The 68th Annual Grammy Awards made history by awarding Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny Album of the Year for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.” This is the first time a Spanish-language album has won the award. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known professionally as Bad Bunny, denounced the American government’s treatment of immigrants in his acceptance speech: “We’re not savage. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.” This statement comes after controversy over his (at the time of the Grammys) upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show due to anti-immigrant sentiments. This is despite Puerto Rico being an American territory, meaning Ocasio is legally an American citizen.
Bad Bunny wasn’t the only one with something to say about the current immigration situation. Carole King, Billie and Finneas Eilish, Joni Mitchell, Kehlani, Justin and Hailey Bieber, and Teddy Swims were just a handful of the celebrities spotted wearing “ICE OUT” buttons. When the Eilish siblings were awarded Song of the Year for “Wildflower”, Billie Eilish stated in her acceptance speech that “no one is illegal on stolen land.” Likewise, Olivia Dean, when accepting her award for Best New Artist, referenced her Guyanan grandmother: “I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant…I am a product of bravery and I think that those people deserve to be celebrated.”
History was made yet again when Kendrick Lamar became the most awarded rapper in Grammys history. After receiving five awards, including Song of the Year for “Luther” and Best Rap Album for “GNX,” the Pulitzer Prize winner ended the night with a career total of twenty-six Grammys, surpassing the twenty-five Grammys of former record-holder Jay-Z. “Hip-hop is going to always be right here,” Lamar assured the audience.
K-Pop also received a historic win that night. “Golden,” from the soundtrack of the animated Netflix feature film “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. This marks the first time a K-Pop song has ever won a Grammy. And another record was broken when Aura V became the youngest Grammy winner ever at eight years old, winning the award for Best Children’s Album alongside her dad, rapper and singer-songwriter Fyütch.
Another powerful highlight of the night was a tearful Lady Gaga reminding female artists to stay determined: “I just want to say for women in music that I know sometimes when you’re in the studio with a bunch of guys it can be hard, so I urge you to always listen to yourself and always fight for your ideas. Fight for your songs. Fight for yourself as a producer. Make sure that you are heard loudly.” Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, received the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for “Mayhem.” This is Germanotta’s first time winning this award, despite having released six studio albums over her nearly twenty-year career in pop music.