Bad Bunny Makes History at the 2026 Grammys: A New Era for Latin Music

Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos achieved a groundbreaking victory at the 2026 Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 1), becoming the first Spanish-language album ever to win Album of the Year. The only previous Spanish-language album nominated was Bunny's Un Verano Sin Ti, which lost to Harry Styles’ Harry’s House three years prior. In a fitting gesture, Styles himself presented the award to Bunny that night.

Debí Tirar Más Fotos also secured the Best Música Urbana Album award, and the track “EOO” won Best Global Music Performance.

The win arrives amidst ongoing culture wars, with many seeing Bunny's victory as a statement against anti-immigrant sentiment, particularly given the political climate. Some observers have drawn parallels to The Chicks’ sweep in 2007, which was viewed as a response to their public disagreement with then-President George W. Bush.

Another factor contributing to Bunny's success was the Recording Academy's invitation to all voting members of the Latin Recording Academy to join their ranks. According to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., nearly 1,000 members accepted. This influx of new Latin voices may also have influenced Buena Vista Social Club's win for Best Musical Theater Album.

While celebrated, Bunny's win highlights a continuing drought for rap albums in the Album of the Year category, with OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below remaining the last rap album to win 22 years ago.

Bunny is slated to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show in one week, on Feb. 8, becoming the first artist to win the Grammy for Album of the Year and perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in the same year since Tony Bennett in 1994. The legendary singer performed alongside Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, Arturo Sandoval and Miami Sound Machine on Jan. 29, and then won Album of the Year for MTV Unplugged on March 1.

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Here are other artists who made history at the 2026 Grammy Awards.

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar set a new record as the rapper with the most career Grammys, winning four awards on the night and bringing his total to 26. He surpassed Jay-Z (25 Grammys) and Ye (24). Lamar's rise is remarkable, considering he won his first Grammys in 2015.

Lamar won Record of the Year for “Luther,” his collaboration with SZA. He also won last year in the same category for “Not Like Us.” He's only the fourth artist in Grammy history to win in this category two years in a row, and the first male solo artist to do so.

The win for “Luther” is seen as honoring not just Lamar and SZA, but also Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn, whose “If This World Were Mine” is sampled on the record, and Marvin Gaye, who wrote “If This World Were Mine”.

The track also won Best Melodic Rap Performance. Lamar’s other Grammys on the night were Best Rap Song as a cowriter of “TV Off” and Best Rap Performance as a featured artist on Clipse’s “Chains & Whips.”

Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell

The siblings, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, became the first three-time winners of Song of the Year, winning this year for “Wildflower” after previously winning for “Bad Guy” and “What Was I Made For?” The award was presented by Carole King, who, in 1972, became the first woman songwriter to win Song of the Year, for “You’ve Got a Friend.”

This marks the fourth consecutive year that Song of the Year has gone to a song written by just one or two writers, bucking the trend of larger songwriting collectives.

Olivia Dean

Dean won Best New Artist, marking the ninth consecutive year that a female solo artist has won in this category. Dean follows Alessia Cara, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Olivia Rodrigo, Samara Joy, Victoria Monét and Chappell Roan. No male artist has won in this category since Chance the Rapper in 2017.

You can already consider Dean a front-runner for nods in marquee categories next year. Her single “Man I Need” will be eligible for Record and Song of the Year, and her album The Art of Loving will be eligible for Album of the Year.

Fun facts: Dean is the second artist named Olivia to win in the past five years. Olivia Rodrigo won in 2022. Also, Dean’s middle name is Lauryn, inspired by Lauryn Hill, who won in this category in 1999.

Aura V

Aura V, who won Best Children’s Music Album alongside her father, Fyütch, for Harmony, set a new Grammy record as the youngest individually credited Grammy winner in history at just 8 years old. The previous record was held by Blue Ivy Carter, who was 9 when she won alongside her mom, Beyoncé, and WizKid for “Brown Skin Girl.”

Leah Peasall was also 8 when she won Album of the Year in 2002 as a member of The Peasall Sisters for their contributions to the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack, but she wasn’t individually credited.

Chick Corea

The late jazz fusion pianist, composer and bandleader Chick Corea won his 29th Grammy for Best Jazz Performance for “Windows – Live,” a collab with Christian McBride and Brian Blade. Only two people in Grammy history have won 29 or more Grammys: Beyoncé leads with 35, followed by Sir Georg Solti with 31.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga won Best Pop Vocal Album for MAYHEM, 15 years after she first won in the category with The Fame Monster. She’s one of four two-time winners in the history of the category, along with Adele, Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift.

Laufey

The Icelandic singer Laufey won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for the second time with A Matter of Time, becoming just the third female artist to be a repeat winner in the category, following Natalie Cole and Lady Gaga. Both of Gaga’s wins were in tandem with Tony Bennett. Cole’s first win was for her “Unforgettable” duet with her late father, Nat “King” Cole.

Amy Allen

Amy Allen became the first repeat winner of Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical, also winning the award last year. She won this year for cowriting hits such as “APT.” by ROSE and Bruno Mars, “Just Keep Watching” by Tate McRae, and “Manchild” and “Tears,” both by Sabrina Carpenter.

Elaine Martone

Elaine Martone won Producer of the Year, Classical, for the third consecutive year, the first producer to win three years running in that category since Robert Woods won from 1988 to 1990. Martone and Woods are married and met at Telarc, which he cofounded.

The Le Boeuf brothers

Remy Le Boeuf won Best Instrumental Composition for “First Snow,” one year after his identical twin brother, Pascal Le Boeuf, won in the same category for “Strands.” In 2004, the twins, now 39, formed Le Boeuf Brothers and released four albums, mixing jazz, hip-hop, electronic and classical styles.

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