In the lead-up to last night’s Grammy Awards, there were three very clear front-runners in the race for Album of the Year, starting with Kendrick Lamar’s incredible GNX, which featured hits like “squabble up” and “luther.”
Then, we had Lady Gaga’s Mayhem, which saw a triumphant return to her maximalist pop roots.
And finally, there was Bad Bunny — real name, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — who wowed the world with Debí Tirar Más Fotos, a bold and eclectic album celebrating the past and present sounds of his native island, Puerto Rico.
Though it’s hard to believe, neither Kendrick, Gaga, nor Benito has ever won AOTY at the Grammys before. And with such a big award on the line, you’d think there might be some tension between the three front-runners. However, that appeared not to be the case last night.
Before the AOTY was announced, footage from inside the ceremony showed Gaga approaching Benito from behind, giving him a gentle hug, and whispering something in his ear.
The clip doesn’t have audio, so it’s unclear exactly what she says. But, to me, the sweetest part of the interaction is the way Benito jumps a little, before melting in relief.
Well, whatever Gaga said was seemingly good luck, as, in the end, it was Benito who took home the win for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, making history as the first Spanish-language artist to win AOTY. Incredible.
And I’m not sure anyone was more pleased for him than Gaga, who won Best Pop Vocal Album earlier in the night. Look at the way she literally leapt out of her seat the moment his name was called!
Notably, Gaga was visibly tearful during Benito’s AOTY acceptance speech, which sparked some conversations online.
“What he means to people is so incredibly important. He’s a brilliant musician and human being,” she said. “I thought what he said was incredibly important and so inspiring. What’s happening in this country is incredibly heartbreaking, and we’re so lucky to have leaders like him that are speaking up for what is true and what is right.”
You can read all about Benito’s powerful anti-ICE comments here. In the meantime, I’m gonna be streaming Debí Tirar Más Fotos all week long. Bring on the Super Bowl halftime show.