The 68th annual Grammy Awards were a big night for the Wicked movie, and hit Broadway musical Buena Vista Social Club wins Best Musical Theatre Album.
● Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo won the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Defying Gravity” from the original Wicked movie musical
● Buena Vista Social Club scored a Grammy Award win for Best Musical Theater Album
● Steven Spielberg becomes an EGOT winner
The Ozians have plenty to celebrate! Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande took home a Grammy Award last night, for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Their winning rendition of the iconic Wicked anthem “Defying Gravity” won out in a competitive field of nominees, including SZA, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars, Rosé, Katseye, and HUNTR/X.
Ariana & Cynthia milestones
This victory adds another prestigious milestone to both Ariana and Cynthia’s careers:
- Ariana Grande: Now a three-time Grammy winner following an impressive career of a total of 20 Grammy nominations.
- Cynthia Erivo: Earns her second Grammy win from a total of five career nominations.
A big night for Wicked
The recognition didn’t stop at their award win. The Wicked cinematic universe made inroads into several categories this year:
- Soundtrack Success: The film was recognized in the Best Compilation Soundtrack and Best Score Soundtrack categories.
- Composition Honors: Composers Stephen Schwartz and John Powell earned a nod for Best Instrumental Composition for the track “Train to Emerald City.”
- Erivo’s Solo Success: Beyond Oz, Cynthia Erivo was also nominated for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella for the track “Be Okay” from her latest solo album, I Forgive You.
The Grammy win for Wicked is the latest jewel in the crown for Jon M. Chu’s two-film franchise.
The first instalment won two Oscars out of 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. However, the second movie, Wicked: For Good, was passed over by the Oscars, failing to get any nominations this year.
Commercially, the movies have been a juggernaut. The 2025 release of Wicked: For Good pulled in a massive $226 million globally during its opening weekend. This feat shattered the record for the biggest opening for a movie musical – a record previously held by the first Wicked film in 2024.
The Wicked phenomenon continues
The films brought a star-studded cast to the screen, including Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum, reimagining the story that first took Broadway by storm in 2003, and opened at the West End’s Apollo Victoria Theatre in 2006.
Based on Gregory Maguire’s novel and Stephen Schwartz’s timeless music, Wicked is currently in its 19th year in the West End – and on 27 September 2026 will celebrate its 20th birthday in London.
In November, the show became the 9th longest-running show – and 7th longest-running musical – in West End history. In January 2025, the West End musical racked up its 7,500th performance at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.
Visit our Wicked tickets hub for availability
Buena Vista Social Club
Another musical winner at this year’s Grammy’s was the hit musical Buena Vista Social Club.
The original Broadway cast recording of Buena Vista Social Club scored a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album at the 68th Grammys!
The show beat fellow Broadway shows Death Becomes Her, Gypsy, Just In Time, and Maybe Happy Ending.
Steven Spielberg – EGOT!
Another story to come out of this year’s Grammys is that director and producer Steven Spielberg (Hamnet, Jaws, E.T., Schindler’s List) has joined the elite ranks of EGOT winners!
The Oscar-winning director bagged a Grammy last night for Best Music – Film for the documentary Music by John Williams which Spielberg co-produced with Ron Howard amongst others.
That means he has reached the lofty heights of EGOT status – having won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award.
He joins an elite band including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Alan Menken, Jennifer Hudson, Viola Davis, Elton John, and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Apollo Victoria Theatre, London
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