America’s – Beyoncé received the most important award – Album of the Year – presented by Los Angeles firefighters, Taylor Swift left empty-handed at the 2025 Grammy.
At the awards ceremony on the morning of February 3 (Hanoi time), Beyonce was honored with the album Cowboy Carter , released at the end of March 2024, consisting of 27 songs. The spirit of the album aims to honor the black community in American history and music. After its release, the album received many compliments from experts. Pitchfork gave it 8.4/10 points, commenting that Beyoncé “asserted her rightful place in country music in a way that only a pop star as talented and incredibly influential as her can do.”
She accepted the award alongside her eldest daughter, Blue Ivy, and opened her speech by thanking the firefighters who came on stage to present her with the award. “I just feel so fulfilled and so honored. It’s been so many, many years, and I just want to thank the Grammys. Every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, everyone has worked so hard,” the singer said. Beyoncé dedicated her win to Linda Martell, a leading black country artist who appeared on her album. “I hope we keep moving forward, opening doors,” the singer said.
Beyoncé’s acceptance speech for the 2025 Grammy Album of the Year award. Video: Grammys
The award marks Beyoncé’s first win in the Grammys’ most important category. Last season, her husband Jay-Z was upset because “Beyonce has the most golden trumpets but she didn’t win Album of the Year.”
The singer is also the first black woman in more than 50 years to win Best Country Album. She also won Best Country Collaboration (for II Most Wanted , featuring Miley Cyrus).
Although she didn’t win any Golden Horn, Taylor Swift enjoyed the event, dancing along to the performances. Considered Beyoncé’s big rival in the Album of the Year category, when her senior was honored, Swift happily celebrated, clinking glasses with Beyoncé’s husband – Jay-Z.
Kendrick Lamar also won big with five awards, including two major ones — Song of the Year and Record of the Year for Not Like Us , which revolved around his feud with rapper Drake in 2024.
The remaining grand prize – Best New Artist – went to Chappell Roan, a 27-year-old drag queen. Born in 1998, she is currently one of the most promising factors in the international music scene. The artist had a vibrant year with the album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess , released in September 2023, and the single Good Luck, Babe!, released in April 2024.
The award for Best Pop Album went to Sabrina Carpenter – a new phenomenon in the music industry – with Short n’ Sweet . She went from being a backup singer on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour to a sought-after superstar. Her hit Espresso reached 1.6 billion streams on Spotify, considered “the song of summer 2024”.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars won the award for Best Pop Duo or Group Performance for Die With a Smile, a ballad that has gone viral worldwide and received rave reviews from critics. The song revolves around the desire to love to the point of death, and the desire to spend the last moments with the person you love.
The four-hour ceremony was a celebration of healing and reconciliation. At the beginning of the ceremony, MC Noah recalled the Los Angeles wildfires in January: “This city has just experienced one of the greatest natural disasters in American history.” He thanked the firefighters and those who helped to deal with the aftermath.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Anthony Marrone presented the Album of the Year award. He thanked those who fought the fires: “Their acts of courage and selfless dedication are truly inspiring. I believe that together we will recover and rebuild, because we are Los Angeles strong.”
Many artists have expressed their love for the city that has suffered so much damage. Lamar said he wanted to dedicate his Record of the Year winner, Not Like Us , to his hometown, where he grew up. Many artists have sung songs inspired by Los Angeles, such as Birds of the Feather (Billie Eilish) and California Dreamin’ (Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars).
Host Trevor Noah said Grammy audiences have donated at least $7 million to wildfire relief efforts. The money will go to MusiCares, a charity founded by the Recording Academy to help people in the music industry, provide resources and provide disaster relief.
The awards ceremony took a quiet moment to pay tribute to artists who died in 2024. To the background music of Coldplay’s Chris Martin’s song All My Love , the screen alternately showed images of Kris Kristofferson, Marianne Faithfull, Phil Lesh and Liam Payne of One Direction, who died in October 2024 at the age of 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina.
The show has traditionally given plenty of time to artists to rock the stage. In addition to big names like Chris Martin (Coldplay), Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Shakira, young voices in the Best New Artist category like Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, all performed.
The organizers honored women and new artists. Most of the performers, including Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, were women. Doechii became the third woman (after Lauryn Hill and Cardi B) to win best rap album. Harvey Mason Jr., head of the Recording Academy, said the awards were trying to be fair, after being criticized by many artists, including The Weeknd.
The Grammy Awards , which were first presented in 1959, are presented by the National Academy of Music and Arts to honor artists who have made outstanding contributions to the music industry. In 2024, three new awards were added, including Best Pop Dance Performance, Best African Music Performance, and Best Alternative Jazz Album, to celebrate the diversity and creativity of the global music community.
Some awards at Grammy 2025
Album of the Year
Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter
Song of the Year
Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us
Record of the Year
Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – Die With a Smile
Excellent Latin Pop Album
Shakira – Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
New Artist of the Year
Chappell Roan
Best Country Album
Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter
Best pop album
Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
Excellent rap album
Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal
Best Pop Performance
Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
Best Dance/Electronic Album
Charli xcx – Brat
Great Rock Performance
The Beatles – Now and Then
Excellent rap performance
Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us
Excellent rap
Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us
Excellent Alternative Album
St Vincent – All Born Screaming
Best Country Performance
Chris Stapleton – It Takes a Woman
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus – II Most Wanted
Best Pop Rap Duo/Group Performance
Rapsody and Erykah Badu – 3:AM
Best pop dance recording
Charli xcx – Von Dutch
Best Dance/Electronic Recording
Justice and Tame Impala – Neverender
Outstanding R&B Performance
Muni Long – Made for Me
Best R&B Song
SZA – Saturn
Best R&B Album
Chris Brown – 11:11 (Deluxe)
Excellent rock song
St Vincent – Broken Man
Great rock album
The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds
Excellent Alternative Performance
St Vincent – Flea
Best Country Song
Kacey Musgraves – The Architect
