A historic night for global representation

Bad Bunny, representing Puerto Rico, also secured the award for Best Música Urbana Album and Best Global Music Performance for "EoO". In a poignant acceptance speech delivered in both Spanish and English, Bad Bunny, who is set to headline the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, February 8, dedicated his win to "all the people who had to leave their homeland to follow their dreams". 

Other significant wins for the Global South included:

Main category winners and record-breaking achievements

Several industry giants continued to expand their legacies. Kendrick Lamar was the most-awarded artist of the night, winning Record of the Year for "Luther" (shared with SZA), Best Rap Album for GNX, and Best Rap Song for "TV Off". These victories allowed Lamar to surpass Jay-Z for the most career Grammys by a rapper, reaching a total of 27 awards.

Other major winners included:

Political statements and immigrant advocacy

The 2026 ceremony was defined by its political undertones, as many artists used the global platform to protest immigration enforcement. Billie Eilish, Kehlani, and Bad Bunny all voiced strong anti-ICE sentiments from the stage. Shaboozey, who won for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, dedicated his award to his immigrant mother and the cultural contributions of immigrants to the United States. Backstage, legendary Cuban singer Gloria Estefan expressed fear regarding the current political climate and children in detention centres.

Other notable winners

The evening also saw Leon Thomas win Best R&B Album for Mutt and Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Vibes Don’t Lie". Kehlani took home both Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for "Folded". 

In the rock and alternative categories, The Cure won Best Alternative Music Album (Songs of a Lost World), while Turnstile swept multiple awards, including Best Rock Album and Best Metal Performance. Notably, director Steven Spielberg earned his first Grammy for the film Music for John Williams, officially making him the latest member of people to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards (EGOT).

The story of Sushi Shunei goes beyond food. It stems from grief, love, transformation, and a woman who never set out to become a sushi chef.

In 2021, Shunei Kimura, a veteran chef with decades of experience in France, fulfilled his dream of opening a restaurant: Sushi Shunei—the minimalist and elegant restaurant in Montmartre, Paris, seats just nine guests.

Just months later, in March 2022, Sushi Shunei earned its first Michelin star. But the celebration was heartbreakingly brief. By June, Shunei had passed away from cancer at 65.

The following year, the restaurant lost its star.

A situation which could have marked the end of the story for many was just the beginning of a quest for Chizuko.

The genius that is Chizuko, in just five years, went from a novice to a Michelin-starred chef in a world where apprenticeships often last over a decade.

When the restaurant first opened, Chizuko was working as a tour guide. The 2020 pandemic had shuttered the travel industry, and with her husband already sick, she stepped into the kitchen to help.

“I had no experience. I was just learning little by little—cutting fish, cooking rice, serving. It was difficult. But I kept going,” she recalls.

Even on the day he died, Chizuko kept the restaurant open. Not out of obligation, but because he had asked her to continue their shared dream. And she did.

“I told Shunei that I hadn’t received a new star, but that I had recovered the one that had been taken from him,” she told AFP, in reaction to the new star.