Cirkut’s big night, Bieber’s bare return and calls against ICE define the 2026 Grammys

It was a night of magic for Canadian hitmaker Henry Walter, and one of disillusionment elsewhere, as Sunday’s Grammys saw several artists call out the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, laying bare a divided America — mirrored by Justin Bieber’s near-naked return to the stage.

Walter, better known as Cirkut, took home two trophies, including producer of the year and best dance pop recording for Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra.”

“You trusted me with your vision,” Walter said while accepting the former award, thanking his collaborators.

“You could have chosen anyone but you chose me.”

The Halifax-raised producer was recognized for his work with Lady Gaga on the gothic dance album “Mayhem,” as well as Rosé and Bruno Mars’ rock-influenced earworm “Apt.” and The Weeknd’s synth-soaked lullaby “Big Sleep.”

The night also saw Bieber deliver a decidedly stripped-down performance, taking the Grammys stage for the first time in four years.

Rocking nothing but a pair of boxers and socks, the Stratford, Ont., native used a loop pedal to create a backing track with a guitar and drum machine before launching into his brooding single “Yukon.”

Bieber has mostly stayed off the stage since being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome in 2022, which left half of his face temporarily paralyzed.

His wife, Hailey Bieber, was shown beaming in the audience as Bieber crooned his soulful, intimate rendition of the single off his album “Swag.”

Bieber was up for four Grammys, including album of the year and best pop solo performance, but came up empty-handed.

During an earlier ceremony, Joni Mitchell made a rare public appearance to accept the Grammy for best historical album for “Joni Mitchell Archives — Volume 4: The Asylum Years,” a box set featuring unreleased material from her personal archives.

The 82-year-old singer-songwriter, wearing a shimmering pantsuit adorned in gold, silver and black sequins, was accompanied on stage by co-producer Patrick Milligan.

Mitchell, who initially seemed confused on stage, recounted stories behind her past albums, including 1974’s “Court and Spark” and “For the Roses” from 1972. For the latter, she said label head David Geffen wouldn’t allow her to use a sketch of a horse’s behind as the album cover.

However, she said he did allow her to use the drawing on a billboard.

“So there was a big horse’s ass on Sunset Boulevard for a while,” she quipped as the audience erupted in laughter.

While her speech did not touch on politics, Mitchell was among the stars who sported an “ICE Out” button, which has been a form of protest at red-carpet events against the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in American cities. Hailey Bieber also wore one.

Several winning artists — including Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish — took aim at the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, which has sparked outcry for excessive use of force.

“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say, ‘ICE out,'” said Bad Bunny during his acceptance speech for música urbana album.

“We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”

Bad Bunny was among the night’s biggest winners, also taking home Album of the Year and Best Global Music Performance for “EoO.”

Host Trevor Noah kept the jokes coming throughout the evening, at one point taking a jab at Drake.

While standing beside Kendrick Lamar during his opening monologue, he referenced the much-publicized beef between the two rappers: “I actually thought about roasting you, and then I remembered what you can do to light-skinned men from other countries.”

Among other Canadian winners was sound mixer Serban Ghenea, who won best dance pop recording alongside Walter for their work on Gaga’s “Abracadabra.”

Toronto professor Justin Gray also nabbed the Grammy for best immersive audio album.

He’s the first Canadian to ever win a Grammy in the category.

“Thank you to every single person responsible for bringing this record to life,” Gray said while accepting the award.

His album, “Immersed,” was brought to life with 38 Toronto artists from his own orbit.

“To Toronto, to Canada, we love you.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2026.