Portuguese guitarist and Atlantis Entertainment CEO Nuno Bettencourt was one of the winners at the 2026 Grammy Awards, which took place in Los Angeles on Sunday, as he was honoured in the Best Rock Performance category for his participation in Changes (Live from Villa Park).
The award-winning song is by Black Sabbath, the band of British singer Ozzy Osbourne, who died in July 2025. The performance that resulted in the Grammy took place at Ozzy's farewell concert, weeks before his death, with Bettencourt sharing the stage with Yungblud, bassist Frank Bello, keyboardist Adam Wakeman and drummer Adam Pedder, who's known as II.
The Grammy winners took to the stage to receive the award, along with Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne's widow, who was visibly moved. Yungblud made the acceptance speech, while Bettencourt later spoke to journalists in the room set aside for interviews with the winners.
Rage against the machine
Bettencourt spoke to journalists about the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and said that it cannot replace the magic of live performances.
"This is the greatest opportunity for rockers and rock'n'roll. Real music and real songs are real stories that touch you, there's blood in the score, you put yourself in that score and nobody is going to reproduce that," he said.
"Imperfection is the essence of rock'n'roll. Everyone tries to disguise the imperfections, but that's where the essence lies. And if you can do that on stage, which is where rock'n'roll really happens, AI won't mess with you," he added.
In his victory speech, still on stage, Yungblud thanked Ozzy Osbourne. "Growing up worshipping an idol who helped you find your identity, not only as an artist but also as a man, is something I'm very grateful for," the singer confessed. "But then to form a relationship with him and honour him at his last show is a strange thing to comprehend."
Yungblud guaranteed that "rock music is back" and emphasised that "six generations of rock musicians" had come together to make possible Ozzy's last performance at Villa Park in Birmingham.
As well as Nuno Bettencourt, another Portuguese was nominated for the 68th Grammy Awards: Bráulio Amado. The designer and illustrator was nominated in the category of Best Recording Package for his graphic work on Mac Miller's album Balloonerism, developed with American artist Alim Smith.
Who is Nuno Bettencourt?
Born in the Azores, and more precisely on Terceira Island, Nuno Bettencourt is a renowned Portuguese guitarist, composer and producer who became world famous for being a member of the rock band Extreme.
At the age of four, Bettencourt's life changed radically when his parents decided to emigrate to Massachusetts in the United States. So he and his siblings left Terceira Island and moved to the "land of opportunity".
Bettencourt started out playing the drums as a child, but quickly switched to the guitar when he was introduced to it by one of his brothers.
When he started playing, his main influences were Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix, although he also enjoyed classical music and other styles.
In 1985, Nuno Bettencourt founded Extreme with Gary Cherone on vocals and Paul Geary on drums, later joined by Pat Badger on bass. The band released their debut album three years later, called Extreme, which caught the attention of heavy metal fans. But the album that made them world famous was their second, Extreme II: Pornograffitti, released in 1990.
