It is no secret that The Grammy Awards are the biggest award show for the music community, and the awards for 2025 were definitely a hit. The show had performances by break-out artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX and Chappell Roan. The nominations for these awards were diverse and all nominees deserved the win. However, the nominations for these awards also come with a lot of controversy.
This year in particular has many varying opinions regarding the contenders for these awards, such as Album of The Year and Best New Artist. Many music fanatics were disapproving of Charli XCX’s “BRAT” being nominated for Album of the Year at this year’s show, despite its global impact with the viral “brat summer” phenomenon. People online believe the album lacks lyricism and emotional depth, however, many praise the album for its upbeat, club-like feel.
The Academy unexpectedly gave the Album of the Year award to Beyoncé, for her country album, “COWBOY CARTER,” marking her 35th Grammy award, and first Album of The Year award. After being awarded, Beyoncé announced the dates for her 2025 “Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit Tour,” making stops across the U.S.. Despite Beyoncé’s win, there was still even more controversy concerning nominations for Album of the Year. Many fans were disappointed with the Recording Academy, as many successful albums such as “eternal sunshine” by Ariana Grande, and “Radical Optimism” by Dua Lipa were not nominated, or “snubbed” from the category. As well as the many phenomenal albums which did not win, such as “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” by Billie Eilish, and “The Tortured Poets Department” by Taylor Swift.
However, with the year that the music industry had, it was near impossible to satisfy everyone. The diversity of authentic styles throughout nominated albums made the category extremely difficult to win. The music scene was extremely dominated by women this year, who shared personal and genuine experiences of their lives through their music.
The nominees for Best New Artist spotlighted eight artists that debuted in the music scene throughout the year, such as Benson Boone, Doechii and Chappell Roan. The Grammy Awards’ official site stated that eligible artists must have achieved a breakthrough into the public eye, and impacted the music landscape during the year they became eligible. The award went to the show-stopping Chappell Roan. Who began the year as an opening act for pop princess Olivia Rodrigo, which brought her to the public eye with energetic tunes such as “HOT TO GO!” and “Good Luck, Babe” which became worldwide sensations. Her acceptance speech touched on her rise to her current fame, shaming record labels for their underpaying and financial instability of underground and developing artists. This bold speech led to her donating $25,000 to struggling, dropped artists, which she once was. Other celebrities such as Noah Kahan and Charli xcx also began donating after her.
The past year that the music industry has had highlighted talent and potential for all the rising and iconic artists, and the Grammy awards allowed for these artists to shine. WIth surprise performances by the acrobatic Benson Boon, vocal powerhouse Raye, and Rap Album of the Year winner Doechii, who was the third woman to take home the award. With only recently beginning music, Doechii has proven herself to be unstoppable, and fans are hoping for more tunes in 2025. These performances enhanced 2025’s music scheme with a fresh batch of incredible performers.
However, people believe that the artist with arguably the biggest outbreak this year, Sabrina Carpenter, shouldn’t have been nominated in the first place. They believe that despite the obvious popularity surrounding her this year, she shouldn’t have been eligible, as she has been releasing music since 2015.
However, the immediate success of Carpenter’s album and tour drove her to the nomination of the Best Pop Vocal Album. Despite her loss of Best New Artist, Carpenter miraculously won the Best Pop Vocal Album award, which recognized her playful, yet elegant vocals, and is now the highest grossing project of her career.
Kendrick Lamar swept all five categories he was nominated for, taking home five awards, including Song and Record of the Year, making him one of the highest awarded rappers in history. Not only that, but after this year’s show, Lamar’s “Not Like Us” became the most awarded rap song in history. The track began as a comeback diss track to Drake, however, it is now recognized as the top song in his discography. These wins ensure a successful 2025 for Lamar, as he recently performed at Super Bowl LIX, featuring groundbreaking R&B singer-songwriter SZA. Along with this, Lamar and SZA will embark on the “Grand National Tour” beginning this April spanning across the United States.
The iconic Grammy Awards were extremely competitive this year, and despite who came out on top, 2024 was one of the best years yet for the music industry. 2025 is sure to be another remarkable year with many new performers and artists making their mark.
