Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande win first Grammy Award given out Sunday

LOS ANGELES, February 2 ------ The 68th annual Grammy Awards are taking place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and spirits were high from the jump. The Premiere Ceremony, a pre-telecast show, began with musician and host Darren Criss setting the scene — giving out the first award of the day, for best pop/duo group performance to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande for “Defying Gravity.” They were not present to accept the award.

An impressive 86 Grammys will be handed out pre-broadcast. It is a dramatically different tone than last year. The 2025 award show was completely reimagined and refocused to relief efforts following the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires. In 2026, the focus will once again on music, where Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, and more will go head-to-head during the televised ceremony.

The energy was high from minute one at the Premiere Ceremony: Earth, Wind & Fire gave a groovy opening performance of “Shining Star” with some help from Israel Houghton, Lila Ike, Grace Potter, Maggie Rose, and Trombone Shorty. “That’s how you start a show!” Recording Academy CEO and President Harvey Mason jr. said in his opening remarks. “That’s a statement. That’s joy. That’s resilience.”

Following the Premiere Ceremony, comedian Trevor Noah will host the main show for a sixth and final year, and history could be made when some of the biggest names in music gather. Here’s some key things to know ahead of Sunday’s show at the Crypto.com Arena.

Source: inquirer.net