If you looked at your timeline after the Grammys and thought, Why is everyone suddenly talking about Luther Vandross?, you didn’t miss anything. You just witnessed a full-circle Black music moment.

The renewed buzz comes from "luther," Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Grammy-winning collaboration that’s both a modern hit and a love letter to one of R&B’s most sacred voices: Luther Vandross.

It all went down during the Record of the Year announcement at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. Cher stepped onstage to present the category, opening the envelope to announce the winner, Lamar’s “luther,” his soul-soaked collaboration with SZA.

But instead of reading the song title, Cher accidentally said “Luther Vandross.”

The slip was brief, but the internet was immediate.

Here’s the thing though: the mistake wasn’t wrong, just premature.

Kendrick and SZA’s song "luther" is deeply rooted in Vandross’ legacy. The track samples Luther and Cheryl Lynn’s 1982 rendition of “If This World Were Mine,” a cover of the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell classic. The DNA of Luther’s voice, tenderness, and emotional precision runs through the record.

During the acceptance speech, producer Sounwave made sure to name the influence directly.
“First and foremost, let’s give a shout out to the late, great Luther Vandross,” he said. “It was very, very, very important to keep the integrity of this record.”

Kendrick followed, smiling as he carefully said Vandross’ full name—subtly clearing the Cher air—before explaining how emotional it was to receive clearance for the sample. He also thanked Cheryl Lynn, sharing that the only rule attached to using the song was no cursing.

But the moment didn’t stop at nostalgia.

SZA’s speech is what truly sealed why this clip spread so fast. Thanking Kendrick “for lifting me up,” she pivoted into a grounding, necessary message for the room—and everyone watching.

“Please don’t fall into despair,” she said. “I know it’s a scary time… but there’s been world wars, there’s been plagues, and we have gone on. We can go on. We need each other.”

So yes, Luther Vandross is trending because Cher misspoke.

But he’s really trending because his voice, his standard, and his definition of love in Black music still matter, so much so that even in a modern Grammy moment, his name felt right coming out of someone’s mouth.