Will Beyoncé break a record? Has the academy learned from its mistakes? Along with the answers to all these questions, let’s take a look at who won and what happened at Grammy’s 2025. Everything is here.
“For years, we have regarded them as ‘the most prestigious awards in the music world,’ and let’s admit it, even though we no longer get as excited as we used to, when ‘that time of the year’ 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.”
Will Beyoncé Take Over the Night Once Again?
Last November, the 2025 Grammy nominees were announced, and Beyoncé’s 11 nominations for her album Cowboy Carter sparked much discussion. With 32 awards, Beyoncé now holds the record for the most Grammy wins in history, equaling Michael Jackson’s nominations for Thriller. Impressive, yes—but is Beyoncé still not enough for us?
According to critics, apparently not. Queen B has yet to win an award for “Album of the Year.” If she does, she’ll become the first Black female singer to achieve this in the 21st century. As we know, the Grammys have long been accused of sidelining music born from Black culture, particularly hip-hop, R&B, and reggae. Even Frank Ocean, who holds seven Grammy Awards, once stated that while the Grammys hold a nostalgic significance, the organization continuously overlooks Black artists: “It just doesn’t seem like a good representation for people who come from where I come from.” With the Recording Academy facing ongoing criticism, it seems likely they’ll once again spotlight Beyoncé, as if to say: “No, we love Black artists—here’s the proof!”
Mistakes of the Academy I: Underestimating The Weeknd
Will 2025 be another year dominated by Beyoncé, just like previous ones? And if so, will this restore the Grammys’ reputation? Probably not—especially considering that the Academy failed to award The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”, an album that topped the Billboard 200 for weeks in 2020, in any category. This blunder alone has cost the Grammys credibility among many music lovers. And it’s not the only one.
Mistakes of the Academy II: Indifferent to K-Pop
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 attention—let alone an award. The Academy also ignored One Direction, a group that once captivated fans worldwide, including Turkey.
2025 Concert Dates in Istanbul
An Introduction to Nordic Jazz
Pieter M. van Hattem: The Hunter of Magical Moments
Mistakes of the Academy III: Failing to Evolve
Let’s be honest—the 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 “nostalgic” 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 “old” and “nostalgic.” Still, we can’t help but treat the Grammys like Eurovision—not as a cutthroat competition, but still something to place bets on. Here is the full list of nominees for those who are curious.
Album of the Year: Charli XCX or Billie Eilish?
Nominees: “New Blue Sun,” André 3000; “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé; “Short n’ Sweet,” Sabrina Carpenter; “BRAT,” Charli xcx; “Djesse Vol. 4, “Jacob Collier; “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” Billie Eilish; “Chappell Roan The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” Chappell Roan; “The Tortured Poets Department,” Taylor Swift
For us, the Album of the Year is Charli XCX’s BRAT—not 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.
The other strongest contender is Billie Eilish. The Recording Academy has adored Eilish from the start—she already holds nine Grammys, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Last year, she moved audiences with her emotional Grammy performance of “What Was I Made For?” from the Golden Globe-winning Barbie soundtrack.
But with Beyoncé venturing into Black country music—and given America’s deep-rooted love for country—it’s likely the Academy will push for Beyoncé to break yet another record. This category? It seems destined for Beyoncé.
Who Won: We were not wrong in our prediction. Beyoncé won “Album of the Year”, “Best Country Album” with her album Cowboy Carter, and “Best Country Duo” alongside Miley Cyrus. This brought Beyoncé’s total Grammy wins to 35 in her music career.
Record of the Year: Why Kendrick Lamar Should Win
Nominees: “Now and Then” – The Beatles; “Texas Hold ‘Em” – Beyoncé; “Espresso” – Sabrina Carpenter; “360” – Charli XCX; “Birds of a Feather” – Billie Eilish; “Not Like Us” – Kendrick Lamar; “Good Luck, Babe!” – Chappell Roan; “Fortnight” – Taylor Swift and Post Malone
Okay, we danced to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” all summer. Yes, we used Queen B’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” a lot while making Reels. Granted, “Birds of a Feather” is one of Billie Eilish’s best songs. We laughed and had fun, but there’s one thing that can’t be disputed in this category: “Not Like Us” is the best record of the year. We don’t 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 other’s throats for decades, seems to have been won by Lamar with “Not Like Us.” The Independent’s Ryan Coogan describes what is seen as the tightest diss in modern rap history, saying, “They’ve somehow managed to elevate what, under different circumstances, might be considered a bit of low-stakes celebrity gossip to the level of actual art.” So true. And it makes for some great songs.
Who Won: Bingo, again. The “Record of the Year” award went to Kendrick Lamar, who dedicated his award to his hometown Compton, as well as Watts, Long Beach, and Inglewood. He said, “I 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.“
Song of the Year (Songwriter’s Award): “Not Like Us”
Nominees: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”; “Birds of a Feather”; “Die with a Smile”; “Fortnight”; “Good Luck, Babe!”; “Not Like Us”; “Please Please Please”; “Texas Hold ‘Em.” 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 “Not Like Us” 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 Lamar’s first Grammy in the “Song of the Year” category. That night, the Grammy stage erupted with “They not like us! They not like us!” Lamar, who has won 17 Grammy’s 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. “Not Like Us” also won the “Song of the Year” at Grammy’s 2025.
Best New Artist: Will Chappell Roan Pull It Off?
Nominees: Benson Boone; Sabrina Carpenter; Doechii; Khruangbin; RAYE; Chappell Roan; Shaboozey; Teddy Swims
Chappell Roan, who was nominated in six categories for her first Grammy, was among the most talked-about names last year. With hits like “Good Luck, Babe!,” “Pink Pony Club,” and “Hot to Go,” 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 doesn’t like her fans to get too close to her—she doesn’t 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, Roan’s rise in 2024 is undeniable. With her flaming red hair and “drag queen” aesthetics, she represents the exuberant spirit of pop culture today.
Let’s talk about the other nominees in this category. Twenty-five-year-old pop icon Sabrina Carpenter is nominated for “Best New Artist” for her sixth album. Perhaps the Academy pushed Carpenter into this category due to her late surge in popularity with hits like “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” She is a strong contender, but not as strong as Roan, in our opinion.
Another strong competitor against Chappell Roan is Doechii. For one thing, she is the only female MC in the category. “Swamp Princess” is slowly creeping into the mainstream and has been working hard since the 2010s. “Alligator Bites Never Heal” 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. She’s a little bit arrogant and a little bit fragile. Fans want to see a shining crown on Doechii’s 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 – our vote didn’t 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: “Feeling 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?” she concluded.
Best Dance/Electronic Album: Brat Again, Brat Again
Nominees: Brat – Charli XCX; Three – Four Tet; Hyperdrama – Justice; Timeless – KAYTRANADA; Telos – Zedd
We agree with the music critics making predictions—if Charli XCX doesn’t 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 London’s 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. We’re singling her out in this category.
Who Won: Unfortunately, “Brat” did not win “Album of the Year”, but Charli XCX won a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album, and “Von Dutch” won in the Best Dance/Pop Recording category.
Grammy’s 2025 Notes
- Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, and RAYE performed at the Grammy’s 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 I—five years after winning a Grammy for Son of Patricia.
- “Taylor Swift is here too,” began Trevor Noah in his speech. “Taylor Swift has completed the biggest tour in history. She didn’t just break records—she also made more Americans travel than those flying to Turkey for hair transplant. Everyone got on a plane just to see her,“ 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.
