At the 2026 Grammys, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s song “Luther” won Record of the Year over nominees Bad Bunny (“DTMF”), Billie Eilish (“Wildflower”), Chappell Roan (“The Subway”), Doechii (“Anxiety”), Lady Gaga (“Abracadabra”), Rosé and Bruno Mars (“Apt.”), and Sabrina Carpenter (“Manchild”). “Luther” is one of my favorite songs and my 18th most-listened-to track of 2025. Kendrick Lamar and SZA are two of my favorite artists of all time, so I was beyond excited about this Grammy win. I even got to see this song performed live at the GNX tour in Lumen Field.
This win, however, taught me even more about a song I already loved–and made me appreciate it on a deeper level.
While announcing the winner for Record of the Year, Cher misread the name as Luther Vandross. However, this mistake led to a dedication to this iconic songwriter, who won 31 Grammys himself, and passed away 20 years ago. “Luther” samples Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s “If This World Were Mine,” an all-time classic about the depths of love–hence the song’s title.
If you’re interested in learning more about Vandross’ legacy as a vocalist, performer, and songwriter, I would recommend looking at the information provided online through The National Museum of African American History and Culture, which gives a detailed story of his accomplishments with photos of his clothing, microphones, and other personal artifacts on display at the museum.
Following Cher’s announcement of the winner, Kendrick, SZA, and the GNX team came on stage to make their acceptance speech. Sounwave, the producer of the song, spoke first, saying, “First and foremost, let’s give a shoutout to the late, great Luther Vandross. It was very, very important to keep the integrity of this record.” He highlighted the other producers before stepping aside for Kendrick, who delivered a powerful message about the song.
Kendrick shared that Luther Vandross is one of his “favorite artists of all time” and expressed how privileged he felt to have been able to do his own version of “If This World Were Mine.” He revealed that when Kendrick, SZA, and his producers got clearance for the song, they “damn near all dropped a tear.” They were also given one important condition: “No cursing, though. Can’t curse on it.” The rule was intended to make sure that the song would preserve the spirit of love that defined Vandross’ music.
Kendrick ended the speech with “Luther forever.” I can’t help but wonder whether the speech would have been so heavily dedicated to Vandross if Cher had not misread the winner, but perhaps we needed an acceptance speech like this now more than ever. This speech highlights a musical legend who represented love over hate, and with the world telling us to hate those who are different than us, this speech urges us to embrace our love for anyone. Vandross’ songs about the depths of queer love as a Black man are perfect to listen to this February, during this month of love. Knowing the story behind the song “Luther” makes me love it even more, and I know I will be having it on repeat this month.