Pop Culture Happy Hour – 2026 Grammys Recap

Date: February 2, 2026
Host: Stephen Thompson (NPR), with guests Hazel Sills (NPR Music), Rhianna Cruz (freelance music and culture journalist)

Episode Overview

This late-night episode dives into the standout moments, historic wins, chaotic on-air energy, and memorable performances from the 2026 Grammy Awards. Stephen Thompson, Hazel Sills, and Rhianna Cruz break down the themes and significance of this year's show, focusing on Latin music history, Kendrick Lamar’s monumental wins, show highlights and slip-ups, political moments, and what all of it means for pop culture. The recap highlights both musical milestones and the broader industry implications, all with signature PCHH wit and warmth.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Historic Wins for Bad Bunny

(02:55–06:57)

• Bad Bunny’s De Bi Tirar Mas Photos was the first Spanish-language album to ever win Album of the Year.
• He also won Best Global Music Album and Best Música Urbana Album. His acceptance speech directly addressed ICE, the immigrant experience, and Puerto Rican identity.
  • Hazel Sills: “Gone are the days of...Latin artists having to record in English, having to do these crossover moments.” (04:41)
  • Rhianna Cruz: "I'm happy to be proven right...dedicating it to people that have had to immigrate and the Puerto Rican community, like, it made me really emotional." (03:53)
• Panelists agreed this marked a shift: Latin music is core to mainstream pop, not just a segregated genre.
• Stephen Thompson connected it to the Grammys’ fraught history with inclusivity in marquee categories: “To suddenly have a Spanish language album win album of the year at the Grammys, that is a major, major breakthrough.” (05:53)
• Panelists invoked Ricky Martin’s 1999 Grammy performance as a previous “watershed” for Latin music but noted that moment carried a degree of "fetishization," now surpassed by Bad Bunny’s authentic, celebrated win (06:57, Rhianna Cruz).

2. Kendrick Lamar Becomes the Most Awarded Rapper

(07:38–10:13)

• Kendrick Lamar won five Grammys, becoming the winningest rapper in Grammy history (27 total).
• Major awards included Record of the Year for "Luther" (with SZA), Best Rap Album for “Squabble up,” and Best Rap Song for “TV Off.”
• Discussion about "Luther": sample clearance from the Luther Vandross estate required the song to be clean—ironically boosting its radio and awards-friendliness.
  • Stephen Thompson: “That restriction ended up kind of increasing the enormous...commercial success and obviously now awards success of that song.” (08:33)
• Panelists had mixed feelings about the song selection:
  • Rhianna Cruz: “Luther comes on and I go, okay, this is the least inventive song of what we got cooking...Like, I'm a big Squabble up fan.” (09:15)
• Recap of a viral moment: Cher, presenting Record of the Year, fumbled the envelope and mumbled the winner.
  • Rhianna Cruz: “She said it with such surprise that I felt like she was like, oh, Luther’s alive.” (10:51)
  • Stephen Thompson: “It spoke to the kind of general sense of chaos that permeated a lot of the night.” (11:04)
• Panel recalled Drake’s past “prophetic” diss: “Kendrick just opened his mouth. Somebody give him a Grammy right now.” (09:36)

3. Chaotic and Memorable Grammy Moments

(11:04–14:18)

• Favorite "chaotic" moment: Alex Warren’s slip-up in the Best New Artist medley (mic/equipment issue).
  • Hazel Sills: “I just...Out of all the artists in that Best new artist medley who performed, Alex Warren was the one that I was least looking forward to.” (11:30–12:20)
• The Best New Artist medley was a highlight for the panelists—especially the dance-forward handoff between Addison Rae and Cat's Eye.
  • Rhianna Cruz: “My favorite chaotic moment was the transition from Addison Rae into Cat's Eye...everybody was so gagged.” (13:08–13:34)
• Recognition of the medley’s energetic and eclectic nature.

4. Best New Artist & Olivia Dean’s Rise

(14:18–15:58)

• Olivia Dean won Best New Artist and performed her massive hit "Man I Need."
  • Stephen Thompson: “This song would have won a boatload of Grammys in 1976-1986-1996-2000. That song is Grammys bait.” (15:02)
  • Hazel Sills: “She is a great performer and it's very well deserved. She's magnetic.” (15:29–15:58)

5. Lady Gaga’s Triumphant & Thematic Night

(16:00–18:23)

• Lady Gaga won Best Pop Vocal Album (Mayhem), Best Dance Pop Recording and Best Remixed Recording (Abracadabra). She also delivered a rock-inflected live rendition of "Abracadabra."
  • Rhianna Cruz: "She kind of always is morphing along with the music. It's a living creature that is constantly changing shape." (16:47)
  • Hazel Sills: “I actually do think Lady Gaga has been too pared back...I really missed the Gaga that I grew up with...I wanted, like, a medley. I wanted, like, full old school and...” (17:28)
• Panel loved the return of Gaga’s theatricality and praised the performance's “rock opera” grandeur.

6. “Rock is Back” Vibes – Performances Across the Night

(18:23–20:56)

• Multiple standout performances had pronounced rock energy—Bruno Mars & Blackpink, Justin Bieber’s stripped-down "Yukon," and the In Memoriam tribute to Ozzy Osbourne presided over by Post Malone.
• Hazel Sills raised questions about the Grammys' relationship to rock:
  • “Were there really rock moments or was it just, like, the aesthetics of rock?” (19:30)
• The show prioritized visual spectacle and genre-blending over strict adherence to traditional categories.

7. Political and Social Statements from the Stage

(20:56–22:27)

• Billie Eilish won Song of the Year for "Wildflower," a quiet, introspective song. She used her speech to declare:
  • Rhianna Cruz quoting Billie Eilish: “No one is illegal on stolen land.” (21:12)
• Hazel Sills: “That is...a privilege that can come with being this person who is so lauded by the Academy...to use her platform to express these political opinions.” (21:40)
• Panel mused on the recurring question of the artist’s role in making political statements and the seeming inevitability of Billie Eilish winning major awards.

8. Other Noteworthy Grammy Moments

(23:03–26:56)

• Steven Spielberg achieved EGOT status by winning a Grammy as a producer for a John Williams documentary.
  • “Finally that kid catches a break.” (23:47, Stephen Thompson)
• Youngest Grammy winner: Aura V, age 8, bests Blue Ivy for the new record. (23:51)
• NPR Tiny Desk achievement: Catriel y Paco Amoroso won Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album, a segment of the album is their Tiny Desk performance.
• First ever Best Contemporary Country Album awarded to Jelly Roll for Beautifully Broken. His speech: “Jesus is for everybody. Jesus is not owned by one political party.” (24:33)
• In Memoriam: Reba McEntire, Brandi Clark, Lucas Nelson, Post Malone, Ms. Lauryn Hill (with tribute to both Ozzy Osbourne and Roberta Flack), John Legend, and Chaka Khan created a lavish retrospective of late legends.
  • Rhianna Cruz: “I thought it was really great how [Lauryn Hill] brought out Wyclef John to end with killing me softly...Like, it was a moment that I didn’t necessarily foresee, but as soon as it happened, I was like, oh, oh, of course.” (25:59)

9. Showmanship and Next Year’s Host

(26:18–27:54)

• Sabrina Carpenter impressed with high-concept staging; Bruno Mars performed twice.
  • Hazel Sills: “He'll probably be hosting next year. Like, can do whatever he wants.” (26:44)
• Next year’s host is up in the air. Trevor Noah confirmed this was his last year hosting and received strong marks from all panelists for keeping the show on track:
  • Rhianna Cruz: “...there was an air of ease that came over the telecast. He didn't really care. I'm sure he cared. But...this is my last year, I'm gonna say whatever I want.” (27:16)
  • Hazel Sills praised the balance of humor and control in a room of “self-serious” musicians.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Bad Bunny’s Win & Message
  • “We are humans, and we are Americans.” (03:36, quoting Bad Bunny’s speech)
  • “This is such an important moment in his career for him to win for an album that is so singular and pointed in its messaging and its sound.” (03:53, Rhianna Cruz)
• Kendrick Lamar’s Triumph
  • "Kendrick just opened his mouth. Somebody give him a Grammy right now. Very prophetic. A prophetic line." (09:36, Rhianna Cruz referencing Drake’s “diss”)
  • “It spoke to the kind of general sense of chaos that permeated a lot of the night.” (11:04, Stephen Thompson, about Cher’s Record of the Year presentation)
• Best New Artist Medley
  • “My favorite chaotic moment was the transition from Addison Rae into Cat's Eye...everybody was so gagged.” (13:34, Rhianna Cruz)
• Lady Gaga’s Return
  • “She kind of always is morphing along with the music. It's a living creature that is constantly changing shape.” (16:47, Rhianna Cruz)
• Billie Eilish Statement
  • “No one is illegal on stolen land.” (21:12, Billie Eilish via Rhianna Cruz)
• In Memoriam & Lauryn Hill
  • “I was being really snarky...that's a lot of performance to hinge on Lauryn [Hill]. But you know what? I take it all back. She showed up and was incredible.” (25:45, Hazel Sills)

Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Highlight | |--------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:54–06:57 | Bad Bunny's wins, significance, and Latin music in pop | | 07:38–10:13 | Kendrick Lamar’s historic night | | 11:21–14:18 | Chaotic show moments, Best New Artist medley | | 14:18–15:58 | Olivia Dean’s Best New Artist win, performance | | 16:00–18:23 | Lady Gaga: awards, performance, “rock is back” theme | | 18:23–20:56 | Rock energy throughout the night | | 20:56–22:27 | Billie Eilish’s Song of the Year, political speech | | 23:03–26:18 | Other notable awards, milestones, In Memoriam segment | | 26:18–27:54 | Sabrina Carpenter/Bruno Mars, talk of future hosts | | 27:54–29:40 | Reflections on Trevor Noah and closing remarks |

Closing Thoughts

The episode brims with the sense of a transitional year: Latin and Spanish-language music gaining new legitimacy, veteran artists like Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga continuing to evolve, and the Grammys tentatively stepping into broader cultural conversations. With sharp, affectionate critique and just the right dose of late-night energy, the Pop Culture Happy Hour team delivers a loving—and occasionally snarky—tour through 2026’s biggest night in music.

For more of the panel’s thoughts, fan reactions, and extended pop culture chat, listeners are encouraged to share feedback on PCHH’s Facebook, and Plus subscribers get bonus access to live taping events.