Beyoncé makes history and Kendrick Lamar cleans up: the 2025 Grammy Awards recap
Some of the world’s biggest music stars were awarded Golden Gramophones at the 2025 Grammy Awards, which were held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 2.
The event, hosted by South African-born comedian Trevor Noah, saw Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé and Sabrina Carpenter taking home the biggest prizes at the 67th edition of the annual ceremony.
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift, arguably the biggest artist in the world right now and who recently concluded her epic “Era’s Tour” which took the world by storm, missed out on major trophies.
After sweeping the Grammys last year, the “Cruel Summer” hitmaker missed out to Sabrina Carpenter for Best Vocal Album. She also lost to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars who won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their song “Die with a Smile.”
Meanwhile, Swift presented Beyoncé with the Best Country Album prize. The “Lemonade” singer, who led all nominees, with 11 nods, made history when she became the first black artist to win the category.
Cameras also caught Beyoncé’s now viral reaction when it was announced that she won the Best Country Album accolade.
“I really was not expecting this. Wow,” she said during her acceptance speech.
“I want to thank God that I’m able to still do what I love after so many years, oh, my God! I’d like to thank all of the incredible country artists that accepted this, this album we worked so hard on …
“I think sometimes genre is a cold word to keep us in our place as artists, and just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about. And to stay persistent.
The musical megastar,who is the most successful artist in Grammy history, also won Best Country Duo/Group Performance alongside Miley Cyrus for “II Most Wanted”. This win marks another milestone in her illustrious career, further proving her versatility across genres.
But it was Lamar who was the biggest winner of the night, with his Drake diss track, “Not Like Us”, scooping up Record of the Year and Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song and Best Music Video.
The rapper also used his acceptance speech to pay tribute to his home city of Los Angeles which has recently been engulfed in flames as wildfires in California ripped through the area.
Lamar also offered encouragement to those wanting to rebuild the city after the fires.
In addition, Chappell Roan won Best New Artist while Carpenter beat "some of [her] favourite artists in the world" to scoop the Best Pop Vocal Album.
The “Espresso” hitmaker’s latest album, “Short and Sweet” beat off competition from Ariana Grande's “Eternal Sunshine”, Swift's “The Tortured Poets Department”, Roan's “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” and Billie Eilish's “Hit Me Hard and Soft” in the coveted category.
“Hello. I’m still out of breath from the performance so I really was not expecting this.
"All those nominees on the screen are some of my favourite artists in the world. This is my first Grammy, so, woo, I’m gonna cry. I wrote names so I wouldn’t forget on this napkin,” she said during her Best Pop Vocal Album acceptance stage.
"Thank you to the Recording Academy for having me and everyone here tonight, and in celebration and in honour of everything that's happened, it's lucky to be able to come together and do something so special and beautiful and celebrate music.”
The “Please Please Please” singer also gave an electrifying performance at the Grammys.
Another major Grammy 2025 highlight was The Weeknd’s surprise return to the ceremony.
The Canadian singer and songwriter previously stated he would be boycotting the ceremony after he was shut out of the 2021 nominations, despite shattering streaming records around the world.
However, he took to the stage this year to perform two new tracks from his new album, “Hurry Up Tomorrow”, which was released on Friday, January 31.
Grammy nominee Shaboozey as well as Gaga and Mars also performed.
Other Grammy highlights include Nigerian superstar Tems winning Best African Music Performance for “Love Me JeJe” and Chris Brown winning his first Grammy in more than a decade.
In addition, The Beatles took home Best Rock Performance for “Now and Then”, making history with a posthumous release decades after John Lennon’s passing.
From Noah to Beyoncé, other major names also brought attention to the California wildfires.
Meanwhile, Will Smith paid tribute to the late Quincy Jones at the ceremony. The American record producer and composer, who died in November aged 91, won a whopping 28 Grammys during his lifetime.
“This past year, we lost one of the most groundbreaking and influential figures of our times: Quincy Jones. Known to friends around the world simply as Q,” Smith said.
“In his 91 years, Q touched countless lives, but I have to say, he changed mine forever. You probably wouldn’t even know who Will Smith was if it wasn’t for Quincy Jones. Quincy made so many music greats, across multiple genres, sound even greater, bringing the best out in legends.”
As part of the tribute, “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo then performed the late Frank Sinatra's “Fly Me to the Moon”, accompanied by a full jazz orchestra and the legendary Herbie Hancock on piano.
Lainey Wilson then sang”'Let the Good Times Roll” and Stevie Wonder sat himself next to Herbie for a performance of “Bluesette” and “We Are the World.”
There were more than 90 awards across all genres which were handed out at he 2025 Grammys. Here is an abridged winner’s list:
Record Of The Year: “Not Like Us”, Kendrick Lamar
Album Of The Year: “Cowboy Carter”: Beyoncé
Song Of The Year: “Not Like Us”, Kendrick Lamar
Best New Artist: Chappell Roan
Best Pop Solo Performance: “Espresso”, Sabrina Carpenter
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: “Die With A Smile”, Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
Best Pop Vocal Album: “Short N' Sweet”, Sabrina Carpenter
Best Dance/Electronic Album: “Brat”, Charli XCX
Best Rock Performance: “Now And Then”, The Beatles
Best Rock Album: “Hackney Diamonds”, The Rolling Stones
Best R&B Song: “Saturn”, Sza
Best R&B Album: “11:11 (Deluxe)”, Chris Brown
Best Rap Performance: “Not Like Us”, Kendrick Lamar
Best Rap Song: “Not Like Us”, Kendrick Lamar
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: “ll Most Wanted”, Beyoncé Featuring Miley Cyrus
Best Country Album: “Cowboy Carter”, Beyoncé
Best Music Video: “Not Like Us”, Kendrick Lamar