the sound worlds of Peru's Chavín de Huántar, China's Longyou Grotto, and France's prehistoric Chauvet Cave. His honors include election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the French Ordre des Arts et Lettres, multiple honorary doctorates, and the Giga-Hertz Award.

^Denotes posthumous honoree.

Pop icon Cyndi Lauper wrapped up her 68-date Girls Just Want to Have Fun Farewell Tour with two nights at the Hollywood Bowl. The star-studded concerts were captured for the television special "A GRAMMY Salute to Cyndi Lauper: Live from the Hollywood Bowl," which aired on CBS on Oct. 5 and is now streaming on Paramount+.

Every moment with Lauper on screen feels iconic: her first GRAMMY win, recording "We Are the World," immortalizing her handprints on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and even facing the Supreme Court multiple times. The special opens with a rapid montage of these milestones — alongside flashes from her colorful music videos — projected across the Hollywood Bowl shell. Before the festivities kicked off, Cher — who later joined Lauper for her signature hit, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"— introduced viewers to the event they were about to witness. 

Whether you were in L.A. having fun with the two-time GRAMMY winner or are reliving the show from your couch, read on for five takeaways from "A GRAMMY Salute to Cyndi Lauper: Live from the Hollywood Bowl."

She Is As Much About Storytelling As Her Timeless Songs

Lauper may be best known for her songs, but storytelling — in any form — is her true gift. Between numbers, she shared tales drawn from her immigrant family, formative professional experiences, and life-changing moments with friends. After performing "I Drove All Night," she noted that, at the time, there weren’t many songs on the radio with women behind the wheel. 

"To me, it was a power song," she said. "When you can get into a car and go wherever you want — well, jeez, that’s power, ain’t it?" Whatever the subject, Lauper painted a vivid picture through her sincerity and delivery, turning the evening into a kind of one-woman show. 

She’s Got Jokes

Even when Lauper is being dead serious, there’s always an undercurrent of humor to what she says. Throughout the evening, she tossed off one-liners like, "I was a wrestling manager, so I know a few moves. Don’t try me," and launched into full-blown stories. 

Recounting her run-ins with early music executives, she acted out both sides of the exchange: First the exec: "What’s that you’re wearing? Why don’t you just wear jeans and a T-shirt?" Then herself: "Why don’t you shave your head? You’re going to go freakin’ bald anyway." She quickly clarified, "I didn’t actually say that — because, you know, I was working on my people skills." Later, she joked about her family, adding, "My cousin Vinny. Yes, most Italian families have a cousin Vinny."

Once A Fashion Icon, Always A Fashion Icon

Lauper cycled through numerous costume and hairstyle changes over the course of the concert. She opened in a KISS-meets-Mad Max chainmail-esque ensemble with exaggerated shoulders and hips, paired with a natural-looking curly wig that shifted from silver to lavender, blue, and green under the lights. Later, she appeared in an asymmetrically zipped white jacket with a long, expressive train, which doubled as a projection screen for a moving car during "I Drove All Night." She next donned a smock-like top with half a black lace bustier sewn onto the front, crediting "Project Runway" winner Geoffrey Mac for these designs. 

Then came a full transformation: a red jacket with yellow plumes and a neon yellow wig. "I opted not to wear a T-shirt and jeans," she quipped, before name-checking another "Project Runway" alum, designer extraordinaire Christian Siriano, for the rest of her looks. In one of the evening’s most theatrical moments, she changed onstage ("without any of you seeing something you cannot possibly forget") emerging in a sleek, broad-shouldered black blazer. Finally, she removed her neon wig, revealing a simple black wig cap, and somehow looked even more commanding.

She Showcased 40 Years of Musical Friendships

After decades in the industry, Lauper has some notable friends, and a wide cross-section took part in these performances. Micky Guyton sang on "Who Let in the Rain," while John Legend stepped in partway through "Time After Time," wearing a floor-length sparkly black Tom Ford jacket. The two were lit by a sea of phone lights, including those held by Lauper and Legend. 

John Wesley Rogers, Lauper’s opening act on select dates, performed "Money Changes Everything," which featured some playful faux wrestling with Lauper. Angélique Kidjo and Trombone Shorty contributed to "Iko Iko," with Shorty returning later to play on Joni Mitchell’s "Carey."

During the encore, SZA teamed up with Lauper for "True Colors," ending with the pair flying an LGBTQ flag. Dressed in matching Yayoi Kusama–inspired red polka-dot coats, which matched the projections, Lauper closed the night with Cher on "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," tweaking the lyrics to say, "Girls just want to have fundamental rights." 

An unexpected surprise came in the form of Corey Feldman and Martha Plimpton in the audience, who were featured on camera during "The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough," the song Lauper contributed to The Goonies, in which Feldman and Plimpton starred. The moment felt especially personal when Lauper recalled seeing them as children.

She Plays Unexpected Instruments

Lauper’s strengths lie in her voice, but she shared a story about getting her first guitar — on which she could only play one song — and how she was influenced by a folk singer known for unusual tunings, before eventually turning to Joni Mitchell center stage. 

She didn’t play guitar during the evening, but she did wield a mean recorder on "She Bop." And on "Iko Iko" and her cover of Mitchell’s "Carey," she played a washboard, wearing it like yet another one of her impossibly distinctive, costume-like accessories.

This article was originally published on Aug. 26, 2022 and was updated to reflect 2025 anniversaries.

Every song in Selena's catalog, from the well-known anthems to the B-sides and covers, have resonated with fans in different ways. The late star — who was tragically killed in 1995 at just 23 years old —tackled multiple genres in her lifetime without losing the spark that has made her an enduring light in the Latinx community.

Though Selena's career was sadly short-lived, her music continued to touch hearts around world, especially through the English-language songs that were planned for her pop crossover. Among them is the posthumous single "Dreaming of You" and album of the same name (the latter of which was released in July 1995). Even in her wake, Selena has become the face of mainstream Latinx representation in the U.S. and beyond.

"We've always said it has to do a lot with her personality — not just the music alone," Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. told GRAMMY.com in 2022, when a new remix album titled Moonchild Remixes was released. "Selena had a beautiful personality. She was a beautiful person that people fell in love with and they still love her."

Born Selena Quintanilla Pérez, she started out in a family band in the '80s with her sister Suzette on drums and brother A.B. Quintanilla III on bass guitar. As fourth generation Mexican-Americans in Texas, their pop-leaning, Top-40-influenced spin on regional Mexican music created a fresh kind of Tejano music. Throughout the '90s, Selena's colorful style of Tejano music helped the local genre go international with hits like "Como La Flor," "Amor Prohibido" and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom."

Selena's success was transcending genre as she was becoming an all-around Latin pop star. In 1994, she became the first Tejano artist to win Best Mexican-American Album at the GRAMMY Awards for Selena Live!, and she logged eight Top 10 hits on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart during her lifetime.

"[The fans] are wanting to be like her. They're looking up to her. Not just as an artist, but because she was an amazing person as well — and a great role model for Latinos," Selena's sister Suzette adds. "She's still very much relevant in this music industry and dear to a lot of people."

Below, take a look at Selena's legacy in songs — from the hits to the deep cuts to Moonchild Mixes.

Listen to GRAMMY.com's official Songbook: Selena playlist on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Pandora. Playlist powered by GRAMMY U.

The Hits

"Como La Flor"

After steadily growing a fanbase throughout the '80s, Selena landed her first big hit in 1992 with "Como La Flor." A standout from her Entre Mi Mundo album, "Como La Flor" blends cumbia beats with influences of reggae and Latin pop music. Backed by colorful production, Selena wishes her ex-lover all the best after their love wilted like a flower. The heartbreaking track became a staple in her concerts, sounding even better live with the haunting intro that she belted out.

"Amor Prohibido"

The title track from the last album that was released in her lifetime, "Amor Prohibido" serves up one of Selena's most powerful vocal performances. It's a story of forbidden lovers, and the will to keep their romance alive against all odds. (As Abraham reveals, the song's origin story stems from his grandmother, who grew up in a Mexican town with two different social societies.) The resilient message of "Amor Prohibido" has resonated with Selena's LGBTQ+ fans and become an anthem for them.

"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom"

"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is one of Selena's most funky songs, with a strong reggae influence that made it stand out from her other tropical-infused tracks. Over a bubbly beat, Selena sings about the sound her heart makes when she's in love. The song also had a rock edge that was new to regional Mexican music at the time, with an electric guitar solo about halfway through the track. The vivaciousness of "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" came to life in its music video, with Selena flashing her unforgettable smile as she dances with a crowd of people.

"Dreaming of You"

In "Dreaming of You," Selena gives a heartfelt performance as she sings about an otherworldly romance. The haunting single was a preview of the pop music that she was working on in 1995, as Selena and her label, Capitol EMI Latin, had plans to release a crossover album later that year. But when her time was tragically cut short in March 1995, the posthumously released album (also titled Dreaming of You) was rounded out with Spanish songs she'd previously recorded as well as remixes of old tracks like "Amor Prohibido." The beautiful ballad became poignant for fans when it was played over the memorial scenes in the 1997 movie Selena that starred Jennifer Lopez.

"Techno Cumbia"

Another song that made an impact after Selena's passing, "Techno Cumbia" has become a club anthem since its release. Selena commanded the dance floor as she encouraged her listeners to move along with her: the Spanish lyrics translate, "Dance, dance, don't stop/ There's no time to rest,"

A.B.'s techno-inspired production on "Techno Cumbia" pushed cumbia forward at the time, and as Suzette explains, the sounds inspired the new Moonchild Mixes album. "You can hear a little bit of that fusion in this new album," she says. "It's a little bit of old school mixed with the future."

The Deep Cuts

"Ya No"

Selena delivered a knockout performance with "Ya No," from her Amor Prohibido album. Backed by electric guitars, she channeled her inner rock star as she let a cheating lover know that his days with her were numbered. Despite lyrically being a kiss-off anthem, its musical inspiration ironically came from Selena's husband, Chris Pérez. "He was a rocker," Abraham explains. "We put him on the guitar and that gave it that rock feel."

"Costumbres"

Mexican music royalty collided with Selena's cover of "Costumbres." For her 1988 album Dulce Amor, Selena sang the heartbreaking ballad that was popularized by Spanish singer Rocío Dúrcal and written by Mexican icon Juan Gabriel. She gave a sweeping performance while adding a new Tejano twist to the track with sparkling synths and a funky keyboard.Though she was only 17 when the song was recorded, Selena's voice already sounded beyond its years with an emotional depth that would mark her later works.

"God's Child (Baila Conmigo)"

While "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" may be a lesser-known song on Selena's Dreaming of You album, it's arguably one of the most experimental in her catalog. She teamed up with Talking Heads frontman David Byrne for the fiery song, which saw Bryne — who also produced the track — blend his rock sound with Selena's flamenco music influences. Trading verses in Spanish and English, both artists invited listeners to join their global dance party.

"I'm Getting Used to You"

From Celine Dion to Lady Gaga, many of pop's biggest stars have worked with legendary songwriter Diane Warren in their careers. Selena was among them when she recorded "I'm Getting Used to You" for her Dreaming of You album. Selena sang from the depth of her soul about a blossoming romance that had her head over heels. The track masterfully blends Latin instrumental touches with slinky pop beats, offering a promising sign of the pop career that Selena sadly never got to live out.

"Dame Un Beso"

Fans got more familiar with Selena's earlier career through Selena: The Series, a two-season Netflix series that ran from 2020-2021. The show focused on her career in the '80s as they were getting Selena y Los Dinos off the ground. The sweet love song reflected the band's Tejano music roots as well as the youthful sound that Selena's dulcet voice brought to life.

Moonchild Mixes

Selena's family revisited her earlier recordings in the Moonchild Mixes album, which features songs she recorded from ages 13 to 16 that have been re-produced by her brother with the latest studio technology. Selena's voice on the recordings have been mastered to sound more mature, like on the lead single, "Como Te Quiero Yo A Ti (Regional Mexican Version)," a dreamy ballad that's backed by a mariachi band. (The song also received a pop version on the album.)

"It's a beautiful song, and with the new music on it, and the enhancement of the voice, I think that the fans will love it," Abraham says. "It gives you a feeling like she went into the studio this morning and recorded this song."

Throughout the rest of the album's 13 tracks, A.B. explores the cumbia music that encompassed Selena's last hits with a fresh pop twist. The enchanting "Enamorada de Ti" — which sees Selena pleading for her lover not to leave her — has sweeping, stadium-ready production. The sweet "Cariño Mio" is transformed into a dance-floor anthem with its blast of cumbia beats. "Corazoncito" is like a successor to "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" with a pulsating, club-inspired beat that mimics the sound of a beating heart. The breathtaking ballad "Dame Tu Amor" is another track with multiple variations on the album, a mariachi mix and a cumbia version.

"[The album is] fused with more modern [sounds]," Suzette says. "We love the way that album came out and the way that there's my fusion of my brother's sound. Definitely you can hear my brother's sound in there."

Selena's family views the Moonchild Mixes album as a way for her longtime fans to have a new way to experience her songs and for the new generation to continue discovering her music. "They're searching for her. They're wanting to know more about her," Suzette Quintanilla adds. "This album is something definitely that they've been wanting and they've been asking for."