🎶 The 68th Annual Grammy Awards: History, Hype & High Notes
The Grammys are back … for the 68th time. When the Grammy Awards take over the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 1, 2026, music fans will be tuning in to celebrate (and debate) who takes home those iconic gold (plated) gramophones.
Fun Fact: The gramophone, invented in 1887 by German-born American inventor Emile Berliner, played music from flat discs using a needle and diaphragm, unlike Edison’s earlier cylinder phonograph. It revolutionized recordings, paved the way for modern record players and inspired the Grammy trophy’s iconic shape
To understand why this Awards Night still matters, you’ve got to know how the Grammys got here and what makes them different from the rest of the music award crowd.
🎧 From Gramophones to Global Fame
The Grammy Awards were born in 1959, when the Recording Academy decided music deserved a Hollywood-level celebration, just like the Oscars and Emmys. The name came from the gramophone trophy itself - a nod to the early days of recorded sound.
Fast-forward nearly seven decades, and the Grammys have grown from a black-tie dinner to a televised spectacle seen by millions. Today, there are 95 award categories, covering everything from pop, hip-hop and rock to classical, jazz, gospel and even immersive audio. This year there is a new award for best album cover, and country has been split into 2 categories: traditional and contemporary.
And while the show is glitzy, the mission stays the same: honor artistic and technical excellence, not just what tops the charts.
🗳️ Who Actually Decides the Winners?
Contrary to what many think, the Grammys aren’t a popularity contest. Winners aren’t picked by fans or label execs, they’re chosen by voting members of the Recording Academy, a community of artists, songwriters, producers and engineers.
To qualify, a person must have professional credits on commercially released music; in other words, the Grammys is not a place where the accomplishments of home creators are celebrated. On the other hand, GRAMMY U members contribute a limited share of votes, mostly in genre-specific or peer-reviewed categories rather than the major “Big Four” awards. The goal is to give emerging artists a voice and perspective in the process while keeping the final results primarily determined by full Voting Members.
Fun Fact: GRAMMY U is the Recording Academy’s program for emerging music creators and students (originally college/university students, now generally 18–29-year-olds) who want to learn about the music industry and get involved in the Grammy Awards ecosystem.
The Grammy Award process includes:
- Screening: verifying eligibility and category placement
- First-round voting: determining nominees, the results of which were just announced last week
- Final voting: selecting the winners
The identities of individual voters are confidential and votes are tallied by an independent accounting firm. In short, it is artists judging artists, not a people popularity contest.
The Grammys might be the gold standard, but they’ve got competition. In the U.S., the American Music Awards (AMAs) and Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) draw massive audiences; however, both are powered by fan votes and chart data rather than peer review.
🏆 Categories That Rule the Night
Every year, 4 categories steal the spotlight - the so-called “Big Four”:
- Album of the Year
- Record of the Year
- Song of the Year
- Best New Artist
These are the crown jewels, open to every genre and often defining the night’s biggest stories.
Last year’s Album of the Year was Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter”.
Record of the Year and Song of the Year went to Kendrick Lamar for “Not Like Us”.
And Chappell Roan was voted Best New Artist.
⚡ The Drama and the Debate
Of course, it wouldn’t be the Grammys without controversy. The awards have long faced criticism for lack of diversity, genre bias and opaque voting processes by artists like The Weeknd and Drake.
They’ve also drawn a line on AI-generated music, ruling that only human creators are eligible for Grammys - though one has to wonder how long that boundary will hold, especially when you look back at how the Academy Awards eventually embraced streaming platforms.
Still, not everyone’s convinced. Each year brings its share of “How did they get snubbed?” debates.
🌟 2026: What’s New and What to Watch
This year, Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga lead the nomination pack.
Bad Bunny has become the first Spanish language artist to be nominated for Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year in the same year. Amidst political controversy, Bad Bunny is scheduled to headline the Super Bowl LX half time show on Sunday, February 8, just a few days after the Grammy Awards.
Fun Fact #1: Kendrick Lamar’s real name is Kendrick Lamar Duckworth
Fun Fact #2: Lady Gaga’s real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
Fun Fact #3: Bad Bunny’s real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio
12-time Grammy Award-winner, Taylor Swift, was not nominated for an award because her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, missed the eligibility period. Them’s the rules!
The Best New Artist nominees include Addison Rae (former internet celebrity turned musician), Leon Thomas (also nominated for Album of the Year), alongside others like Olivia Dean and Katseye. Heard of ‘em?
If you are a music affectionado, mark February 1st on your calendar!
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