From the Cure winning their first Grammys to a posthumous award for Chick Corea, it was a night of heartening wins and robust politics
Grammy awards 2026: list of winners
There are arguments to be made about the efficacy or not of celebs making political statements at awards ceremonies – some might say it is just as impotent as celebrities endorsing US presidential candidates. In the case of last night’s Grammys, we hardly need musicians to reiterate that what ICE is doing is morally reprehensible. And yet the sheer force and variety of these statements was bracing, making it clear that the issue should remain paramount in any context.
“No one is illegal on stolen land, and it’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now,” Billie Eilish said, reiterating a phrase popular at anti-ICE protests as she won song of the year for Wildflower. “I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter. ‘Fuck Ice’ is all I want to say, sorry.”
Winning the first of two R&B awards for Folded, Kehlani also called for a pan-industry stance: “Together we’re stronger in numbers to speak against all the injustice going on in the world right now … I hope everybody’s inspired to join together as a community of artists, so I’mma leave this and say: fuck ICE.” Winning best new artist, Olivia Dean said: “I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant – I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated,” with all the class and subtle power of her music itself.
