By Jacie Sellars, News Editor
The Grammys are always known as a big night for all genres of music, and this year’s awards ceremony lived up to this reputation. The ceremony premiered to the public on CBS announcing the major awards, with a large pre-ceremony announcing other categories. Overall, the night was filled with entertaining performances and triumphant accomplishments for several artists.
Arguably, Beyoncé was one of the most successful artists of the evening, with her album “Cowboy Carter” taking home awards for Best Country Album and Album of the Year. Although Beyoncé broke the record for most Grammy awards received in 2023, this year marks her first time to win album of the year. She now has 35 Grammys.
Another successful artist this year was Kendrick Lamar. His record “Not Like Us” was nominated for five Grammys and won all of them, taking the prize for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Music Video, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. Between these awards and a Superbowl halftime performance, 2025 might be Lamar’s biggest year yet.
The night was also a time for up-and-coming artists to shine. Sabrina Carpenter won her first two Grammys with her album “Short n’ Sweet,” receiving the awards for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance. Other new artists like Benson Boone had the opportunity to perform at the ceremony. Ultimately, the award for Best New Artist went to Chappell Roan.
The Grammys were also a space for activism and tributes. The ceremony included a presentation by the Los Angeles first responders about their efforts to fight the wildfires that have impacted much of the area. Several Grammy winners also took the opportunity to practice activism in their acceptance speeches. Alicia Keys dedicated her speech to the power of diversity in light of new United States DEI policies, stating that diversity “changes the game.” Upon receiving her award for Best New Artist, Roan spoke out about unethical working conditions for new music artists, stating that record labels need to support all artists with proper wages and healthcare. Although some speeches were met with more controversy than others, all of them reflected the unique cultural concerns of 2025.
Ultimately, this year’s Grammys was a night full of music, fashion and entertainment where multiple artists were given a moment to shine. Fans of specific artists will likely have varying opinions of the results, but they can easily agree that there is still ample demand for analyzing music and awarding talented artists.
