Bad Bunny won big at the 2026 Grammys. It’s a boost at a dark time for U.S. Latinos. The record that won album of the year at the 2026 Grammy Awards Sunday night — Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” — is the one many industry experts labeled the most deserving, and therefore an unlikely candidate for victory. In the same breath, the Grammys — not a place historically known for fervent political messaging — was filled with celebrities taking anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement stances. Of the nine televised awards handed out to seven different artists, nearly half addressed immigration in their acceptance speeches. Both feel like a surprise. But it is no accident. The Grammy Awards have long been criticized over a lack of diversity, with a history of artists of color, women, rap, Latino and R&B musicians being snubbed for top prizes. In the past few years, however, that reputation has started to become challenged as the Recording Academy worked to add thousands of new voters across a variance of backgrounds. The results are notable: 3,800 new Recording Academy members were added in 2025. Half — 50% — are 39 and under, 58% are people of color and 35% identify as women. (Last year all Latin Grammy voting members were invited to join the Recording Academy, though it’s not clear how many became Grammy voters.) The 2025 Grammy ceremony seemed to reflect these changing dynamics as well, as Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar won major categories. And in 2026, that trend appears to have continued.
