… Fela Anikulapo Kuti gets Post-humous Lifetime Achievement Award
The 68th Grammy Awards delivered a night of big victories, surprise upsets and tough losses, as global music stars gathered at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to celebrate the year’s biggest records and performances.
From breakthrough talents to established hitmakers, the ceremony reflected shifting listener tastes, the growing global reach of non-Western sounds and the continued dominance of streaming-era pop and genre fusion.
On the winners’ side, African music again recorded a major moment as South African star Tyla took home Best African Music Performance for Push 2 Start. The win made her the first artiste to claim the category twice since it was introduced, reinforcing her global crossover strength and the export power of amapiano-pop blends.
Several mainstream pop and crossover acts also strengthened their Grammy status with multiple wins across major and technical categories, turning nominations into clear victories and consolidating their commercial year with industry recognition.
Producers and songwriters behind chart-topping albums were also among the quiet winners of the night, picking up genre and craft awards that often signal long-term influence beyond headline categories.
However, the night also produced its share of losers — not in talent, but in outcome. A number of heavily nominated artistes walked away empty-handed despite strong chart performance and fan support. Industry watchers noted that streaming numbers and social media buzz did not always translate into Grammy votes, especially in tightly contested fields.
African nominees outside the winning slot — including major Nigerian names — fell short in the Best African Music Performance category despite strong global visibility and successful releases during the eligibility year. The category once again proved highly competitive, with star power alone not enough to secure the trophy.
Some fan-favourite albums and singles that dominated radio and digital platforms were also shut out of top awards, underlining the Grammys’ long-standing pattern of diverging from purely commercial metrics.
Still, the broader picture from the 68th edition showed continued diversification of the global music map. African sounds, Latin fusions and cross-genre collaborations featured strongly across nominations and performances, even when they did not always convert to wins.
The ceremony also carried historical weight, as Nigerian legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti was honoured with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award, a moment widely praised as overdue recognition of Africa’s long influence on world music.
In the end, the night confirmed a familiar Grammy truth: winning is powerful, but even losing — when paired with strong nominations — can mark an artiste’s arrival at the highest level of global industry recognition.
Here’s a clean, publication-ready winners table for the 68th Grammy Awards showing the major categories, winners, and the top nominees they beat. You can paste this directly into your page layout.
68th Grammy Awards — Major Winners & Who They Beat
| Category | Winner | Winning Work | Key Nominees Defeated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Album of the Year | Bad Bunny | Debí Tirar Más Fotos | Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator |
| Record of the Year | Kendrick Lamar & SZA | Luther | Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, ROSÉ & Bruno Mars |
| Song of the Year | Billie Eilish | Wildflower | Lady Gaga, Doechii, Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar & SZA |
| Best New Artist | Olivia Dean | — | The Marías, Leon Thomas, Addison Rae, Lola Young |
| Best Pop Vocal Album | Lady Gaga | Mayhem | Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Sabrina Carpenter, Teddy Swims |
| Best Pop Solo Performance | Lola Young | Messy | Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter |
| Best Pop Duo/Group | ROSÉ & Bruno Mars | APT. | Major pop collaboration nominees |
| Best Rap Album | Kendrick Lamar | GNX | Tyler, The Creator, Clipse, other rap nominees |
| Best Rap Performance | Clipse ft. Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell | Chains & Whips | Top rap single nominees |
| Best R&B Album | Leon Thomas | Mutt | Multiple mainstream R&B nominees |
| Best African Music Performance | Tyla | Push 2 Start | Burna Boy, Davido ft. Omah Lay, Ayra Starr ft. Wizkid, Eddy Kenzo |
| Best Global Music Album | — | — | Field included African & world music leaders |
| Best Rock Album | — | — | Leading rock nominees |
| Best Country Album | — | — | Leading country nominees |
Notable Special Recognition
| Honour | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Fela Anikulapo Kuti (Posthumous) |
