Grammy highlights Kendrick Lamar triumphs, Bad Bunny makes history - and a Swiss woman comes away empty-handed

In addition to wins for Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny, criticism of Trump and ICE dominated this year's Grammys. Switzerland's Manon missed out on the title of "Best New Artist" with her K-pop band Katseye.

The Grammys are music awards, so first things first: Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny are the big winners of the evening.

Kendrick Lamar won the Grammy for "Best Rap Album" with his album "GNX" and, together with SZA and the song "Luther", the "Record of the Year" award. Kendrick Lamar won a total of five Grammys.

Bad Bunny won both "Album of the Year" and "Best Música Urbana Album" with his album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos". The Puerto Rican singer and rapper is the first Latin American artist to win this award in the history of the Grammys.

Neo-pop singer Olivia Dean won "Best New Artist". The "Song of the Year" went to Billie Eilish with "Wildflower". Eilish was the first person ever to win the award for the third time.

Most of the Grammys were already awarded before the show. There are 95 Grammy categories in total. Kendrick Lamar has already scooped three awards ("Best Rap Song", "Best Melodic Rap Performance" and "Best Rap Performance"). The song "Golden" from the Netflix film "KPop Demon Hunters" won the first ever Grammy for the K-Pop genre. It was awarded "Best Song for Visual Media". Lady Gaga's "Abracadabra" received the Grammy for "Best Dance Pop Recording".

The Dalai Lama also won a Grammy - for his narrative voice. He came out on top with the audio book "Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama". Director Steven Spielberg also won his first Grammy. He was honored as producer for "Best Music Film" with "Music for John Williams".

Manon Bannerman could have made Swiss music history. She was nominated for "Best New Artist" with the K-pop band Katseye. But only could have. The winner was neo-soul singer Olivia Dean. But Manon and Katseye put on an energetic performance of their hit "Gnarly".

K-Pop was also beaten twice more. The "Song of the Year" did not go to the song "Golden" by the fictional K-pop trio Huntr/x from the Netflix series "KPop Demon Hunters", nor to "APT." by Bruno Mars and K-pop star Rosé. "APT." also missed out on the "Record of the Year" award.

In addition to the music, the Grammys were dominated by criticism of US President Donald Trump and the US immigration authority ICE.

Presenter Trevor Noah went from one Trump-critical punchline to another. In his opening monologue, he said: "In America, you drink every time you turn on the news."

While Noah remained somewhat subtle at the beginning, he felt his way towards explicit criticism over the course of the evening. "This is my sixth and final year hosting the Grammys. I've loved my time, but I believe in term limits," Noah said in another speech. "I want to set an example for them that when your time is up, you should go. You never know who's watching." Noah did not say the president's name, however.

"We are human beings - and we are Americans"This is how the Grammy winners criticized ICE

He did become clearer: after Billie Eilish was awarded the Grammy for Best Song, Noah said it was an award that everyone wanted - "just as much as Trump wants Greenland. Epstein's island is gone. He needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton".

The musicians who were allowed to take home a Grammy and say a few words on stage were unmistakable. Bad Bunny opened his acceptance speech with the words: "Before I thank God, I say: 'ICE out'." The audience rose to their feet. "We are not savages, we are not animals, we are not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans."

"Best New Artist" Olivia Dean said, "I want to say that I'm standing up here as the granddaughter of immigrants. I am the result of courage, and I think these people deserve to be celebrated. Without each other, we are nothing."

Finally, Billie Eilish also took the opportunity on stage to criticize ICE and Trump. "No one is illegal on stolen land," Eilish said. "We need to continue to raise our voices and protest. Our voices are really important."

ICE criticism was also a topic earlier in the afternoon. R&B singer Kehlani blasted ICE in her acceptance speech for best R&B performance. Justin Vernon, whose band Bon Iver was nominated for best alternative music album, said he wore a whistle to honor activists and observers who document the behavior of federal agents on the streets. "I think music exists for a reason: to heal and bring people together," he told the AP news agency. "But the real work is being done by the observers on the ground in Minneapolis. We just want to honor them."

Performances of the evening came from Sabrina Carpenter, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Tyler the Creator, among others.

The performances by Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber were particularly spectacular. For opposite reasons: Lady Gaga was extravagant as usual, wearing a kind of broken woven lampshade on her head while performing "Abracadabra" between lots of fog. Justin Bieber's performance was pared down: He appeared in just boxer shorts and socks and sang the song "Yukon", looping live beats and guitar to it. It was his first performance in front of a large audience in four years.

Bad Bunny did not perform - although presenter Trevor Noah tried to persuade him to do so several times in a somewhat unpleasant way. However, Bad Bunny explained that because he was performing in the Super Bowl halftime show, he was contractually bound not to perform at any other major event that year. In the end, Noah did manage to get a few lines out of Bad Bunny, who was sitting in the audience.

The "In Memoriam" performances, which honor deceased musicians, lasted a full 22 minutes. Post Malone performed a rocking tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, Lauryn Hill paid tribute to Roberta Flack and D'Angelo.

At first glance, this year's Grammys seemed rather unspectacular. And yet they happen every year: these moments that will be remembered later.

In 2026, it will probably mainly be how Cher forgot to announce the nominees for "Record of the Year" - and unceremoniously walked off the stage. Presenter Trevor Noah had to ask her to return.

When she finally announced the winner, she spoke of "Luther Vandross". She was referring to Kendrick Lamar and SZA, whose song "Luther" features a sample of the late Luther Vandross.

Or the moment when Bad Bunny won the Grammy for Album of the Year. He stayed in his seat for a long time with his hands in front of his eyes, tears in his eyes.

The stars' outfits are always a talking point at the Grammys. This year, it was once again Heidi Klum who attracted attention. She wore a skin-colored, tight-fitting dress made of shiny material that looked like a second skin.

Singer Chappell Roan first appeared in a rust-colored cape, which she removed on the red carpet - revealing a dress underneath that was attached directly to her nipples rather than over her shoulders.

Nipples, feathers and "Ice Out" pinsThe most eye-catching outfits at the Grammys

And on the red carpet, some stars took a political stance: Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish and Kehlani, among others, wore pins with the inscription "ICE Out".

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