The 68th annual Grammy Awards took place Sunday night (Feb. 1) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with Trevor Noah serving as the host of the ceremony for the sixth and final time. Bad Bunny won the night’s biggest award, as his chart-topping DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS received Album of the Year, along with Best Música Urbana Album. Kendrick Lamar, the night’s most recognized nominee with nine total nods, won Record of the Year for his SZA collaboration, “Luther,” Rap Album of the Year for GNX, and Best Rap Song for “TV Off.” Lamar also took home another big award after Clipse won their first ever Grammy for Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips” which features Kendrick and Pharrell Williams. Billie Eilish won Song of the Year for “Wildflower,” while Lady Gaga was another big winner, as MAYHEM won Best Pop Vocal Album and “Abracadabra” took home Best Dance Pop Recording. Best New Artist was awarded to Lola Young, after all eight of the nominees gave back-to-back performances for the first time in Grammy history.
The ceremony kicked off with a couple of energetic performances, as Bruno Mars and Rosé delivered their global smash hit, “APT.,” followed by six-time nominee on the night – but ultimately winless – Sabrina Carpenter, who gave a Pan Am-inspired performance of “Manchild.” Bruno also returned later in the ceremony to play his chart-topping new hit, “I Just Might.” Justin Bieber gave a stripped-down – literally – performance of “YUKON,” his first time on the Grammy stage in four years, after first making his debut fifteen years ago at the age of 16. Lady Gaga sang through a wicker headpiece as she delivered an electric performance of “Abracadabra,” while Tyler, the Creator gave an explosive medley performance of “Thought I Was Dead/Like Him/Sugar On My Tongue.”
After Bruce Springsteen paid tribute to Brian Wilson and John Mayer honored Bob Weir in video tributes, Reba McEntire played on the Grammy stage for the very first time to honor those we lost this past year in a moving In Memoriam segment where she was joined by Lukas Nelson and Brandy Clark on “Trailblazer.” Post Malone led an all-star tribute to the late metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, as he was flanked by Guns N’ Roses bandmates Slash and Duff McKagan, producer Andrew Watt, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith on “War Pigs.” And Lauryn Hill honored D’Angelo and Roberta Flack, backed by The Vanguard band and joined by special guests Raphael Saadiq, Bilal, Jon Batiste, Leon Bridges, John Legend, Chaka Khan – who also paid tribute to Sly Stone in a video segment – Wyclef Jean, and others during a stirring medley of soul and R&B classics. Clipse delivered the final performance of the night, as the hip-hop duo were joined by Pharrell and the Voices of Fire on “So Far Ahead.”
Laufey’s A Matter of Time won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, while Lola Young’s “Messy” was a surprise winner in the Best Pop Solo Performance category, and FKA Twigs’ EUSEXUA won Best Dance/Electronic Album. Kehlani’s breakout hit, “Folded,” won Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance, while Leon Thomas continued his critically acclaimed year, as MUTT won Best R&B album, and “Vibes Don’t Lie” was awarded Best Traditional R&B Performance.
The rock and metal categories featured the Cure winning Best Alternative Music Album for Songs of a Lost World, while the UK goth legends also won Best Alternative Music Performance for “Alone.” Baltimore punk band Turnstile won the first two Grammys of their career, as Never Enough won Best Rock Album, while their track “Birds” was awarded Best Metal Performance. Nine Inch Nails won Best Rock Song for their single from the Tron: Ares soundtrack, “As Alive As You Need Me To Be,” while Best Rock Performance went to YUNGBLUD for his live rendition of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” from July’s memorable Back to the Beginning concert.
In the country, folk, Americana, and bluegrass categories, Zach Top’s Ain’t In It For My Heath was awarded Best Traditional Country Album, while Best Country Song went to Tyler Childers’ “Bitin’ List.” Jelly Roll won Best Contemporary Country Album for Beautifully Broken, while he also took home two additional Grammys for his hit collaborations, as he and Shaboozey’s “Amen” won Best Country Duo/Group Performance, while his pairing with Brandon Lake, “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” was awarded Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song. I’m With Her won Best Folk Album for Wild and Clear and Blue, with the group also winning Best Americana Roots song for “Ancient Light.” Billy Strings took home Best Bluegrass Album for Highway Prayers, while Best Americana Album went to Jon Batiste’s Big Money.
Megadeth has earned its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with its new self-titled release, which the band says will be its final studio album. The metal group’s latest effort debuted at the top with 73,000 equivalent album units in the week ending January 29th, marking their best sales performance since chart tracking began in 2014. Physical sales drove most of the success at 69,000 copies, with 22,000 vinyl sales representing the band’s strongest vinyl week since modern tracking started in 1991. The achievement comes after a 39-year wait since Megadeth first appeared on the chart in 1986 with Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? at No. 118. Their previous peak was No. 2 with 1992’s Countdown to Extinction. Megadeth marks the first hard rock album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since Sleep Token’s Even in Arcadia debuted atop the chart in May 2025.
The rest of the Top 10 features Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem climbing two spots to No. 2, while Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving jumps up four slots to reclaim its previous peak of No. 3, as Zach Bryan’s With Heaven on Top moves up one place to No. 4, and A$AP Rocky’s Don’t Be Dumb falls to No. 5 after debuting at No. 1 last week. Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl climbs two spots to No. 6, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s Slime Cry slips one slot to No. 7. The Top 10 is rounded out by three former No. 1s, as the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack moves up one spot to No. 8, while Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS falls six places to No. 9, and SZA’s SOS rises one slot to No. 10. (Billboard)
Record executive Clive Davis officially confirmed that Meryl Streep will portray Joni Mitchell in Cameron Crowe‘s upcoming biopic during his pre-Grammy party Saturday (Jan. 31) at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Davis made the announcement while introducing attendees, including Mitchell herself. Casting rumors first emerged in July 2024, with the Oscar-winning Streep playing an older Mitchell while Anya Taylor-Joy remains rumored to portray the younger Joni, though her role remains unconfirmed. Crowe has spent four years developing the project after building a friendship with Mitchell following a 1979 Rolling Stone interview. “We have regular meetings where I can ask her anything and she speaks with her heart about all kinds of stuff,” Crowe said in an October 2025 Late Show appearance, adding that the project “is from her perspective, her life, looking out.” Mitchell has preserved costumes, clothes, instruments, and still owns her famous Laurel Canyon house, which is all available for the production. (Rolling Stone)
Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at a Minneapolis benefit concert on Friday afternoon (Jan. 30) organized by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, delivering the first live performance of his new protest song, “Streets of Minneapolis.” The show at the legendary First Avenue raised money for families of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, who were both fatally shot by ICE agents. Before performing, Springsteen explained he wrote and recorded the song the previous weekend, then sent it to Morello saying “I think it’s kinda soapboxy.” Morello replied, “Bruce, nuance is wonderful, but sometimes you have to kick them in the teeth.” Springsteen dedicated the performance “to the people of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the people of our good country.” Morello and Springsteen also performed “The Ghost of Tom Joad” together, as well as a group singalong with Rise Against and Ike Reilly on John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s classic anthem, “Power to the People” which closed out the “Concert of Solidarity & Resistance to Defend Minnesota!” (Rolling Stone)
Red Hot Chili Peppers issued a statement on Friday (Jan. 30) distancing themselves from an upcoming Netflix documentary about the band’s early years. The group clarified that they “had nothing to do with it creatively” after reports described the March 20 film as “a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary.” “About a year ago, we were asked to be interviewed for a documentary about Hillel Slovak. He was a founding member of the group, a great guitarist, and friend. We agreed to be interviewed out of love and respect for Hillel and his memory,” the band wrote on Instagram. “However, this documentary is now being advertised as a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary, which it is not. We have yet to make a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary. The central subject of this current Netflix special is Hillel Slovak and we hope it sparks interest in his work.” Slovak died in 1988 from an accidental heroin overdose. Director Ben Feldman‘s film explores the band’s early years and Slovak’s lasting creative impact. (Rolling Stone)
Wolfgang Van Halen‘s band Mammoth claims its fourth Mainstream Rock Airplay chart-topper as “The Spell” rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s tally dated February 7. The track climbs one position to reach the summit, marking Mammoth’s second consecutive No. 1 hit, following “The End” which topped the chart last August. Mammoth previously scored back-to-back leaders with “Distance” and “Don’t Back Down” in 2021 when the band first appeared on Mainstream Rock Airplay. Between those early hits and recent success, the group placed three songs on the chart from 2022-24, with “I’m Alright” peaking at No. 5, “Another Celebration at the End of the World” reaching No. 7, and “Epiphany” hitting No. 9. “The Spell” has also reached a new peak of No. 9 on Rock & Alternative Airplay with 3.1 million audience impressions, tying Mammoth’s best rank on the chart which was previously set by “Distance.” The band continues touring through December, including dates with Bush, Creed, and Iron Maiden. (Billboard)