âFor years, we have regarded them as âthe most prestigious awards in the music world,â and letâs admit it, even though we no longer get as excited as we used to, when âthat time of the yearâ comes, we cannot deny their presence. The 67th Grammy Awards have come to an end. This year, the Grammy 2025 event, organized to raise funds for those affected by the wildfires in Los Angeles, revealed the names that left their mark.â
During the years when K-pop dominated the global music scene, the Recording Academy barely acknowledged the genre. Aside from BTS, no other K-pop group received serious attentionâlet alone an award. The Academy also ignored One Direction, a group that once captivated fans worldwide, including Turkey.
Letâs be honestâthe Grammys have never moved beyond rewarding their own version of mainstream music, often favoring questionable commercial successes while overlooking alternative and experimental artists. As Frank Ocean pointed out, the Grammys today are little more than a ânostalgicâ celebration. This is even more glaring in an era where music is shaped by TikTok, and listeners have instant access to artists worldwide. In this landscape, the Grammys feel increasingly âoldâ and ânostalgic.â Still, we canât help but treat the Grammys like Eurovisionânot as a cutthroat competition, but still something to place bets on. Here is the full list of nominees for those who are curious.
For us, the Album of the Year is Charli XCXâs BRATânot just as a music album, but as a cultural phenomenon. BRAT embodies a Gen Z movement, even fueling political campaigns and perfectly capturing the spirit of the times.
Grammyâs 2025 â Credit: Petros Studio
The other strongest contender is Billie Eilish. The Recording Academy has adored Eilish from the startâshe already holds nine Grammys, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Last year, she moved audiences with her emotional Grammy performance of âWhat Was I Made For?â from the Golden Globe-winning Barbie soundtrack.
Okay, we danced to Sabrina Carpenterâs âEspressoâ all summer. Yes, we used Queen Bâs âTexas Hold âEmâ a lot while making Reels. Granted, âBirds of a Featherâ is one of Billie Eilishâs best songs. We laughed and had fun, but thereâs one thing that canât be disputed in this category: âNot Like Usâ is the best record of the year. We donât know how Drake feels about it, but Kendrick Lamar is clearly a game changer. The diss war between Lamar and Drake, who have been at each otherâs throats for decades, seems to have been won by Lamar with âNot Like Us.â The Independentâs Ryan Coogan describes what is seen as the tightest diss in modern rap history, saying, âTheyâve somehow managed to elevate what, under different circumstances, might be considered a bit of low-stakes celebrity gossip to the level of actual art.â So true. And it makes for some great songs.
Who Won: Bingo, again. The âRecord of the Yearâ award went to Kendrick Lamar, who dedicated his award to his hometown Compton, as well as Watts, Long Beach, and Inglewood. He said, âI can never thank enough the places I have roamed since my high school years and, most importantly, the people and families in Palisades and Altadena. This is real proof that we will continue to restore this city.â
Song of the Year (Songwriterâs Award): âNot Like Usâ
Nominees: âA Bar Song (Tipsy)â; âBirds of a Featherâ; âDie with a Smileâ; âFortnightâ; âGood Luck, Babe!â; âNot Like Usâ; âPlease Please Pleaseâ; âTexas Hold âEm.â You can click here to see the full list of songwriters.
We think Kendrick Lamar would be a good fit here for the reasons explained in the paragraph above. As a songwriter, Lamar wrote âNot Like Usâ on his own, and the song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as soon as it was released. All these are very good conditions for Lamarâs first Grammy in the âSong of the Yearâ category. That night, the Grammy stage erupted with âThey not like us! They not like us!â Lamar, who has won 17 Grammyâs to date and has been nominated 57 times throughout Grammy history, is the most Grammy-winning rapper of all time after Jay-Z. We think Lamar should double his Grammys and Jay-Z should move to second place.
Who Won: Of course, Lamar. âNot Like Usâ also won the âSong of the Yearâ at Grammyâs 2025.
Chappell Roan, who was nominated in six categories for her first Grammy, was among the most talked-about names last year. With hits like âGood Luck, Babe!,â âPink Pony Club,â and âHot to Go,â she became the darling of the queer community. Roan, who openly discusses her sexual orientation, love, and heartbreak in her songs, defines her music as a project. She doesnât like her fans to get too close to herâshe doesnât even want them to call her by her real name, Kayleigh, for example. Although the fame aspect seems to be a bit of an inconvenience for her, Roanâs rise in 2024 is undeniable. With her flaming red hair and âdrag queenâ aesthetics, she represents the exuberant spirit of pop culture today.
Grammy 2025 â Credit: Sabrina Carpenter
Letâs talk about the other nominees in this category. Twenty-five-year-old pop icon Sabrina Carpenter is nominated for âBest New Artistâ for her sixth album. Perhaps the Academy pushed Carpenter into this category due to her late surge in popularity with hits like âEspressoâ and âPlease Please Please.â She is a strong contender, but not as strong as Roan, in our opinion.
GrammyâS 2025
Another strong competitor against Chappell Roan is Doechii. For one thing, she is the only female MC in the category. âSwamp Princessâ is slowly creeping into the mainstream and has been working hard since the 2010s. âAlligator Bites Never Healâ brought her Grammy nominations in three categories this year. She is very comfortable with herself and has a clear attitude about the world knowing her name. Sheâs a little bit arrogant and a little bit fragile. Fans want to see a shining crown on Doechiiâs head on Grammy night.
The nominees are solid, and this category is a tough one. Our vote goes to Chappell Roan.
Who Won:Chapelle Roan â our vote didnât go to waste. Roan was the winner in this category. In her speech, Roan called for record labels to provide livable wages and healthcare for emerging artists. She said: âFeeling so connected to my art while also feeling so betrayed and dehumanized by the system has been devastating. Record labels, we understand you, but do you understand us?â she concluded.
Best Dance/Electronic Album:Â Brat Again, Brat Again
We agree with the music critics making predictionsâif Charli XCX doesnât win Album of the Year for Brat, she is almost certain to take home Best Dance/Electronic Album. Nominated for Grammy Awards 10 times so far, Charli XCX emerged from Londonâs rave scene. She has crafted a self-improvement saga, collaborating with artists like Iggy Azalea and Icona Pop before evolving into experimental and hyperpop styles. With Brat, she has ushered in a golden era in her career, inspiring future generations and shaping the landscape of modern pop music. Having checked all the boxes, the 32-year-old British musician is a strong favorite to win her first Grammy. Weâre singling her out in this category.
Who Won: Unfortunately, âBratâ did not win âAlbum of the Yearâ, but Charli XCX won a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album, and âVon Dutchâ won in the Best Dance/Pop Recording category.
Grammyâs 2025 Notes
GrammyâS 2025
Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, and RAYE performed at the Grammyâs 2025. This is also a clear indication of the incredible momentum that female vocalists have gained in the music scene over the past year. You can watch the full award ceremony here..
Benson Boone, Chappell Roan, Doechii, and Teddy Swims have received their first Grammy nominations this year and Chapelle Roan and Doechii were among the names who took home their first Grammy awards.
The ceremony was hosted by Trevor Noah for the fifth time. Noah was also nominated for Best Comedy Album for Where Was Iâfive years after winning a Grammy for Son of Patricia.
âTaylor Swift is here too,â began Trevor Noah in his speech. âTaylor Swift has completed the biggest tour in history. She didnât just break recordsâshe also made more Americans travel than those flying to Turkey for hair transplant. Everyone got on a plane just to see her,â he said.
Noah was born just eight days before the 1984 Grammy broadcast, which remains the most-watched in history. That year, Michael Jackson set a record by winning eight Grammys in a single night.
Trevor Noah in Istanbul: As a side note, Noah will perform in Istanbul for the first time on April 23rd at Volkswagen Arena.