On February 2, 2025, 15.4 million Americans tuned in for “Music’s Biggest Night”: The Grammys. Over 20 musicians performed at the event, including award-winners Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Kendrick Lamar. It took place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. For the fifth year in a row, it was hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, who, at the beginning of the night, remarked that the event would be “a celebration of the humanity and spirit of survival” instead of just a celebration of music.
Throughout the event, there were several acknowledgments of the wildfire tragedies in Los Angeles, encouraging the audience and viewers to donate. According to Billboard.com, on this day the Recording Academy raised over $9 million for the LA wildfires. The folk-rock band Dawes opened the ceremony with a star-studded performance of “I Love LA” by Randy Newman. The performance featured appearances and vocals by Grammy award-winners Brad Paisley, Brittany Howard, John Legend, Sheryl Crow and St. Vincent. “The 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards will carry a renewed sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours,” said CBS in a news release. Additionally, this year’s “In Memoriam” segment was dedicated to Quincy Jones, a legendary music producer, who passed away this past November.
With a grand total of 94 categories, it was undoubtedly a long and busy night, so let’s unpack some important moments:
Winners for some of the major categories
After four previous nominations for Album of the Year, Beyoncé finally took home the gold for her album “Cowboy Carter,” which was released this past March. This album received a total of eleven nominations, winning three, including Best Country Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance. This win marked Grammy’s history, as Beyoncé is the first Black artist to take the category. The award was presented by Taylor Swift, who won the category back in 2010.
Kendrick Lamar performed this night and went home with five trophies. His hit track “Not Like Us” won the following categories: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Music Video, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance. He now has 22 total Grammys, and according to Grammy.com, Lamar has “solidified his status as a global superstar.” As if winning five Grammys and performing at the ceremony wasn’t impressive enough, Lamar went on to headline the Super Bowl halftime show the very next Sunday.
One of the most prominent breakout artists of 2024, Chappell Roan, won her very first Grammy, which was also her first nomination: Best New Artist. Roan was one of two artists to be nominated in all four major categories alongside Sabrina Carpenter. Her nomination stemmed from her 2023 album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” and her hit song “Good Luck Babe,” according to USA Today. The 27-year-old definitely took advantage of her time on the big stage during her acceptance speech, urging music labels to provide more support for developing musicians: “I told myself, if I ever won a GRAMMY, and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off artists would offer a living wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists,” she said.
The Performances: A Recap and Favorite Picks
There were 24 total performances, ranging from rappers like Doechii to pop artists like Chappell Roan. The complete list of performers is Benson Boone, Billie Eilish, Brad Paisley, Brittany Howard, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Cynthia Erivo, Doechii, Herbie Hancock, Jacob Collier, Janelle Monáe, John Legend, Lainey Wilson, RAYE, Sabrina Carpenter, Shakira, Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent, Stevie Wonder, and Teddy Swims.
The name “music’s biggest night” is exemplified when looking at this list, and it feels impossible to pick out favorites. However, there were a couple of performances that definitely stood out to me. The first of these was Doechii’s, where she sang “Catfish” and “Denial Is a River” from her album “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” which also won the Best Rap Album award. Gabby Pipitone ‘28 says, “We watched Doechii’s performance in Women’s Affinity and we all found it really inspiring. We talked about her as an example of empowering women in music.” I was also in awe of Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” performance from her album “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” Alongside her brother Finneas, she delivered impressive vocals with a background resembling LA, a tribute to her hometown. This performance made it even more upsetting to see that she went home empty-handed. Last but not least, Sabrina Carpenter’s opening act, where she performed a medley of “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” Carpenter walked away with three wins that night: two Grammys and a very successful performance, which Forbes accredited as “one of the most-talked-about performances…which blended both excellent showmanship with incredible comedic timing.” “It reminds me a lot of one of Ariana Grande’s performances and I thought it was a really monumental moment for her as an artist. I also really loved the costume and stage setup,” says Carolina Lisk ‘26, Polygon’s layout editor.
The 67th Annual Grammy Award Show set historical milestones, with Beyoncé being the first Black artist to win Album of the Year, featured performances from some of America’s favorite artists, and highlighted important social causes, being the LA Wildfires – it is undoubtedly a night to remember.
