Israel Houghton Joins 2026 GRAMMY Premiere Ceremony Opening Number

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (JANUARY 28, 2026) Kicking off music’s biggest day, seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning Israel Houghton will be part of the 2026 GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony®, live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 1. The ceremony’s opening number will feature performances by current nominees Houghton, Grace Potter, Lila Iké, Maggie Rose, and Trombone Shorty.

Houghton is nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Coritos Vol. 1 (with Israel & New Breed). A Spanish-language worship project, the album brings together artists from seven countries, including Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, Miel San Marcos, Marcos Witt, and Evan Craft. The nomination marks a milestone as the first Spanish-language album ever recognized in this category, celebrating unity, faith, and Latin heritage.

Coritos Vol. 1 is Houghton’s first-ever live Spanish album, filmed and recorded primarily at Christian Church John 3:16 in the Bronx, New York City, capturing the energy, authenticity, and cross-cultural spirit of the Latin worship movement.

Israel Houghton is a GRAMMY Award-winning artist, worship leader, and songwriter whose genre-blending sound, spanning gospel, jazz, rock, and Latin music, has reshaped contemporary worship for more than two decades.

The 2026 Grammy Awards will broadcast live following the Premiere Ceremony on CBS Television Network and stream live and on demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT. See here for the full list of 2026 Grammy Awards nominees. Learn more about how to watch the 2026 Grammy Awards