Grammy highlights - from a chaotic Cher to Sabrina's flight of fantasy

The 68th Grammys ceremony provided its usual mix of endless awards, powerful speeches and perplexing performances.

Bad Bunny declared "ICE out" as he took home three awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night, while KPop Demon Hunters made history and British singer Olivia Dean confirmed her status as pop's brightest new star.

We stayed up all night to watch it, so you didn't have to.

Here are some of the best and worst moments from "music's biggest night".

Cher made a surprise appearance at the Grammys - her first in 18 years - to receive a lifetime achievement award, and then to present record of the year.

And while it was great to see the singer, her link was messier than a night out with Charli XCX.

She gave a heartfelt acceptance speech about the importance of following your dreams before walking off without having revealed the next nominees.

When she did, she announced - confusingly - that Luther Vandross had won, seemingly from beyond the grave.

Easy mistake, though, and it soon became apparent that she had meant to say Luther... by Kendrick Lamar and SZA - a track that does indeed sample the late soul singer.

If only she could turn back time.

"I love live television," laughed host Trevor Noah afterwards.

The show got under way with a rocking version of APT by Bruno Mars and Rosé, which was up for several awards (but ultimately didn't win any).

Comedian Noah - in his sixth and final outing as host - explained afterwards that the track was inspired by popular South Korean drinking game Apartment.

He then noted how, in light of recent events, the American public now had their own new national drinking game.

"Every time you turn on the news, you drink," he quipped.

Pharrell Williams - the architect of hits like Kelis's Milkshake, Justin Timberlake's Rock Your Body, ODB's Got Your Money and his own feelgood hit Happy - was rightfully given the Grammys global impact award.

Looking dapper in a pink tux, the star dedicated his prize to "everyone in this room who believes in the power of black music".

But he squirmed his way through a celebratory montage of his biggest songs.

"I don't know how y'all feel but, for me, it's like listening to your voicemail over like a loudspeaker," he observed.

British star Yungblud won best rock performance for his live rendition of Black Sabbath's Changes - recorded during Ozzy Osbourne's farewell concert in Birmingham last year.

Speaking to reporters on the red carpet, the Doncaster singer said the prize felt a bit "bittersweet", after Osbourne's death last summer.

He also revealed that his hotel had hung a picture of the late rock star "above the fireplace" of his room, "as a little good luck charm".

It was a "pretty epic" touch, he added of the gesture.

Before the show, Osbourne's widow Sharon told BBC News the family were delighted that some of rock's biggest names had got together to "show their love and respect" with a tribute performance during the ceremony.

Walking the red carpet, his son Jack said it felt like his dad was with them - except that he had actually "hated awards shows".

"He wouldn't want to be with us," he added with a laugh.

Sabrina Carpenter gave one of last year's most memorable performances, with a blooper-filled rendition of Espresso.

And she was cleared for take-off again in 2026, thanks to a seatbelt-fastening take on her number one hit Manchild.

The star appeared as an airline pilot, twirling her way through baggage reclaim while shrugging off a bevy of useless men – a surgeon, a priest, a magician, an astronaut.

It made absolutely no sense, but she delivered it with such panache that it barely mattered – even when she ended the performance by pulling a dove out of a top hat.

In other words, she wasn't winging it. She's got an altitude for this sort of thing. The performance landed. Stop me when you've had enough.

Leon Thomas won one of the early awards for best traditional R&B performance for his song Vibes Don't Lie, but he wasn't there to pick it up.

Luckily his mum, Jayon Anthony, was on hand to accept the award for him and even brought a note to explain his absence.

"Right now he's on stage rehearsing," she explained, ahead of her son's performance in the best new artist medley.

However, Thomas made it to the stage in time to pick up his second award - best R&B album, for Mutt.

Golden, the breakout hit from Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters, was named best song for visual media - earning the K-pop genre its first ever Grammy Award.

Marking that historic occasion, South Korean-American singer-songwriter EJAE (Eun-jae Kim) thanked her... er, dentist.

On the red carpet, she explained that the song had come to her on the drive to get a routine check-up and polish.

She recorded the melody as a voice memo, before getting into the dreaded dental chair.

"Thank you dentist," she smiled on the red carpet, showing off those pearly whites.

Supermodel Heidi Klum got tongues wagging on the red carpet while taking comically short steps in a nude latex dress.

She could barely walk, but soldiered on with a smile for the photographers.

The German catwalk star later reappeared, having slipped into something more comfortable.

Elsewhere on the night, Chappell Roan went totally topless but for two nipple rings, threaded with the spaghetti straps that were holding up the bottom of her dress.

Speaking of which...

Justin Bieber made his Grammys return with a performance of Yukon, from his 2025 album Swag 2.

And the Canadian pop star performed wearing nothing but his silk boxers, a pair of socks and a purple guitar.

His wife Hailey wore a smile, looking on in the audience.

"One more move and we would've had to put the show on OnlyFans," joked Noah afterwards. "That was brave."

And she is not lacking in confidence either.

The Grammys' youngest ever winner won best children's album for her collaboration with her father, Fyütch.

Speaking on stage, she said it was "an honour to be here", adding: "I was not expecting us to go this far."

She also gave a shout-out to Icelandic star Laufey - winner of best traditional pop vocal album.

"I just saw her on the red carpet, and I got to talk to her for a little bit, and I know that she won a Grammy too so congratulations to her."

Speaking to reporters afterwards, she explained her purple outfit was inspired by her love of lavenders and the calmness they bring.

She also confirmed her bedtime had been extended until 1am for the night, while her dad said the fizzy apple juice would be flowing in celebration.

At last year's Grammys, Lady Gaga booked out an entire ad break to premiere the music video for Abracadabra, her fantastically maximalist return to pop theatrics.

This time round, she brought the song to life with a small rock ensemble that featured her producer Andrew Watt on guitar and Gaga herself on a vintage Roland keyboard.

It was reliably, delightfully over the top. Gaga's head was trapped in Satan's wicker basket, as she performed her "monster claw" dance and writhed around on the floor.

The painstaking pop production that earned the song a record of the year nomination was jettisoned, with Gaga screaming the hook against a blinding array of floodlights.

It was disco. It was punk. It was The Phantom of the Popera. Well done.

*NB: Sarcasm.

That's not an insult, by the way. It stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony (awards).

In other words, an artist who won all of the above.

The famous film director joined the esteemed EGOT club on Sunday with a win in the music film category for his production work on Music for John Williams, a documentary about the US composer.

Spielberg's Grammy gong will sit nicely alongside his Oscar ornaments won for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, his Emmys for ER and Animaniacs, as well as his Tony trophy for A Strange Loop.

He's gonna need a bigger cabinet.

Other card-carrying members of the now 22-strong EGOT club include Sir Elton John, Viola Davis and Whoopi Goldberg.

Addison Rae and Alex Warren both rose to fame on TikTok. In fact, they were both members of the Hype House, whose members became celebrities during the Covid lockdowns.

Over the last couple of years, however, they've both launched pop careers.

Warren had the UK's biggest-selling single of 2025 with Ordinary, an ode to his wife Kouvr, who left home to be with him when he was living rough on the streets of LA.

Rae took inspiration from Charli XCX and Britney Spears, turning in one of last year's most innovative and addictive debut albums.

Both earned nominations for best new artist – which meant both got to perform at the Grammy ceremony.

Sadly for Warren, earpiece issues left him singing flat and out of sync during his segment. A more seasoned performer might have pulled through, but his inexperience was telling.

Rae was another matter – her background as a dancer helping her pull off a tight and punchy performance of Fame Is A Gun, filmed backstage as a trolley laden with Grammy trophies was driving past.

In the end, both lost out to Olivia Dean – whose joyous version of Man I Need had the entire audience singing along.

This year's awards saw the best country album honour divided in two, with new categories for best traditional and best contemporary country album.

The move came after Beyoncé's win for the disruptive Cowboy Carter last year, and some saw the change as a dig at the star's attempt to cross genres.

But the Recording Academy said the change had been under discussion for years, as forward-thinking artists begin to incorporate pop, rap, hip-hop and even EDM to the Nashville sound.

In the end, the newly minted best traditional prize went to Zach Top, who proved his credentials by accepting the trophy in a cowboy hat.

Rapper-turned-country star Jelly Roll won the new honour for best contemporary country album.

Backstage, he talked about why the category changes were necessary.

"The Grammys is always showing how hip they are, with what's actually going on with music," he said, noting there'd been an "undeniable tsunami" in the genre over the last five years.

Bad Bunny stole the headlines with his historic album of the year win, but there was one thing he couldn't do: Play his music.

Just like Kendrick Lamar last year, he's about to headline the Super Bowl half-time show, which means that, contractually, he's not allowed to perform anywhere else.

That didn't stop Noah trying to persuade him. "Don't you get jealous seeing everyone else [perform]?" he asked the musician.

Smiling, Bad Bunny responded: "Maybe a little bit", then tried to turn the tables by asking Noah about his decision to step down as Grammys host.

"I should have taken more photos. I should have given more hugs and more kisses whenever I could," Noah replied, quoting Bunny's lyrics in the song DtMF.

"Is that my song in English?" asked the singer, before transitioning into the actual lyrics: "Y si hoy me emborracho, pues, que me ayuden."

All of a sudden, a brass band appeared, goading the star into a few bars of his song.

"Oh man, if they sue you, that wasn't me," laughed Noah.

The legendary singer-songwriter provided some much needed context ahead of the ceremony, stressing that, while awards are nice, they are not the most important thing in the music world.

The real award, as the Grammy winner said on the red carpet, is the work itself.

"The win is doing it, getting to do it, getting to have people hear the music," explained King - who has won multiple Grammys awards including best album in 1972 for the timeless Tapestry.

"And that was just like the extra win, but that the important part was doing it.

"And I kind of want to tell all the nominees who don't get the award, they've already won."

OK, this technically isn't about the music - but a new trailer for the long-awaited Devil Wears Prada sequel casually dropped during a break in the Grammys action.

In the preview for the movie, which is out in cinemas on 1 May, it seems that Anne Hathaway's character, Andy Sachs, is no longer the scared assistant to Meryl Streep's menacing fashion editor, Miranda Priestly.

But does her old boss recognise the new Andy? Not that she's letting on.

"Sorry, who is this?" Priestly is heard asking her colleague Nigel Kipling, played by Stanley Tucci.

"Do you know her? Do I know her?"

And just to ram home the fact that Streep's character is based on feared fashion editor Anna Wintour, the soundtrack to the trailer was Madonna's Vogue.