Every year the annual Grammy Awards showcase a diverse range of talent, with artists from various genres receiving recognition for their contributions to the music industry. This year, the awards which were held on Feb. 2, followed the same tradition. Highlights of the evening include powerful performances, emotional acceptance speeches and a few surprising wins that left viewers in shock. As always, the Grammys not only honored the established artists, but also shined a spotlight on emerging talents.
This year, the most Grammy awards went to Kendrick Lamar for his Drake diss track “Not Like Us,” winning five Grammys. Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” won both Record and Song of the year — a notable double victory for any song and a rare win for rap in the Grammys’ two most prestigious song categories. Kendrick also took home the win for Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance and Best Music Video.
However, the story of the night was Beyoncé, who after losing Album of the Year four previous times, won Album of the Year and Best Country Album for “Cowboy Carter,” becoming the first Black woman since 1999 — and fourth in the show’s history — to take home the top honor. However, many are speculating that the win wasn’t deserved and was only given to her because her husband, Jay-Z, complained last year that she did not win. Others are also complaining that her album did not deserve to win over the other country albums in the country genre, or the best album of the year, because hers simply was not better than the other possible nominations.
Along with how Beyonce’s win seemed rigged, it also triggered the idea that the other artists in the categories were robbed. Billie Eilish, for one, was nominated for seven categories and won none, snubbed of the rewards for her amazing music and creating outcries from watchers worldwide.
When given the stage and the opportunity to speak up, Chappell Roan did not shy away. Chappell Roan triumphed in Best New Artist and advocated for artists’ rights in her acceptance speech. Roan took aim at the music industry by calling on record labels to provide “a livable wage and health care” to artists.
“Labels, we got you,” Roan said. “But do you got us?”
Lady Gaga and Shakira both followed in suit, advocating for transgender people and immigrants in the country.
The performances of the night did not fail either. The final performance at the Grammys, right before the announcement of album of the year, is a thankless slot — the show is running long and there’s an itchiness to move quickly. But Charli XCX, who won three Grammys in genre categories this year, used it to bring some after-hours sweat and raunch to a show that had largely been reverent. Flanked by Alex Consani and Gabbriette, two models who have taken the media by storm, and then later joined by a dance party with big names like Julia Fox, Richie Shazam and Quen Blackwell, this performance was the right choice for the end of the night.
Best New Artist nominees haven’t always gotten the best exposure at the Grammys. Too often, they’ve been sidelined or squeezed, hidden behind the starlight of legendary music icons. But with contenders who have racked up hundreds of millions of streams, this year the show trusted their star power and lavished them with production values and stage time. Young music industry icons Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan each performed in big song and dance numbers, showcasing their endless talent and destiny to be on the stage.
Carpenter leaned into a playful take on the past, rearranging her hits “Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please,” complete with a sparkly tuxedo dress, a costume change and a tap-dance break.
Roan is undoubtedly the brightest star to emerge in the pop cosmos since the last Grammys, and although she won only one of her six nominated categories, she was still one of the night’s main characters thanks to an electric performance of “Pink Pony Club.”
Along with Carpenter and Roan, Benson Boone showed off gymnastic flips and a powder-blue jumpsuit along with the melodramatic buildups of his billion-streaming song “Beautiful Things.”
Doechii had been tearful and truthful when she accepted the Grammy for Best Rap Album as the third woman to do so in that category, bringing her mother on stage with her to celebrate and honor the win. But she was pure physical precision when she was dancing — choreographed with a phalanx of robotic dancers — and rapping through “Catfish” and “Denial Is a River.” Raye, the English songwriter who carries the tartness of Amy Winehouse into retro territory, had a mini-orchestra in formal wear behind her as she belted the mocking kiss-off “Oscar Winning Tears.” This performance has gone viral an incredible amount of times for not only her once-in-a-generation talent, but also for the emotion she drives into it.
For once, the new prospects of the Grammys got first-class treatment, and it paid off.
In a major music-business hometown, there was no surprise that the Los Angeles wildfires were the inescapable backdrop of this year’s Grammys, which strove to find a balance between the self-congratulation of typical award shows and serious concern for destruction. When Lamar accepted his award for “Not Like Us,” he reeled off the names of Los Angeles neighborhoods and rappers in honor.
Many other artists also paid homage to the L.A. fires. Billie Eilish, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, performed “Birds of a Feather” with her band before a video backdrop of Los Angeles hills, interleaved with baby pictures. A highly promoted duet by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, who won the Pop Duo/Group Award for “Die With a Smile,” turned out to be a sincere version of the 1965 hit from the Mamas & the Papas, “California Dreamin’.”
At this year’s Grammys, the fashion was just as loud as the music. Vintage emerged as one of the 2025 awards show’s standout trends, with Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo and Kali Uchis among the stars who dipped into designers’ archives. Doechii, Janelle Monáe and Billie Eilish opted for smart tailoring, while Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus went edgy in black leather looks.
There was, however, a standout bad outfit that has been circulating the media since it was revealed—no pun intended. Bianca Censori, Kanye West’s wife, was seen in a completely sheer dress that revealed everything, covered only in her and Kanye’s entrance to the award show with a giant, furry, black coat. West and Censori were not invited to this year’s Grammys, so it was no surprise when they were escorted out.
The Grammys this year was a testament to the power of music to celebrate creativity, especially with women in the industry. The awards honored both seasoned veterans and fresh faces, highlighting the ever-changing nature of the music industry and setting the stage for another successful year in music to come.
Photo credit: “Golden Grammy” by Thomas Hawk is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
