Bad Bunny has made history by taking home the Grammy for Album of the Year for his nostalgic LP Debi Tirar Mas Fotos. This is the first time the Grammy’s biggest award has gone to a project entirely in Spanish.
Bad Bunny held his head in hands in total disbelief and immediately teared up before he took the stage for his big moment. He hugged Harry Styles, who presented the award, and turned to the look at a cheering crowd, taking in the historic, singular moment. Of course, the first words the Latin superstar uttered to start his acceptance speech were, “Puerto Rico.”
Benito continued his speech in Spanish: “There’s nothing we can’t achieve. Thank you to God, thank you to the Academy, and thank you to all those who have believed in me my entire career, all of the people who have worked on this album, and thanks to Mami for giving birth to me in Puerto Rico. I love you,” he said. He switched into English at one point. “I want to dedicate this award to all the people that had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams,” he said, before switching back into Spanish. “For all the people who have lost someone close to them and had to continue forward with lots of strength, this award is for you,” he said. Bad Bunny wrapped his speech with a message for his fans and predecessors, “Thanks for all the love, I love you. To all of the Latinos of the world and all the artists that came before me, who deserved to be on this floor winning this award, thank you so much,” he said.
The category is always competitive, but the nominees faced off in a particularly tight race this year. Along with Bad Bunny, contenders included Justin Bieber for Swag, Sabrina Carpenter for Man’s Best Friend, Clipse, the duo comprised of Pusha T & Malice, for Let God Sort Em Out, Kendrick Lamar for GNX, Lady Gaga for Mayhem, Leon Thomas for Mutt, and Tyler, the Creator for Chromakopia. None of these artists had ever won an Album of the Year Grammy before, meaning that whoever scored would have made history as a first-time winner.
Though Gaga and Bad Bunny were cited as favorites to win, many people were also watching to see if Lamar’s GNX and Tyler, the Creator’s Chromakopia would have been the first album by a male solo rapper to win in this category. Bad Bunny was nominated in this category in 2023 for his album Un Verano Sin Ti, which became the first Spanish-language album ever up for an Album of the Year Grammy. That year, Styles took home the award.
The category has been a big one for the history books: Last year, Beyoncé took home Album of the Year for her country-pivot, Cowboy Carter. It was the superstar’s first time winning the night’s biggest prize.
Bad Bunny has received 16 nominations throughout his career, and won three awards. Debi Tirar Mas Fotos got him six nominations, and made him the first Spanish-language artist to be nominated for Album, Record, and Song of the Year in the same year.