The efforts of the 2025 Grammy Awards, which balanced raising money for the victims of the Los Angeles wildfires and celebrating artists, were generally successful and memorable.
On the red carpet, the Recording Academy would not allow Kanye West’s attempt to ruin the night as he and his wife, Bianca Censori, were quickly escorted away from the venue due to Bianca wearing revealing clothes. Trevor Noah kept the program moving and the spirit as light as it could be, displaying several montages of horrific fire images and presenting heartfelt performances by celebrity victims and longtime LA residents. Noah urged people in the audience and at home to make donations through MusiCares, a non-profit organization, raising more than $7 million on the night.
In their usual stunningly creative way, Billie Eilish, her brother Finneas, and their band modified Birds of a Feather, the most streamed song of 2024, on a set that placed them in the beauty of Altadena’s San Gabriel Mountains and Eaton Canyon where they grew up. Childhood photos of Billie and Finneas were superimposed into the video backdrop of the lush pre-fire landscape.
Multiple new artist performances by Benson Boone, Doechii, Teddy Swims, and Shaboozey were equally as impressive. Each had an extraordinarily unique presentation, especially Benson Boone’s acrobatics and Doechii’s costume changes.
For the biggest win of the night, Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us was nominated for Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Music Video, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year—and won every single one of those categories, breaking the record for most Grammy wins for a rap song.
Even though getting a crowd of Hollywood elites to sing “A Minor” in unison should spell the end of the beef between Lamar and Drake, Nelson Pye III ‘26 disagrees, “Watching live on TV that Kendrick Lamar won 5 Grammys for a diss track on Drake made me heated. But I will give respect when respect is due and the song Not Like Us may have been in my playlist. It was a good hit, but nothing can beat Drake.”
However, it was the female artists who shined the brightest and dominated the stage at the Grammys. Right after performing her flamboyant Pink Pony Club surrounded by dancing radio clowns and a pink pony, Chappell Roan received Best New Artist. Sabrina Carpenter, who was nominated for six Grammys, won Best Pop Vocal Album for Short n’ Sweet as well as Best Pop Solo Performance for Espresso. Sabrina lit up the stage with her medley song and dance set, establishing herself as one of the most talented and rising young artists. After being awarded her first two Grammys, she spoke about how much the album meant to her.
For the second year in a row, SZA won Best R&B Song (and her fifth Grammy) with Saturn, proving her prominence in the world of R&B.
Still, it isn’t quite the Grammys without a massive snub to get everyone talking the next day. Beyoncé appeared visibly shocked when Taylor Swift announced her as the winner of Best Country Album for Cowboy Carter. Should she have won that Grammy? Maybe, but Album of the Year—perhaps no. Billie Eilish’s single Birds of a Feather in her album Hit Me Hard and Soft had about twice as many streams as Beyoncé’s whole album. Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet accumulated over 4 billion streams compared to Beyoncé’s 1 billion streams for Cowboy Carter.
Matthew Baham says, “Although Beyoncé is a great artist and has had many good songs in the past, the latest album Cowboy Carter was not worthy of the two Grammys she was awarded. I believe that Billie Eilish’s album and Sabrina Carpenter’s album far exceeded the reach of Beyoncé’s.”
Quincy Watson ‘26 further elaborates on the matter, “Beyoncé winning Country Album of the Year is a calamity for the world of country tunes and for country music lovers, like myself. This being said, Beyoncé is still a great artist (outside of the country music experiment), and I do not necessarily care that she won Album of the Year because I am solely focused on the country music scene.”
The 2025 Grammy Awards successfully balanced entertainment with philanthropy, delivering a memorable night of performances, recognition, and controversy. While some wins sparked debate among fans and critics, the evening event showcased the undeniable talent and influence of today’s top artists.
