Kendrick Lamar and SZA's "Luther" Wins Record of the Year at the 2026 Grammys
Kendrick Lamar and SZA snagged the Record of the Year Grammy for their soulful duet "Luther," a reimagining of Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn's classic.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA have clinched the Record of the Year award at the 2026 Grammys. Their collaborative track “Luther,” which samples Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s “If This World Were Mine,” emerged victorious against contenders like Bad Bunny (“DTMF”), Billie Eilish (“Wildflower”), Chappell Roan (“The Subway”), Doechii (“Anxiety”), Lady Gaga (“Abracadabra”), Rosé and Bruno Mars (“Apt.”), and Sabrina Carpenter (“Manchild”).
Lamar and SZA jointly accepted the prestigious award, accompanied on stage by a group including GNX producers Sounwave and Jack Antonoff, Kamasi Washington, and Cher, who presented the coveted category. "This is what music is about," Lamar expressed in his heartfelt speech. "Luther Vandross. This is special. I gotta take my time cause 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 all damn near dropped a tear, because we know how much young miss Cheryl Lynn poured into that record. And being able to put our vocals on it, it proves that we were somewhat worthy to be just as great as them individuals. They granted us that. They said ‘No cursing though. Can’t curse on it.’ That was our only thing, right? And we said ‘You know what, we're gonna do just that. No cursing. We’re gonna make sure that this song represents love.’
SZA added depth to the moment, stating, “I just wanna say thank you to Kendrick for lifting me up. I just am a small part of this record, but what I really wanted to say is please don’t fall into despair. I know that right now is a scary time. I know the algorithms tell us that it’s so scary, and all is lost. There’s been world wars, there’s been plagues, and we have gone on. 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, and I thank you so much.”
Lamar's win marks a rare back-to-back victory in the Record of the Year category. He previously took home the award in 2025 for his Drake diss track “Not Like Us.” During the 2026 ceremony, Lamar also secured consecutive wins for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for “Not Like Us,” along with Best Rap Album for GNX, bringing his total Grammy count to an impressive 27.
SZA received nominations in five categories this evening, including Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, where “30 for 30”—her other 2025 duet with Lamar—lost out to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s rendition of “Defying Gravity.”
See the full winners list and follow along with all of Pitchfork’s coverage of the 2026 Grammys.
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