Rapper Kendrick Lamar has broken Jay-Z’s long-standing record for the highest number of Grammy wins on a historic night at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
The ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, saw the music industry’s biggest stars gather as Lamar dominated the major categories.
The announcement of the winners began at 6am Bangladesh time on Monday. Lamar secured the prestigious Record of the Year for “Luther” alongside SZA, while also sweeping the rap categories with wins for Best Rap Album (GNX), Best Melodic Rap Performance, and Best Rap Song for “TV Off”.
Top honours for Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish. While Lamar took the headlines for his record-breaking feat, other major prizes were distributed among the industry’s elite. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny took home Album of the Year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, and Billie Eilish won Song of the Year for “Wildflower”.
The title of Best New Artist was awarded to Olivia Dean, while Lady Gaga enjoyed a successful evening, winning Best Pop Vocal Album for Mayhem and Best Dance Pop Recording for “Abracadabra”.
Key winners at a glance:
• Record of the Year: “Luther” – Kendrick Lamar with SZA
• Album of the Year: Debí Tirar Más Fotos – Bad Bunny
• Song of the Year: “Wildflower” – Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell
• Best New Artist: Olivia Dean
• Best Pop Vocal Album: Mayhem – Lady Gaga
• Best Alternative Music Album: Songs of a Lost World – The Cure
Performances and international highlights
The stage featured high-energy performances from global icons including Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Bruno Mars, Post Malone, and Lauryn Hill.
Despite the star-studded nature of the event, it was a disappointing night for Indian representation. Although artists such as Anoushka Shankar, Siddhant Bhatia, Shakti, and Charu Suri were nominated, India failed to secure any major awards during the ceremony.
Rock and R&B success
In the genre-specific categories, The Cure made a significant impact, winning both Best Alternative Music Performance and Best Alternative Music Album for Songs of a Lost World. Turnstile also saw success, picking up Best Metal Performance and Best Rock Album for Never Enough.
In R&B, Kehlani won Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for “Folded,” while Leon Thomas took home the award for Best R&B Album with Mutt.
The 68th Grammys will be remembered as a career-defining night for Kendrick Lamar, whose record-breaking haul has cemented his legacy as one of the most decorated artists in the history of the awards.
