Just before releasing her highly anticipated seventh album, Lady Gaga held a secret press conference in New York City. Wearing an asymmetrical black wig, dark shades and a high-necked gothic gown, the singer swept into a room full of fans who had just heard MAYHEM for the first time.

Equal parts demure and mysterious, the 14-time GRAMMY winner sat before a table packed with microphones of all shapes and sizes, ready to take questions from some of her most devoted Little Monsters. "If MAYHEM had a character that you constructed that album for, who would it be?" one lucky fan asked early during the Q&A. And for Gaga, the answer was simple: "The lady you've known for the last 20 years." 

Once the rapturous cheers finally died down, the superstar went on to describe her seventh studio set as an "integration of who I am in real life and who I am on stage, and how I really started to celebrate bringing those two things together… For me, that's my personal mayhem — otherwise known as exercises in chaos."

The concept of multiple Gagas existing at once — that dichotomy between the onstage persona and the Italian girl from New York City named Stefani Germanotta — is further illustrated in the album's cover art, which fittingly refracts the pop star's pensive reflection from the fragments of a shattered mirror.

It can also be seen in the music videos for MAYHEM's pair of pre-release singles, the potently discordant "Disease" and the infectious, hard-charging "Abracadabra." On the former, the artist faces off against multiple iterations of herself — one with bloodshot eyes peering out from behind an intricate leather mask, another chained to a pipe in a quiet suburban neighborhood — over a grimy, industrial beat. On the latter, which Gaga premiered during the 2025 GRAMMYs telecast, the category is "dance or die" as she inhabits dual personas clad in spiky crimson leather and a lacy white ensemble, chanting, "Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na/ Abracadabra, morta-oo-ga-ga."

Nearly two decades into life as pop music's reigning queen of all things highbrow and outrageous, Gaga has referred to the new album as a return to her pop music beginnings — marking a full-circle moment for the artist who strutted onto the international stage as a fully formed superstar in the late 2000s.

Arriving fresh from the underground club circuit of New York City's Lower East Side, Gaga made an unforgettable splash when her debut single, "Just Dance" featuring Colby O'Donis, was released in the spring of 2008. In a matter of months, the hedonistic record had become something of a sleeper hit on the charts, steadily working its way to the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 and establishing the mysterious new pop singer as a talent to watch. 

By the following April, Gaga earned a second No. 1 hit thanks to her sophomore single "Poker Face," and had properly introduced herself to the masses with her landmark debut album, The Fame. With its relentless four-on-the-floor beats and lyrics dripping with sex, glitz, sweat, and artifice, The Fame thrust certified club bangers back into pop music's mainstream, and all over the radio — which is precisely what a young Gaga intended. 

"In America, electro-pop is dirty underground music," she mused to U.K. outlet The Guardian by the time she had topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. "But I am taking it to another level."

The nascent pop sensation, who had taken her stage name from the 1984 Queen hit "Radio Ga Ga," didn't merely sit back and examine the concept of celebrity on her album with a cool remove. Instead, she reveled in the thrill of the chase — whether that meant likening an obsessive relationship to tabloid notoriety on fifth single "Paparazzi," or declaring, "I can't help myself/ I'm addicted to a life of material/ It's some kind of joke/ I'm obsessively opposed to the typical" on the squelching title track.

On The Fame, Gaga was unapologetic about feeling destined for superstardom, and in the press, she was equally clear-eyed about the type of career she was manifesting with her smash debut.

"I don't wanna be one song. I wanna be the next 25 years of pop music," she boldly declared to MTV News just before releasing The Fame in 2008. "But it's really hard to measure that kind of ambition. That kind of blonde ambition is looked at with a raised brow, because most artists don't have longevity today, especially in fun music that's about underwear and pornography and money."

Naturally, both Gaga and her label, Interscope Records, wanted to strike while the iron was red-hot. And thus, The Fame Monster arrived before the end of 2009 — part celebratory reissue, part double album featuring a complete EP of eight additional songs, including gargantuan power ballad "Speechless," the swinging crunch of "Teeth," and an addictive little ditty by the name of "Bad Romance." 

The Fame Monster served as much more than a victory lap for the newly crowned superstar; the new tracks added an undercurrent of shadowy yin to the frothy yang of The Fame. The quartet of singles released from the new EP also continued Gaga's domination on the charts. "Bad Romance," legendary Beyoncé collab "Telephone" and Latin pop earworm "Alejandro" all became Top Five hits on the Hot 100, and each came with the kind of cinematic, high-fashion music video that was key to the pop singer's guiding strategy behind her artistry.

"What has been lost in pop music these days is the combination of the visual and the imagery of the artist, along with the music — and both are just as important," she told MTV News. "I hope [people] will take notice of the interactive, multimedia nature of what I'm trying to do…with my music, it's a party, it's a lifestyle, and it's about making the lifestyle the forefront of the music."

For her full-length follow-up to The Fame, Gaga raised her sights from hitting the dance floor to the greater mission of championing equality. Embracing her newfound role as a culture-defining pop star, Mother Monster kicked off her sophomore album with her very own freedom song titled "Born This Way." 

Infused with strains of '90s house music, the socially conscious anthem — which cemented the singer's status as pop royalty when it became her first single to debut at the top of the Hot 100 in early 2011 — was an inspiring, "paws up" manifesto with a powerful message dedicated to Gaga's massive LGBTQIA+ fan base: "I'm beautiful in my way/ 'Cause God makes no mistakes/ I'm on the right track, baby/ I was born this way."

"I swear to you that I'm in a place right now writing music where there's this urgency to protect and take care of my fans," Gaga said in a 2010 cover story for Rolling Stone. "I love what they stand for. I love who they are. They inspire me to be more confident every day… And they inspire me to keep going."

The rest of the album — also titled Born This Way — only deepened the singer's high-minded message when it arrived in May 2011 on the heels of follow-up singles "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory." 

Speaking to LGBTQIA+ outlet OutFront Magazine, she explained that her vision for Born This Way was "inspired by the spirit of the fans, the spirit of the show and the spirit of people all over the world every night talking to me about social justice…and me realizing that my mission with music was driven in a very specific way to this point. So social justice has to be the most paramount issue that I address on the album."

In addition to giving her beloved Little Monsters a project supercharged with acceptance, empowerment and a sense of community, Born This Way pushed the hitmaker's sound into exciting new territories. She ventured beyond the dance-ready electro-pop that made her famous into realms of stomping country rock (fourth single "Yoü and I," which introduced now-classic personas Jo Calderone and Yüyi the Mermaid in its epic music video), glam metal (fan-favorite deep cut "Electric Chapel") and even offbeat techno tinged with mariachi ("Americano"). 

The studio set also included perhaps the most personal song in Gaga's oeuvre up to that point, thanks to album opener and fifth radio single "Marry The Night" and its deeply autobiographical music video, which remains a favorite among many of her most diehard fans to this day.

What's a superstar to do after seemingly reaching the apex of cultural power and influence in just two albums? Indulge the most avant-garde, off-kilter ideas in her musical psyche, of course. For 2013's Artpop, an album she would later refer to as her "EDM opus," Gaga set her ambitions on another goal of ostentatious proportions: this time, to meld the elite worlds of fine and visual art with pop culture.

"Pop culture was in art, now art's in pop culture in me," she declared with flamboyant pizazz on lead single "Applause." On the serene title track, she cryptically explained, "My Artpop could mean anything."

Gaga's meta commentary on the power of celebrity and art as cultural currency extended beyond Artpop's sometimes opaque lyricism. She commissioned pop artist Jeff Koons to create the album's sculptural cover art depicting her nude form straddling a translucent blue gazing ball, and cast Andy Cohen, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and YouTuber SkyDoesMinecraft in the high-concept "Artpop Film" for third single "G.U.Y.," which was filmed in part at the historic Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. Gaga even created an entire auxiliary social media app that would bring "ARTculture into POP in a reverse Warholian expedition" and explore "Gaga's existence as a cultural interface" in conversation with the album.

However, even after debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and becoming one of the highest-selling albums of the year with a reported 258,000 copies sold in its first week, Artpop failed to reach the commercial and critical heights of its predecessors. During its roll-out, Gaga had even teased the possibility of Artpop (Act II), a sequel album that would feature even more out-of-the-box songs than sonic experiments like "Aura" and "MANiCURE," but the project never materialized and has since reached mythic status among the fandom. 

Speaking to Harper's Bazaar nearly six months after Artpop's release, Gaga acknowledged that some people simply didn't get the album or her artistic vision for it. "Whether critics realize it or not, they've been in a very long argument since my public birth," she said. "'Is it right or is it wrong?' This was the intention of those twisted nursery rhyme, I-aim-to-confuse-you verses in my song 'Applause.'

"The conversation is still happening because they don't know what to think. They're still scratching their heads," the star continued. "This grappling is my art form — and it's powerful, because whether they like it or not, they're still talking."

Though #JusticeforArtpop would eventually become a passionate refrain among her most loyal Little Monsters in the years that followed, Gaga also admitted that the initial reception to her third album took a devastating toll on her mental health and self-confidence. "I became very depressed at the end of 2013," she told the magazine. "I was exhausted fighting people off. I couldn't even feel my own heartbeat. I was angry, cynical and had this deep sadness like an anchor dragging everywhere I go."

Soon enough, however, Gaga would pull her out of her spiral with help from a dear friend: none other than Tony Bennett. The treasured crooner had tapped the younger star during the Born This Way era to duet on "The Lady Is A Tramp" for his 2011 album Duets: The Great Performances, and after Artpop, the pair teamed up once again for their joint 2014 LP Cheek to Cheek.

Featuring faithfully jazzy covers of American Songbook standards like "Anything Goes," "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" and "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," the album showed off Gaga's sparkling chemistry with Bennett and earned the pair a GRAMMY for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Around the same time, Gaga showed off her acting bonafides with a starring role as The Countess on "American Horror Story: Hotel," which would win the multi-hyphenate her first Golden Globe, for Best Actress — Miniseries or Television Film. 

Read More: Run The World: How Lady Gaga Changed The Music Industry With Dance-Pop & Unapologetic Feminism

By 2016, Gaga was ready to return to her first love, and this time she had an even more personal story to tell through the music. For her fourth solo album, the New York City native found inspiration in the life of Joanne Stefani Germanotta, her father's elder sister who had passed away at the age of 19 due to complications from lupus.

Though the singer never met her aunt (and namesake), Joanne's legacy loomed large in her family's memory and identity. "I had to write about Joanne," Gaga told Apple Music's Zane Lowe, "because it's the single most important event in my family's life, and it's the thing that has made me who I am today."

To hone in on the sound of the reverently titled Joanne, Gaga recruited Mark Ronson and BloodPop to help helm the album's production, stripped her songwriting of pretense and made a conscious return to the passion she'd discovered for music as a child. The result became a body of work built on a foundation of Americana style, soft rock guitars and pure, country storytelling — complete with the baby pink cowboy hat that became an indelibly tied to her image during the era. 

Ballads like "Million Reasons" and the angelic title track laid out Gaga's songwriting at its most raw and vulnerable. But that's not to say Joanne was necessarily an acoustic album by nature. Lead single "Perfect Illusion" was a head-banging, shapeshifting tour de force, while highlights like "John Wayne" and "Diamond Heart" were, at turns, wildly rabid and joyfully festival-ready in their production and delivery. As a whole, Joanne showed the world an entirely new, intensely intimate side to a superstar who'd initially built her persona on the shock value of meat dresses and daring hooks about taking "a ride on your disco stick."

"I think the sentiments and the stories in the album don't have any makeup on — there's no filter," she added in her Apple Music sit-down ahead of Joanne's release. "This record goes right for the gut. And vocally, lyrically, I am trying to tap into vibrations that make you feel like I'm giving you a giant hug in a way, or giving you a release. A place to rage. Or to feel healed. To close your eyes and listen."

To immortalize Joanne's creation, the singer also let cameras into her life for the 2017 Netflix documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two, which captured not only the recording process behind the LP, but also Gaga's preparations to headline the Super Bowl LI halftime show in February 2017. 

In addition, the film gave Little Monsters profound insight into Gaga's evolution over the years, whether she was reflecting on her early days in the spotlight ("If I'm gonna be sexy on the VMAs and sing about the paparazzi, I'm gonna do it while I'm bleeding to death and reminding you of what fame did to Marilyn Monroe"); bouncing back from professional low points ("If you look at me during Artpop, and then now, I think I'm doing better. I'm just a woman struggling now instead of a girl"); or vowing to take ownership of her career like she never had before ("I want to become a woman in this business and grow up").

Joanne also served as a natural step towards the next major high point in Gaga's career: starring in the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born. Playing fictional singer Ally Campana opposite Bradley Cooper's Jackson Maine, the real-life pop star blew audiences away on songs like GRAMMY-winning centerpiece "Shallow" and Song Of The Year-nominated "Always Remember Us This Way," and she became the first woman to win an Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and GRAMMY in a single year during the 2019 awards season.

Following her award-winning turn on the silver screen, Gaga was finally ready to return to the studio — and the dance floor — for 2020's colorful and connective Chromatica. 

Released in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the singer's fifth solo effort was a vital light in the darkness for Little Monsters around the globe. Lead single "Stupid Love" turned into a much-needed rallying cry for kindness and compassion for a world in crisis and sophomore single "Rain On Me" with Ariana Grande became Gaga's fifth career No. 1 hit on the Hot 100.

Although fans weren't able to gather or experience the album's unveiling communally, Chromatica became a clubby, house music-soaked state of mind. The LP managed to unite listeners online despite the isolation, uncertainty and fear that gripped the globe at the time — and, in turn, became her fourth consecutive album to bow atop the Billboard 200.

Presented in an orchestral, three-act structure, Chromatica also gave Gaga space and freedom to address a number of traumas, mental health struggles and personal demons that had grown into paralyzing obstacles in the years since Joanne. 

"Honestly, I just totally gave up on myself. I hated being famous, I hated being a star. I felt exhausted and used up," she admitted in a masked and socially distanced sit-down for CBS Sunday Morning in September 2020. 'My biggest enemy is Lady Gaga,' that's what I was thinking: 'My biggest enemy is her.'"

That internal war was on display most clearly on third single "911," on which Gaga robotically sings, "Turning up emotional faders/ Keep repeating self-hating phrases/ I have heard enough of these voices/ Almost like I have no choice."

But adopting a new, neon pink cyberpunk persona, the superstar found catharsis by immersing herself in the rhythms and attitudes of '90s house music. "You could physically see dance music healing this person in real time, so it just became obvious very quickly that that's what we had to do," returning producer BloodPop toldRolling Stone of working on the project.

"I don't hate Lady Gaga anymore," Mother Monster was, thankfully, happy to report to CBS Sunday Morning. "I found a way to love myself again, even when I thought that was never gonna happen." And ever conscious of using her music to lift and empower her fans, she wanted Chromatica to offer that same gift to everyone listening.

While the next four years would see fans eagerly clamoring for LG7 amid their queen's various acting and musical endeavors — including another GRAMMY-winning album, a tenth anniversary re-release of Born This Way and another turn on the big screen in Joker: Folie à Deux — the time between Chromatica and its long-awaited follow-up would ultimately help Gaga along her journey of healing and self-love. 

As a result, MAYHEM feels like an altogether different kind of gift that Gaga has given to both her Little Monsters and to herself. Each of the album's 14 tracks represents a different shard of the shattered mirror portrayed on the cover — and only by looking into that artfully assembled reflection can Gaga fully connect every chapter of her past to the artist she is today.

A clear example: whereas an untested Gaga wantonly aspired to fame on her debut, MAYHEM-era Gaga uses knockout album cut "Perfect Celebrity" to illuminate the consequences of seeing that wish fulfilled from the other side of the looking glass. "You love to hate me/ I'm the perfect celebrity," she wails with teeth bared on the chorus, before sneaking in a cunning reference to the album that started it all: "Choke on the fame and hope it gets you high/ Sit in the front row, watch the princess die."

Elsewhere, the singer puts the blatant misogyny and sexism she's experienced throughout her trailblazing career on blast on "Shadow of a Man," an overt Michael Jackson homage she first teased during The Chromatica Ball.

More than anything, though, Gaga simply sounds like she's having a blast across MAYHEM's 53-minute runtime. The irresistible, electric current coursing through "Abracadabra" pulses through the entirety of the album, whether she's getting funky with Gesaffelstein on "Killah," paying tribute to her late "Born This Way" video costar Rick Genest over the delirious disco delights of "Zombieboy," or effortlessly playing the bad girl who makes the good boys bleed on the dreamy "How Bad Do U Want Me."

Shades of the other albums in her catalog are present as well: the vibrant techno-tinged soundscape of "Garden of Eden" resurrecting the spirit of fearless experimentation Gaga blazed on Artpop; the intimate balladry demonstrated so purposefully on Joanne can be felt just under the surface of "Blade Of Grass," a heartfelt glimpse at her relationship with fiancé Michael Polansky (who's listed as an executive producer and co-writer of seven songs alongside Gaga in the credits). 

By the time MAYHEM ends with her GRAMMY-winning Bruno Mars duet, "Die With A Smile," it's clear that the singer's "exercises in chaos" have actually created a beautiful, dark, kaleidoscopic dreamscape of music — one that was only possible by bringing every part of her artistry, and every iteration of Gaga, to the table.

"I did not realize how afraid I was to make this record," the singer confessed just days before MAYHEM's unveiling at the launch of Gaga Radio on SiriusXM. "I think I thought I didn't have it in me, or that the kind of music I started making earlier in my career was something that I'd left behind.

"But," she concluded, "I realize that all of that stuff is still in me. And it will never not be because… that music made me who I am."

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.

"I'm so happy to see such a wide variety of voices and styles here," iconic singer/songwriter Carole King said before presenting the Grammy for Song Of The Year during the 2026 Grammys last night. More than ever before, the telecast painted a picture of music as an integrated art form, where every inch of the musical spectrum can coexist harmoniously.

As such, this year's Grammys offered plenty of thrills for all viewers, from the Afro-Caribbean manifesto of Bad Bunny to the post-modern hip-hop of Kendrick Lamar to the pop buoyancy of Sabrina Carpenter.

Here are 10 must-watch moments from one of the most memorable editions of Music's Biggest Night.

Sabrina Carpenter Has a Healthy Sense of Humor — And Impeccable Timing

There's nothing quite like a grand, exuberant musical production to kick off Grammy night, and Sabrina Carpenter delivered that iconic set piece. The pop star pulled out all the stops with a vintage-airport-themed rendition of her smash hit "Manchild," complete with a dozen or more beautifully choreographed dancers and a live dove. The timing of every moment was flawless, and Carpenter — dressed as a pilot in a white outfit with a matching cap — beamed with the infectious charisma of a woman born for this kind of massive pop spectacle. This was the kind of performance that set the perfect tone for the extravaganza of Grammy Sunday and established demand for a real Sabrina Carpenter Airline.

Hip-Hop Continues To Encapsulate The Essence Of Contemporary Culture

Hip-hop occupied a place of honor in this year's edition. Kendrick Lamar won five Grammys, taking him to 27 total Grammy wins and establishing him as the rapper with the most Grammys ever. Tyler, the Creator delivered a spectacular performance, which featured a car crash, an exploding gas station, and a guest appearance by beloved actress Regina King. Clipse, Pharrell Williams and Voices of Fire triple-teamed for a rousing performance of "So Far Ahead," a highlight off their Grammy-nominated album Let God Sort Em Out.

Another unforgettable moment occurred when Pharrell accepted the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award and acknowledged the tremendous influence that both A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, who presented the award, and Dre had on his career. "I've never stopped studying," Williams declared, clearly moved to address both legendary rappers in his acceptance speech.

The Next Wave Of Pop Glitters Even Brighter

Anyone harboring concerns about the future of pop music surely came away from the evening instantly reassured, even just from the medley of performances from the eight nominees in the Best New Artist Category alone. From the brash girl group throwback of KATSEYE's "Gnarly" to the soulful traditionalism of Olivia Dean's "Man I Need," the tactile glam of Addison Rae's "Fame Is A Gun" to the slinky soul of Leon Thomas' "Mutt," the class of 2026 showed an enviable command of multiple styles. And in her acceptance speech for the Best New Artist Grammy, Dean proved unafraid to step into a big moment, showing impressive poise and seizing the moment to underscore that she is the granddaughter of an immigrant and to encourage peace and community.

Justin Bieber Reveals More Of His Vulnerable Side

Justin Bieber performs onstage during the 2026 Grammys on Feb. 1, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California | Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Stripped down to his boxer shorts and socks, Justin Bieber's rendition of the R&B-flavored "YUKON" felt almost like an anti-performance — and also produced one of the evening's most intimate moments. The Canadian superstar performed solo against a bare backdrop, creating loops of electric guitar and digital percussion before performing the song's lyrics with ragged intensity. The effect was hypnotic, and oddly compelling, and the camera's frequent panning to wife Hailey Bieber's adoring attention reaffirmed the deep-seated emotionality.

Music Has The Power To Change Lives

Jelly Roll delivered an acceptance speech for the ages after winning the Best Contemporary Country Album Grammy for the aptly titled Beautifully Broken. Thanking his wife Alisa for helping him to turn his life around, the 41-year-old singer/songwriter admitted that there was a time in his life when he was broken — sitting in a six-by-eight-foot cell with a Bible and a portable radio as his only companions. "I believed that music had the power to change my life, and God had the power to change my life," he said. Clearly, they did.

Lady Gaga Makes Real Magic

Lady Gaga performs onstage during the 2026 Grammys on Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California | Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

It's difficult to categorize "Abracadabra," a meta-electro hit from Lady Gaga's Mayhem that combines imperial Euro-disco grandeur, acid techno, a subterranean dash of alternative rock, and even a bit of Siouxsie and the Banshees. But on the stage, all of those calculations faded away, Gaga reminding us why she's a singular voice in the pop world. The superstar amped up the voltage on a delirious rendition of the song, her birdcage helmet and stark black-and-red dress seemingly straight out of a Terry Gilliam movie. Whether dancing wildly or bending over a synthesizer for an extra helping of distortion, Gaga remains one of dance pop's bravest explorers, and this segment added fire to her own lore.

The Golden Tenets Of Soul And Funk Will Never Go Out Of Style

From Silk Sonic to 24K Magic, retro goodness has always defined Bruno Mars' work. But "I Just Might," the single from his upcoming fourth album, may have just elevated that vintage glory to new heights and produced one of the telecast's most infectious moments. Backed by a red-and-white-clad backing band of sublimely smooth musicians and set against a gigantic glowing heart backdrop, Mars evoked the sparkly visuals of the "Soul Train" era, the vintage spirit of Stax, '70s disco and funk, and the timeless cool of Motown, all while remaining effortlessly himself.

Time May Pass, But The Sounds Remain

Each year feels as if we're mourning more and deeper losses in the music world. Fittingly, this year's In Memoriam segment became a majestic celebration of songs that will remain forever etched in our souls. It began with a lovely take on "Trailblazer" led by Reba McEntire joined by Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson. Post Malone — alongside a rock supergroup featuring Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, Duff McKagan, and Slash — channeled his Ozzy Osbourne power through the anti-war Black Sabbath anthem "War Pigs." Finally, a tribute to the magic of D'Angelo and Roberta Flack starred the inimitable Ms. Lauryn Hill, surrounded by many illustrious guests ranging from Raphael Saadiq and Bilal to Leon Bridges and John Legend, not to mention a Fugees reunion when Wyclef Jean joined in for a breathtaking rendition of "Killing Me Softly."

Bad Bunny Finds Vindication — And Advocates Boricua Pride

With an upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance and six nominations to his name, it was clear that all eyes were on Bad Bunny last night — as they frequently are, considering he's one of the biggest pop stars on the planet today. On Grammy Sunday, his magnum opus Debí Tirar Más Fotos — a masterful love letter to the plena and salsa roots of his native Puerto Rico — became the first all-Spanish-language album to win the Grammy for Album Of The Year since the Category was instituted in 1959. It also became the first album to win the Album Of The Year Category at both the Grammy Awards and the Latin Grammy Awards.

Music Is Political By Nature

At a time when the United States — and, truly, the world at large — is facing immense turmoil, many Grammy winners took the opportunity to use the platform and face the moment. "Ice out," a steely-eyed Bad Bunny said after winning the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album. "We're not savages, we're not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans. We are Americans." Billie Eilish has never been one to shy away from speaking out, and added her own affirmation: "No one is illegal on stolen land," she offered while receiving the Song Of The Year Grammy for "WILDFLOWER." And while accepting the Record Of The Year Grammy for "luther," her track with Kendrick Lamar, SZA offered a rallying cry. "Please don't fall into despair," she pleaded. "We are not governed by the government — we're governed by God." And if the crowd in the Crypto.com Arena is any indication, musicians will continue to have the capacity to bring people together and make real change.

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 has announced three new performers at the 2026 Grammys: Lady Gaga, ROSÉ, and Tyler, The Creator.

Lady Gaga, a 14-time Grammy winner, is nominated for seven Grammy Awards at the 2026 Grammys: Record Of The Year ("Abracadabra"), Album Of The Year (MAYHEM), Song Of The Year ("Abracadabra"), Best Pop Solo Performance ("Disease"), Best Pop Vocal Album (MAYHEM), Best Dance Pop Recording ("Abracadabra"), and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Harlequin).

First-time nominee ROSÉ is nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 2026 Grammys: Record Of The Year ("APT.), Song Of The Year ("APT.") and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance ("APT.").

The two-time Grammy winner Tyler, The Creator is nominated for six Grammy Awards at the 2026 Grammys: Album Of The Year (CHROMAKOPIA), Best Alternative Music Album (DON'T TAP THE GLASS), Best Rap Performance ("Darling, I"), Best Rap Song ("Sticky"), Best Rap Album (CHROMAKOPIA), and Best Album Cover (CHROMAKOPIA).

The full performers lineup at the 2026 Grammys includes:

• Current Best New Artist Grammy nominees Addison Rae, Alex Warren, KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, SOMBR, and The Marías, who are performing in a special Best New Artist segment

• Bruno Mars, who is currently nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 2026 Grammys

• Clipse and Pharrell Williams, who are currently nominated at the 2026 Grammys for their work on the former's Let God Sort Em Out

• Justin Bieber, who is currently nominated for four Grammy Awards at the 2026 Grammys

• Lady Gaga, who is currently nominated for seven Grammy Awards at the 2026 Grammys

• Ms. Lauryn Hill will perform in honor of D'Angelo and Roberta Flack in the annual In Memoriam tribute at the 2026 Grammys

• Post Malone, Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, Duff McKagan, and Slash will perform a special tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in the annual In Memoriam segment at the 2026 Grammys

• Reba McEntire joined by Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson, who will pay tribute to those we've recently lost in the annual In Memoriam tribute at the 2026 Grammys

• ROSÉ, who is currently nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 2026 Grammys

• Sabrina Carpenter, who is currently nominated for six Grammy Awards at the 2026 Grammys

• Tyler, The Creator, who is currently nominated for six Grammy Awards

See the full list of performers and hosts at the 2026 Grammys to date (updating in real time).

The 2026 Grammys, hosted by Trevor Noah, will broadcast live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+^.

Hours ahead of the live telecast, the 2026 Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony, where the majority of the Grammy Awards of the day are awarded, will stream live from Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. ET on the Recording Academy's YouTube channel and on live.grammy.com.

Learn more about how to watch the 2026 Grammys.

The Grammy Awards are the only peer-recognized accolade in music and are voted on by the Recording Academy's voting membership body of music makers who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers, and engineers.

Fulwell Entertainment is producing the 2026 Grammy Awards for the Recording Academy. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor, Jesse Collins, and Trevor Noah are executive producers.

^Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on-demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live, but will have access to on-demand the day after the episodes airs.

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.

Releasing an album isn’t just about putting a set of songs out into the world.

It’s about sharing a cohesive piece of the artist’s inner world, opening a portal that anyone can enter and discover something completely new. Each LP reveals a depth of creativity and spirit that just doesn’t exist very often in everyday life. For the artist, it’s an act of transformation; for listeners, it’s an invitation into something raw and resonant, the kind of experience that can shift how we feel, how we think, how we live.

The Recording Academy is proud to present the 2026 GRAMMYS nominees for Album Of The Year: Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Clipse, Pusha T and Malice, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Leon Thomas, and Tyler, The Creator. Their eight LPs each brim with unparalleled artistic and technical skill. 

This year’s potential winners include several previous Album Of The Year nominees who have yet to take home the award, as well as a few first time nominees. No matter who takes home the golden gramophone, the winner will be a powerful first. 

Learn more about the nominees below and read the full 2026 GRAMMYS nominations list ahead of Music's Biggest Night on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026.

Bad Bunny — DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS

From his upcoming performance at the Super Bowl halftime show to yet another in a long string of genre-defining and -defying albums, Bad Bunny remains at the center of the pop conversation. With his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, the Puerto Rican megastar returns to the Album Of The Year Category for the first time since 2023's Un Verano Sin Ti was nominated.

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS ("I Should Have Taken More Photos") immediately establishes a new, confident chapter in Bunny’s creative journey. Both a creative reset and a homecoming, this deeply Puerto Rican record holds onto its roots with a depth and sincerity that’s both personal and political.

The 17-track project finds Bad Bunny sounding grounded, reflective, and newly centered, embracing maturity without losing his edge. DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS blends traditional Puerto Rican sounds — salsa, bomba, plena, and early reggaeton — into lush, forward-looking blends thanks in part to trusted collaborators such as MAG, Tainy, and La Pacienca. 

A polychrome, far-reaching set, the album feels intimate even at its most extreme, weaving through love, loss, and cultural memory. But DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is more than diaristic expression; it’s a powerful outward statement and reclamation. Recorded entirely in Puerto Rico with local collaborators, it’s a proud assertion of identity and defiance. And while Bad Bunny has always been a proud proponent of Puerto Rico, its musical traditions and its people, the full-throated bravado and expression of strength on DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS will make it a landmark album for the country for years to come. In returning home, Bad Bunny has crafted his most spiritually and sonically rooted work yet.

Justin Bieber — SWAG

Considering he’s been entrenched in the heart of the music industry for decades, it’s tempting to think of Justin Bieber alongside a tier of aging pop stars — and by that virtue, expect him to be trying out some harebrained reinvention scheme. But in reality, he’s only recently entered his 30s, and the radiant SWAG shows that he’s still in his pop prime.

Bieber’s seventh album glides between genre touchstones without losing footing, a 20-track album equal parts confidence and confession. Featuring the likes of Gunna, Sexyy Red, and Lil B (and production assists from Dijon, Daniel Caesar, Mk.gee, and longtime collaborator Eddie Benjamin), SWAG leans into the the titular energy of hip-hop without sacrificing soul. 

Throughout the mix, Bieber’s voice remains the anchor, tender when it needs to be, silky when it wants to be, and always unmistakably Biebs. Whether touching on smooth R&B, glossy pop, gospel, or even new jack swing, those vocals keep things distinctly warm and human. Tracks like "Go Baby," "Devotion" and "Yukon" are lived-in love songs that transcend cliche and shimmer with emotional clarity. Elsewhere, he plays with texture and tempo, balancing romantic sincerity with the playful energy that first made him a star.

This is Bieber's third nomination for Album Of The Year, with 2022's Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) his most recent run at the award. And where that record buoyed and bopped, SWAG has a smoother confidence, the work of someone at peace with their talent and looking to see where it might go next. To that end, the album represents a truly personal reset: it’s Bieber’s first since parting ways with former manager/guru Scooter Braun and his first as a new father. 

About a decade and a half since his GRAMMYS debut, Bieber continues to reinvent what pop stardom looks and sounds like. SWAG proves that sometimes evolution comes down to discovering the confidence to sound exactly like yourself.

Sabrina Carpenter — Man’s Best Friend

After conquering pop with Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter is already back for another bite. Less than a year after her GRAMMY-winning breakout, the former child star dropped Man’s Best Friend — a sharp, cheeky and emotionally unguarded follow-up that proves lightning can strike twice.

Some stars may have ridden the pop high of Short ‘n Sweet for years, so when Carpenter announced her followup it came as quite the shock. But considering the whirlwind year that accompanied its predecessor, it’s no surprise that the singer decided she had enough inspiration for new material. And despite being inspired by the hectic energy of celebrity life and a public breakup, Man’s Best Friend features an effortless energy that pulses through every synth shimmer and sly one-liner. "I felt so at ease making Man’s Best Friend," she told fans in an email about the record. "This one felt like riding a bike." 

Reuniting with writer/producers Jack Antonoff, Amy Allen and John Ryan, Carpenter leans into her signature blend of flirtation and finesse. Across 12 tracks, she unpacks her emotional core with the wit of someone who’s survived love and loss and then tried again. Whether in disco dreamscape, country-pop catharsis or neon pop glow, Man’s Best Friend carries the authenticity, easy charm, and fluid energy of its creator.

The LP carries the sass and sparkle of Short n’ Sweet but balances it with a deepened vulnerability, Carpenter exploring her soft spots without losing her bite. But even at her most vulnerable, there’s always room for a punchline or jab; Carpenter remains delightfully, defiantly herself. With Man’s Best Friend, Carpenter is cementing her place as one of pop’s sharpest tongues: sassy, self-aware, and entirely unstoppable.

Clipse, Pusha T & Malice — Let God Sort Em Out

A lot has happened in the eighteen years since Clipse’s last album, but not the steely intensity of Pusha T and Malice. The brothers’ new album, Let God Sort Em Out, isn’t a reunion tour, it’s a fiery exclamation point reinforcing their place as rap royalty.

Nearly two decades after Til the Casket Drops, Clipse returned to their throne, supported once again by longtime collaborator Pharrell Williams. The result is an uncompromising masterclass that reasserts Clipse’s dominance while peeling back the mask on fame, faith and grief.

Over Pharrell’s stripped-down, diamond-edged production, Clipse show no sign of rust or reunion cash-grab laziness. The album opens with a gut-punch meditation on the loss of their parents and explodes outward, building from a confessional platform to the coke rap bravado that made them legends. 

From there, it’s all fire and precision, Pusha and Malice delivering bars with iron fists while Pharrell balances Hell Hath No Fury minimalism with his trademark cinematic flair. Not to mention, the guest list is absolutely stacked, with spots from John Legend, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, The-Dream, and Tyler, The Creator, among others

Let God Sort Em Out proves no one delivers truths quite like Clipse. An Album Of The Year GRAMMYS nomination further establishes their status as one of rap's most incisive acts.

Lady Gaga — MAYHEM

Seven official studio records in, Lady Gaga is still finding ways to bring massive ideas and expression into the pop sphere. Yet MAYHEM works in a controlled chaos unlike anything else in Gaga's catalog. With four Album Of The Year nominations under her belt, the Little Monsters are hoping that MAYHEM will add to her impressive 14 GRAMMYS wins.

MAYHEM shows Gaga deftly wrangling sonic chaos that would fell a lesser artist: She maintains a strong hold on her pop roots, while incorporating dance-floor and disco experimentation of her previous releases. She added that the record is an "integration of who I am in real life and who I am on stage, and how I really started to celebrate bringing those two things together." Rather than characters, MAYHEM feels like a team of Gagas inhabiting the same space, each true and tied to her heart while retaining the frenetic energy of her performative style. The fashion choices surrounding MAYHEM reflected Gaga's harnessing of her varied parts, with the usually color-blasted pop star donning asymmetrical black.

MAYHEM is also a showcase of Gaga’s collaborative alchemy. Her fiancé, Michael Polansky, is listed as an executive producer, while high-profile board whisperers like D'Mile, Andrew Watt, and Cirkut join in the fun. Add to that features from Bruno Mars and Gesaffelstein and you get an album that unites past, present, and future across an impressive 53-minute run-time. Balancing intimate balladry, playful provocation, and electrifying theatrics, MAYHEM celebrates every Gaga out there, both within herself and her listeners.

Kendrick Lamar — GNX

Few people in history have had as good a time at the GRAMMYS as Kendrick Lamar did just last year, with "Not Like Us" netting five golden gramophones. That brought his career total to 22. And now with GNX, surprise-released as 2024 drew to a close, Kenny may already be on the way to growing that total.

The followup to the superb Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, GNX takes its name from a car model akin to the one that Lamar's father drove when the rapper was a baby. Equally telling, GNX is the first album released by pgLang, the company Lamar founded, without collaboration from his former label home TDE. All said, GNX moves from the outward-pointing Drake feud energy of "Not Like Us" and back into the soul of its author. 

GNX isn't without its nimble daggers, finding all the right words to cut at competitors and boast of his superiority. And with the old-school swagger, iconic bars, and expressive production, that superiority feels earned. Lamar also brings along a crew of features from around his Compton home, most notably SZA, Roddy Ricch, and Lefty Gunplay. Production comes courtesy of Sounwave, Kamasi Washington, and even Jack Antonoff. Whether pushing g-funk-indebted synths or more Mustard-y string section goodness, GNX is a celebration, a victory lap, a next step forward, and a building block for even greater things to come.

Leon Thomas — MUTT

No one could have scripted the route that took Leon Thomas to this an Album Of The Year nomination. But after years of shining in whatever project he happens to be in — whether on Broadway, kids' sitcoms, animation or music — Leon Thomas fully stepped into the spotlight with MUTT. His second solo album, MUTT is a bold declaration of artistic autonomy.

After a childhood career in Broadway and Nickelodeon, Thomas announced his foray into solo musicianship in 2012, releasing a promising mixtape that also featured former co-star Ariana Grande. In the years that followed, he amassed a catalog of writing and production credits with Freddie Gibbs, Post Malone, Rich the Kid, Jack Harlow, SZA, Drake, and many more. But Thomas deftly tackled transitioning from in-demand producer back to headlining artist, with MUTT's title track dominating charts.

An impressively cohesive and confident record, MUTT is a fusion of jazz, neo-soul, and rock, rooted in Thomas’ lifelong influences: a wide range from Art Blakey and Miles Davis, to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Across 14 tracks, Thomas blends lush instrumentation and stacked vocals to forge a sound that’s both expansive and intimate. More broadly, MUTT represents the artist’s journey of embracing creative control, breaking genre rules, and owning the narrative of his career.

While Thomas entered the year with a GRAMMY under his belt for his work on SZA's "Snooze," the 2026 GRAMMYS could fully ensconce Thomas as a star in his own right as an R&B visionary capable of rich, genre-defying statements.

Tyler, the Creator — Chromakopia

After entering the public consciousness with the reputation of a button-pushing outsider, Tyler, the Creator has truly blossomed into one of the most unique voices in rap — including Best Rap Album wins for both 2019's Igor and 2021's Call Me If You Get Lost. His Album Of The Year nomination for the hypercharged Chromakopia further solidifies Tyler's ascendancy as hip-hop royalty.

Chromakopia is propelled by self-scouring lyricism, with Tyler revealing emotional depths that so many others are afraid to face — let alone expose to the world. It takes a special kind of artist to do a self-diss track, after all. Throughout the album, Tyler, the Creator and Tyler Okonma (his government name) seem to be in fluid conversation, with Tyler's mother, Bonita Smith, offering diaristic narration. A blend of jazz and soul stylings lends an added dimensionality to that exploration, Tyler knowing when to push thoughtful calm and when to ramp up the intensity.

While Tyler naturally remains the center of the conversation, he brings together an impressive guest list including GloRilla, Doechii, Lil Wayne, Schoolboy Q, and Sexxy Red. Tyler masterfully brings those big personalities together in his own narrative, turning them into a cohesive chorus in support of his vision.

If Tyler's early days were highlighted by controversial aggression and the second era of his life was headlined by wild-eyed, technicolor emotionality, Chromakopia signifies a more precise, introspective take — though, of course, without losing an ounce of the razor-sharp lyricism. It’s tempting to say this isn’t the same Tyler of Odd Future, but the beauty of Chromakopia comes in showing the many facets of Tyler’s brain, coexisting under the microscope.