The brightest stars in music shone down on Los Angeles for the 68th Grammy Awards on February 1. Indelible fashion statements, riveting performances, and unprecedented nominations made this night truly one-of-a-kind, the perfect recap for a year of music like no other.
The night began on the red carpet, where the invitees flaunted their designer drapes, and an immense range of taste was quickly established. The hypothetical award for Least Impressive Attire was split evenly amongst the male population, which consisted almost entirely of black suits. Billie Eilish and Sharon Osborne also fell prey to this epidemic. Few men dared to stray from an inhibited variation of the classic black tuxedo, causing Pharrell Williams, Sombr, and Leon Bridges to vaguely stand out in their light-colored formal wear.
Although the men failed to bring more than a dress code to the carpet, some of the women might have fared better with the same bland stylist. Heidi Klum, known for her eccentric costumes, boldly wore tan candle wax as a skin-tight tube dress, winning the title of Most Atrocious by a landslide. Still, its shock value paled in comparison to Chappell Roan’s garment, which appeared to dangle halfway off her chest, revealing much more than it concealed. The look was daring, and even vulgar in some eyes. However, in a room full of gorgeous people, memorability is much more important than appearance, and Roan’s dress, though debatable in beauty, was the most striking of the night.
Performances outstaged outfits on the basis of interest. Justin Bieber relieved himself of the black suit curse, neglecting to replace it with another outfit, thus singing in his underwear. For the first time in four years, Bieber graced us with his stage presence and gave an extremely minimalistic performance of “Yukon.” Keeping with the stripped- down theme, he entertained strictly with guitar and vocals. Hailey Bieber, his wife, was quoted as saying her husband’s Grammy rehearsal was completed in a matter of minutes.
Many other talented artists, such as Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, and Tyler, the Creator, shone on that hallowed stage. Despite the success of these displays, the 2026 Grammys will instead be defined by Addison Rae and Katseye’s notorious exhibitions. Both artists are relatively new to the scene and arrived to fame in large part thanks to TikTok, a lack of professionalism that may or may not explain their horrendous performances. Rae performed “Fame Is a Gun,” and Katseye performed “Gnarly,” both with elaborate choreography that caused the singers to be greatly out of breath. Unlike more seasoned artists, these two honed in on dancing rather than singing, evidently forgetting why they had been invited to perform on music’s biggest night of the year.
The award ceremony went as expected, with the most notable artists in the room racking up hefty new additions to their vast trophy collections. Record of the Year went to “luther” by Kendrick Lamar with SZA, Album of the Year went to “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” by Bad Bunny, and Song of the Year went to “Wildflower” by Billie Eilish. The hit song “Golden” from K-pop Demon Hunters was a fellow Song of the Year nomination, taking many people by surprise. Additionally, The Cure reappeared in the spotlight, taking home Best Alternative Music Performance for “Alone,” and beating Tyler, the Creator for Best Alternative Music Album with “Songs Of A Lost World.”
On theme of most Hollywood events, the 2026 Grammy Awards provided a plethora of buzzworthy pop-culture moments for us to enjoy. Although the music industry aims to entertain with art, not the incidental comedy that results from live programming, attention is warranted either way. Nights like these are a humorous reminder that fame casts a light of variable flattery on those lucky enough to experience it.
