Cher Names Wrong Winner, Then Confirms Kendrick Lamar and SZA for ‘Luther’ at Grammys

Overview

• Kendrick Lamar and SZA were officially announced as Record of the Year winners for Luther after a brief onstage correction.
• Moments after receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award, Cher started to leave, returned at Trevor Noah’s prompt, hesitated over the envelope, and initially said “Luther Vandross.”
• The winning track pays homage to Vandross, a multiple Grammy recipient who died in 2005, which added context to the confusion.
• Kendrick responded lightheartedly in his speech by invoking Vandross, drawing laughter from the audience.
• SZA later defended Cher, citing the song’s tribute, with reports that Cher expected the winner on the prompter and was seen apologizing to producer Sounwave.