Durand Bernarr, Doechii, Cynthia Erivo, & Kehlani Win Big at The 2026 GRAMMY Awards

This year’s 68th Annual Grammy Awards have proven that Black and queer artists are continuing to claim their place in the music industry.

Through long overdue first wins to career defining nominations, artists like Durand Bernarr, Doechii, and Destin Conrad, along with countless collaborators behind the scenes are raising the bar through pure artistry and audacity.

Listed below are artists who didn’t just win Grammys…they won for the culture. 

Durand Bernarr 

“Happy Black History Month for the rest of my life!” – Durand Bernarr

In a hard earned 20+ year independent career, Durand Bernarr is finally a Grammy winner. At the 68th Grammy  Awards, Bernarr took home Best Progressive R&B Album for his third studio album, BLOOM. On this latest project, Bernarr goes against the grain of traditional R&B, where romance often takes center stage. Instead, BLOOM explores the forms of love found within oneself, among friendships, and throughout community. 

In his signature animated style, Bernarr accepted the award with infectious joy. 

“I want to remind everyone that we are all we got and we know who I’m referring to…” he said, before thanking his parents, friends, and the Recording Academy, among others. 

He then finished his speech with a triumphant affirmation, 

“To all the independent artists out there, and to every Butch Queen who was made to feel like you were too much. I am the proof that you needed and the sign you were waiting for. Be yourself!” 

Durand Bernarr was first nominated for a Grammy in 2025 in the same category for his EP En Route, earning two additional nominations for Best R&B Song (“Unqualified”) and Best Traditional Performance (“Here We Are”).

Originally introduced as Best Urban Contemporary Album in 2013 at the 55th Grammy Awards, the category was later renamed Best Progressive R&B Album in 2020. With this win, Bernarr joins a prestigious lineage of artists who have received the honor, including Frank Ocean, the category’s first ever winner, Beyoncé, Rihanna, SZA, and Steve Lacy. 

Doechii 

The self-proclaimed Swamp “Princess” has added yet another Grammy to her belt, winning  Best Music Video for her viral hit single, “Anxiety”. The track also earned four additional Grammy nominations: Best Rap Song, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, and Record of the Year.  “Anxiety” began as a DIY bedroom recording in 2019 originally meant for Doechii’s debut mixtape Coven Music Session, Vol. 1. The song samples the 2x Grammy winning “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye and Kimbra. In a meta twist of sampling history, rapper Sleepy Hallow later sampled the hook from the chorus for his own track titled “A N X I E T Y”, which went on to enjoy Billboard success. 

The song found new life years later when fans unearthed the unreleased track on YouTube following Doechii’s historic and first Grammy win for Best Rap Album for her mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal in 2025. After an overwhelming wave of fan requests, Doechii answered the call, re-recorded the vocals, and officially released an updated version of “Anxiety” through her label, Top Dawg Entertainment/Capitol Records. 

In a brief video, Doechii breaks down the full “lore” behind the track ahead of its highly anticipated release. Just over a month later, an accompanying music video arrived. Directed by James Mackel, the frenetic visual follows Doechii as she navigates a series of chaotic, anxiety-inducing scenarios such as a raging kitchen fire, a window-smashing raid, and a falling chandelier that misses her by mere inches. 

The captivating visuals deliver everything you could want, exhilarating action sequences, guest appearances from Gotye and Kimbra, a dance number, and a full circle return to her old bedroom, the song’s humble birthplace. Altogether, Doechii has earned two Grammy wins and eight nominations and shows no signs of slowing down. 

Cynthia Erivo 

EGOT-eligible powerhouse Cynthia Erivo won her second Grammy alongside popstar Ariana Grande, winning Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the Wicked anthem “Defying Gravity”. Erivo stars as Elphaba Thropp, the reimagined Wicked Witch of the West, in the two part film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked. Her performance was widely praised for its emotional range and masterful execution, as well as her instantly iconic war cry. Wicked also received a nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, ultimately losing to composer Ludwig Göransson for his work on Sinners.

Outside the world of Wicked, Erivo earned a Grammy nomination for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella for “Be Okay” from her second studio album, I Forgive You. In contrast to the powerhouse belting normally associated with her stage work, the album displays a softer, gentler, and more sultry side to the artist.

Erivo won her first Grammy in 2017 for Best Musical Theater Album, in part for her career-defining performance as Celie Harris in the Broadway musical revival of The Color Purple. Most recently, Erivo is set to open her ambitious 23 character, one-woman West End production Dracula on February 7.

Kehlani 

Queer R&B staple Kehlani won their first two Grammys back to back for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance for “Folded”. With patience comes reward, after more than a decade long professional career and ten years since their first Grammy nomination, “Folded” is now Kehlani’s biggest commercial hit to date.

In a backstage  interview, Kehlani shared a celebratory embrace with fellow first time Grammy winner Durand Bernarr, making the moment especially meaningful as both artists are living proof that openly queer artists are finally being recognized for their cultural and musical impact. 

In her first Grammy acceptance speech, Kehlani used the platform to voice her stance on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

“Everybody is so powerful in this room and together we’re stronger in numbers to speak against all the injustice going on in the world right now”, they said, ending their speech with a direct statement, “I’m going to leave this and say, FUCK ICE”.

Kehlani later reiterated the importance of artists using their influence to create change.

“I think we’re often either what leads or aids revolution, or provides a lens for people who will understand things better via art. I think we have a big responsibility…and the opportunity to use it wisely. There’s so many of us, that a group of us using it wisely is pretty unstoppable.” 

Throughout the ceremony, Kehlani, was also among a handful of artists, who visibly wore “ICE OUT” pins, affirming their opposition to ICE and the devastation it continues to cause nationwide.

To exist as a Black and queer body in this world, is in itself an act of revolution. Every accolade, every milestone, no matter how personal it may seem, is rooted in the collective strength of our community. Their wins are our wins. Queer people have long been the bedrock of music and culture. We set the trends, shape the sound, and move the culture forward often without credit and through outright theft. 

Now, recognition is steadily creeping to the surface, but only a painfully small fraction of Black, queer artists are getting the recognition they deserve. Hopefully, for every Durand Bernarr or Doechii, standing on that stage, may there be hundreds and thousands of Black, queer visionaries, who feel affirmed enough to carry the torch even further and to higher heights.