Every Artist Who Made History At The 2026 Grammys

Music’s Biggest Night ended up being significant for many artists — but for some, it was also a historic night. The 2026 Grammys, which took place on Feb. 1, served up eye-popping performances, heartwarming acceptance speeches, and shocking victories. However, many of those wins ended up breaking some records in the process.

Heading into the ceremony, Kendrick Lamar led nominations with an impressive nine nods and won enough of those awards to break a major record held by Jay-Z. Lady Gaga followed behind with seven nominations and also managed to make history of her own. And even with only two nods this year, Billie Eilish swerved in with a surprise win and broke an unexpected record.

Perhaps most notably of all, another legend was added to the prestigious EGOT list, winning their first Grammy to complete their mantle with an Emmy, Oscar, and Tony. But it may not be who you think.

Billie’s Song Of The Year Victory

After landing six nominations but no wins for Hit Me Hard and Soft at the 2025 show, Billie Eilish won Song of the Year for the 2024 album’s single “WILDFLOWER.” Not only did she land a surprise victory, but she and her brother-collaborator Finneas made history by becoming the first artists in history to win Song of the Year three times, following their wins for “bad guy” in 2020 and “What Was I Made For?” in 2024.

Kendrick Outpaces Jay-Z

After winning Best Rap Album for GNX, plus three more awards during the pre-show ceremony, Kendrick Lamar became the most-awarded rapper in Grammys history, beating Jay-Z’s record of 25 trophies. By the end of the night, Lamar’s total reached 27 Grammys, after also winning Record of the Year for “Luther” (but according to presenter Cher, Luther Vandross actually won).

Lady Gaga Proves She’s Queen Of Pop

After winning Best Dance Pop Recording for “Abracadabra” in the pre-show, Lady Gaga broke a very unique record. She became the first artist in history to win every category in the pop field, which also includes Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Traditional Pop Album, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Best Pop Vocal Album — the latter of which she won again tonight for MAYHEM.

Stephen Spielberg Is An EGOT Recipient

Yes, Stephen Spielberg won a Grammy. The legendary film director took home Best Music Film as a producer on the documentary Music by John Williams during the pre-ceremony, meaning he has officially EGOT-ed, since he has three Emmys, three Oscars, and a Tony to his name. Spielberg is only the 22nd person to become an EGOT recipient, joining his frequent collaborator Rita Moreno, among others.

K-Pop Scores Its First Grammy

K-Pop has finally broken a major barrier. During the pre-ceremony, “Golden” from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters won Best Song Written For Visual Media, making it the first-ever K-Pop song to win a Grammy. Songwriter EJAE, also one of the three voices behind the film’s girl group HUNTR/X, called it a “historic moment” on the red carpet.

Bad Bunny Breaks New Ground

After taking home the biggest award of the night, Album of the Year, for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Bad Bunny became the first Spanish-language artist to win the category. Fittingly, he gave the first half of his speech in Spanish, paying tribute to his homeland, Puerto Rico. Prior to this victory, he was the first Spanish-language artist to receive Grammy nominations for Record, Album, and Song of the Year in a single year.