The 2026 Grammy Awards kicked off with the Premiere Ceremony on February 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where multiple artists celebrated their inaugural victories. Standouts included The Cure, Jelly Roll, and FKA twigs, each securing hardware in key categories ahead of the main broadcast.
The Grammy Premiere Ceremony, held before the prime-time telecast, delivered early triumphs for several nominees. Country artist Jelly Roll captured his first two Grammys: best country duo/group performance for "Amen" with Shaboozey, and best contemporary Christian music performance/song for "Hard Fought Hallelujah" with Brandon Lake. His wife, Bunnie Xo, shared a jubilant video on Facebook, exclaiming, "I knew it! I told you you were gonna win a Grammy!" as they embraced, with the caption noting a second win mid-upload: "While this was uploading he WON ANOTHER ONE!!! TWO GRAMMY’S!!!!!!"
Iconic band The Cure marked a career milestone by winning their first Grammys for the album Songs of a Lost World. They took best alternative music album and best alternative music performance for "Alone," beating competitors like Bon Iver, Tyler, the Creator, Wet Leg, and Hayley Williams. Absent due to the funeral of longtime member Perry Bamonte, who died in December at age 65, frontman Robert Smith issued a statement read onstage: "Simon, Jason, Roger, Reeves and I would like to thank the Grammys for this wonderful award, we are very honoured to receive it." The album, their first in 16 years, earned praise as a personal reflection on loss.
Experimental artist FKA twigs also notched her debut win for best dance/electronic album with Eusexua, topping Fred Again.., PinkPantheress, Rüfüs Du Sol, and Skrillex. Accepting the award, she reflected, "It’s been the most incredible journey... to any artist, don’t give up. Follow your vision, do you, because that’s what’s gonna make the world fall in love with your art." Backstage, she described it as an "out of body experience," crediting inspirations from underground raves in Prague.
Other first-time winners included Kehlani for best R&B performance with "Folded," declaring, "I’ve never won anything before... Fuck ICE," and Yungblud for best rock performance covering "Changes" at Black Sabbath's farewell, dedicating it to Ozzy Osbourne: "God bless rock music, and god bless fucking Ozzy Osbourne!" These victories highlighted diverse genres, setting an energetic tone for the evening hosted by Trevor Noah.
