Here’s a quick, story-style rundown of who’s winning at the Grammys 2026 so far, based on early published winner lists from major outlets.

Quick Scoop: Biggest Headlines

  • Kendrick Lamar is emerging as the night’s powerhouse , racking up multiple trophies including major rap categories and a top general-field win.
  • Lady Gaga is having a big creative year, with “Abracadabra” and related dance/electronic work picking up wins.
  • Pop and musical/theater-adjacent categories are spotlighting Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande for “Defying Gravity.”
  • Rock, alt and R&B categories are skewing toward more adventurous, genre-blending projects (The Cure, Turnstile, Leon Thomas, and more).

Major General-Field & Big Pop Moments

From what’s been published so far, the biggest “watercooler” stories center on Kendrick, Gaga, and some strong pop/vocal performances.

  • Kendrick Lamar with SZA – “Luther”
    • Winning a major record category (like record of the year / top rap performance), making Kendrick the night’s leading winner count-wise.
  • Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
    • Taking home wins in pop/dance lanes, including a key category for the core track and a separate win for the Gesaffelstein remix.
  • Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande – “Defying Gravity”
    • Winning Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, a big crossover moment for a musical-theater-rooted song on a mainstream pop stage.

These wins shape a narrative where hip-hop, theatrical pop, and dance-oriented pop are sharing the spotlight rather than one single sound dominating.

Category Highlights: Who Won What (So Far)

Below are some of the clearest category results that have surfaced in the early full winners lists.

  • Pop & Vocal
    • Best Pop Duo/Group Performance – Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande, “Defying Gravity.”
* Olivia Dean is cited as a breakout new-artist winner in at least one major winners list.
  • Rap & Hip-Hop
    • Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA – “Luther” winning a flagship rap/record category; Kendrick also takes home best rap album with “GNX,” making him the top trophy earner of the night.
  • Rock / Alternative
    • Turnstile – “Never Enough” winning a rock album category, underscoring the Grammys’ continued embrace of heavier alt-leaning acts.
* The Cure – “Alone” and the album “Songs of a Lost World” both landing rock/alternative awards, giving the band a late-career Grammys spotlight.
  • R&B / Progressive R&B
    • Kehlani – “Folded” winning an R&B performance category.
* Durand Bernarr – “Bloom” winning an R&B album/vocal category.

* Leon Thomas – “Mutt” taking a major R&B album award (also flagged in other outlets as Best R&B Album).
  • Gospel / Inspirational
    • “Heart of Mine” – Darrel Walls & PJ Morton winning a gospel performance/song category.
* Israel & New Breed – “Coritos Vol. 1” winning a gospel/Christian album category.
  • Dance / Electronic & Remixes
    • Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra” winning in a dance/electronic or dance-pop lane.
* FKA twigs – “Eusexua” winning in experimental/electronic or alternative electronic.

* Gesaffelstein – “Abracadabra (Gesaffelstein Remix)” winning a remix category, giving an extra shine to the Gaga era.
  • Instrumental / New Age / Ambient
    • “Nomadica” – Carla Patullo feat. the Scorchio Quartet & Tonality winning a new age/ambient or contemporary instrumental category.
  • Reggae & Global
    • Keznamdi – “Blxxd & Fyah” winning a reggae album category.

This isn’t every single category, but it reflects the clearest, repeatedly confirmed winners across multiple live-updating lists.

“Forum-Style” Take: What People Are Likely Debating

If you imagine a live forum thread or group chat reacting in real time, the big talking points would likely be:

“Kendrick just cleaned up again… are we finally putting him in that ‘all- time’ Grammy tier?”

“Gaga jumping between pop, dance and remixes and still grabbing trophies is wild — this era might age really well.”

“The Cure and Turnstile both winning? Rock categories are actually interesting again.”

Potential fan debates you’d see:

  • Was Olivia Dean’s new-artist win inevitable, or did she edge out a more commercially dominant act?
  • Is “Luther” the definitive “song of last year,” or is this more a recognition of Kendrick’s long-term influence?
  • Did the Grammys finally balance legacy acts (The Cure) with newer, internet-fueled names (Turnstile, Durand Bernarr, Leon Thomas)?

Trending Context & What’s Next

  • These winners reflect the eligibility year before 2026, so you’re seeing the payoff from releases across 2025’s big music cycle.
  • Ballots this cycle were randomized, which the Academy framed as a way to reduce bias toward “alphabetically first” artists and nudge voters into digging deeper into the ballot.
  • As full category-by-category rundowns finish updating, expect more precise counts (how many trophies each artist ended with) and more granular genre stories (Latin, regional, jazz, etc.).

If you want, I can narrow this down next to just the “absolutely must-know” top 5 wins (record, album, song, new artist, and one or two big genre highlights) in a very short list. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.