The 68th Annual Grammy Awards
Photo courtesy of Padeepak/Wikimedia Commons
The Grammy Awards, or the Grammys, has just hosted its 68th show. Landing this year on Feb. 1, this annual event is a love letter to the past, present, and future of the music industry. Musical artists of all different genres have the opportunity to be recognized by receiving one or more of the over 90 awards the Grammys offer, the victors being voted on by members of the Recording Academy. Not only that, they are also celebrated by being offered the chance to perform live in front of an audience of their peers.
This year, the host of the Grammys was Trevor Noah. Noah is both a talk show host and comedian, and he put these skills to excellent use during the Grammys, setting up hilarious banter with the musical talent around him. A particularly good example of this was an ongoing gag throughout the show of Noah playing up his disappointment of Bad Bunny being unable to perform live at the Grammys because of his contract with the Super Bowl. Noah made several joking requests for Bad Bunny to sing before finally settling on singing to Bad Bunny instead.
This was Trevor Noah’s sixth time hosting the Grammys, and according to an article on Forbes, he will be hanging up the mantle, this being his final year of hosting. Knowing that this was his final year apparently gave him the courage to make some riskier jokes, including a direct reference to Trump in the Epstein Files, as noted in the same Forbes article.
That being said, this seemed to be a very political year at the Grammys, regardless of whether the artist planned on returning or not. In their speeches after accepting their awards, many artists included their views on the current political climate in America. Most of those who spoke seemed to take a similar stance against harsh immigration policies, particularly those of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “Before I say thanks…I’m gonna say ICE out,” Bad Bunny said in his speech after winning Best Música Urbana Album with his album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025). The same album also earned one of the most prestigious awards, Album of the Year. He also urged that “The only thing more powerful than hate is love…If we fight, we have to do it with love.”
When Billie Elish’s song, “Wildflowers” won Song of the Year she echoed similar sentiments in her own speech, saying, “No one is illegal on stolen land…And I feel like we just need to keep fighting and protesting and speaking up and our voices really do matter.” Jellyroll, after his album Beautifully Broken (2024) won Best Contemporary Country Album, spoke of Jesus getting him out of the hardest moments of his life, and making it clear in his speech that he believes “Jesus is for everybody. Jesus is not owned by one political party…Jesus is Jesus, and everybody can have a relationship with him.”
A few artists did not go in the political direction for their speeches, instead speaking words of encouragement for the power of music and for aspiring musicians. After Lady Gaga’s album, Mayhem (2025), won Best Pop Vocal Album, she encouraged women in music, saying “When you’re in the studio with a bunch of guys, it can be hard. I urge you to always listen to yourself…Make sure that you are heard.” Pharrell Williams encouraged artists to “Never stop grinding…Never stop working…If you do what you love every day, you’ll get paid for free” after he was rewarded with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. Cher won a Lifetime Achievement Award thanks to her life filled with music and acting.She told aspiring musicians to “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.”
Unfortunately, not every musician honored at the Grammys can make a speech. The ceremony takes the time to celebrate and remember some of the musicians that have passed away in the last year. This can take many forms, from a recap of their lives, as was done with Brian Wilson and Sly Stone, to a live musical performance in their memory.
This year, there were three full performances honoring the musicians we lost. Reba McEntire sang a rendition of “Trailblazer,” with instrumentals provided by Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson, which served as a way to honor every musician who had been lost. The stage was decorated in candles and flowers. Slash, Post Malone, and Chad Smith put on a live cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” as a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. Another tribute paid homage to the lost singer D’Angelo. It was led by Lauryn Hill, and as the singing continued, she was joined by a plethora of other musicians, including John Legend and many more.
The Grammys do look forward as well as back. One of the most prominent awards includes the Best New Artist Award. Each nominee is given the chance to perform live on stage, encouraging and celebrating the new talent. This year's winner was Olivia Dean, and she was able to perform her hit song, “Man I Need.” Another new talent who should be recognized was Leon Thomas, who performed “Mutt.” Although he didn’t win Best New Artist, he did win three other Grammys. Wildly impressive for a first timer!