Bad Bunny Wins Album of the Year, a First for a Spanish-Language Record

Bad Bunny won album of the year at the 68th Grammy Awards on Sunday night for “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos,” the first time a Spanish-language album has taken the ceremony’s top prize, according to TheWrap and an American Enterprise Institute commentary. Rolling Stone’s list of winners shows the Puerto Rican star also won best musica urbana album.

The ceremony was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and hosted by Trevor Noah, according to TheWrap and Standard Media. Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga were among the artists up for album of the year, and Bad Bunny’s record was up against Lamar’s “GNX” and Gaga’s “Mayhem.”

Lamar left with the night’s biggest historical mark. TheWrap and Standard Media reported that he is now the most-awarded rapper in Grammy history, passing Jay-Z’s long-standing record. Standard Media said he won five awards that night, bringing his career total to 27. He won best rap album for “GNX” and shared record of the year with SZA for “luther,” according to TheWrap and Rolling Stone.

Other major prizes went to Billie Eilish for song of the year, “Wildflower,” and to Olivia Dean for best new artist. Lady Gaga won best pop vocal album for “Mayhem” and best dance pop recording for “Abracadabra.” The Cure won best alternative music album for “Songs of a Lost World,” according to TheWrap and Rolling Stone.

Steven Spielberg completed his EGOT, the set of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, when “Music by John Williams,” a documentary he produced, won best music film, according to TheWrap and Jacaranda FM. TheWrap and Rolling Stone also listed the “Sinners” soundtrack among the winners for best score soundtrack.

Politics ran through some of the speeches. According to TheWrap, Bad Bunny opened his remarks on the musica urbana award by saying he would say “ICE out” before thanking God, a reference to federal immigration enforcement, a remark the American Enterprise Institute commentary also quotes. The administration and its supporters maintain that enforcing immigration law is a basic federal duty.

Performers on the night included Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, Clipse and Lady Gaga, according to TheWrap and Rolling Stone.

The album-of-the-year win is a milestone for Latin music in the United States. The Puerto Rican star’s record beat Lamar’s “GNX” and Gaga’s “Mayhem” for the night’s top prize, and Rolling Stone’s list shows it also took the musica urbana category.