With Cowboy Carter, which additionally received greatest nation album, Beyoncé lastly took residence the Grammy she’d most coveted.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Pictures
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Kevin Mazur/Getty Pictures
The Grammys prefer to name themselves Music’s Greatest Night time, and danged in the event that they did not pull collectively a fairly terrific night. Here is a rundown of the evening’s highlights, storylines, memorable performances and nostalgic favorites.
1. Our lengthy nationwide nightmare is lastly over: Beyoncé has received album of the 12 months.
Till Sunday evening, essentially the most adorned Grammy winner of all time — with 35 wins in 99 nominations — had by no means received the Grammys’ greatest prize: album of the 12 months. Not for I Am… Sasha Fierce (which misplaced to Taylor Swift‘s Fearless), not for Beyoncé (which misplaced to Beck‘s Morning Section), not for Lemonade (which misplaced to Adele‘s 25) and never for Renaissance (which misplaced to Harry Types‘ Harry’s Home). With Cowboy Carter, which additionally received greatest nation album, she’s lastly taken residence the Grammy she’d most coveted. In hindsight, the coronation wasn’t an enormous shock, nevertheless it would not have been an enormous shock had I Am… Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé, Lemonade or Renaissance received, both.
What does qualify as a shock is the win for greatest nation album, provided that Beyoncé was shut out of a lot as a nomination eventually 12 months’s Nation Music Awards. There’s usually been a good bit of ideological actual property between the CMAs and the Grammys, however that gulf has by no means felt wider.
2. It was Kendrick Lamar‘s evening, too.
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” was nominated for 5 Grammys Sunday: document of the 12 months, music of the 12 months, greatest rap music, greatest rap efficiency and greatest music video. It received all 5 of them. And, although the music was written as a diss monitor — a part of Lamar’s epic lyrical feud with Drake — it had lengthy since turn into an anthem for Los Angeles, which suffered devastating wildfires final month. Given the evening’s give attention to elevating cash for victims (extra on that in a second), it was solely pure that Lamar’s music would turn into one in every of these Grammys’ main tales.
With Lamar headlining subsequent weekend’s Tremendous Bowl Halftime Present, then embarking on a stadium tour with SZA, the rapper’s big 12 months has solely simply begun. And to suppose that his newest album, GNX, dropped after the window for 2025 Grammy eligibility had closed. He is set to be a significant component in subsequent 12 months’s Grammys, too.
3. Organizers mentioned it would not be a telethon, then placed on a telethon
Within the run-up to this 12 months’s Grammys, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. informed Selection that the telecast “won’t be a telethon,” including, “It is going to be completely different, however I would not say dramatically completely different.” However ultimately, it was fairly dramatically completely different.
Host Trevor Noah largely bypassed bits and skits and joke-filled monologues, as a substitute peppering his many appearances with pleas for donations. The present opened with a efficiency of Randy Newman‘s “I Love L.A.” — by the never-nominated rock band Dawes, which was joined by all-star ringers like John Legend and Sheryl Crow — and returned to the topic repeatedly all through the evening. As an alternative of performing their Grammy-winning chart-topper “Die With a Smile,” Girl Gaga and Bruno Mars lined The Mamas & The Papas‘ “California Dreamin’.” It was an evening for LA lengthy earlier than “Not Like Us” took residence two of the evening’s high prizes.
4. The newcomers bought an opportunity to shine — particularly Chappell Roan.
Although big stars like Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish put out colossal data in 2024, arguably the 12 months’s greatest musical story got here from the surge of breakthrough artists, from Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan to a few guys who every landed one of many 12 months’s most inescapable pop hits: Benson Boone, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims. (Doechii, RAYE and Khruangbin rounded out the stacked greatest new artist class.)
Except for poor Khruangbin, whose vibey atmospherics have been relegated to glorified interstitial music, everybody within the area bought ample time to shine. Carpenter placed on an enthralling and deeply theatrical medley of “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” Boone did his ordinary backflips as he thundered by “Stunning Issues.” Swims and Shaboozey gamely handled viewers to their millionth publicity to “Lose Management” and “A Bar Music (Tipsy),” respectively. RAYE went 0-for-3 on the evening however crushed “Oscar Successful Tears”; would anybody be shocked if she ended up profitable dozens of Grammys earlier than her profession is out?
As for Roan, her commanding efficiency of “Pink Pony Membership” supplied one of many evening’s most spectacular highlights. And when she received greatest new artist, she gave one of many telecast’s greatest and most memorable speeches — a name for growing artists to obtain higher entry to healthcare, mental-health help and all-around business infrastructure. Give Roan credit score for looking for methods to deal with the artists arising behind her.
Oh, and let’s not neglect the opposite greatest new artist nominee…
5. Doechii could have had the largest evening of all.
No, she did not win greatest new artist. However when you’re on the lookout for the star who’s likeliest to expertise a meteoric surge in streaming popping out of Sunday evening’s awards, it’s a must to take a look at Doechii, who rightfully received greatest rap album (for Alligator Bites By no means Heal), delivered a killer efficiency of “Catfish” and “Denial Is a River” and gave one of many evening’s best victory speeches.
The Grammys do not simply give out trophies; additionally they anoint unofficial business ambassadors, and people ambassadors are inclined to win awards 12 months after 12 months. Doechii did herself each favor conceivable Sunday evening: She was stellar in efficiency, gracious in victory and completely located to be a staple of Grammy telecasts for years to come back. (Additionally, for the love of all that’s holy, don’t sleep on her Tiny Desk live performance.)
6. Brat Summer season rolled on. Charli xcx did not win both of the evening’s greatest prizes — Brat misplaced album of the 12 months to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and “360” misplaced document of the 12 months to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” — however she did take residence her first three Grammys, profitable greatest digital/dance album, greatest dance pop recording and greatest recording bundle.
She additionally gave one of many evening’s grabbiest and most memorable performances, with a medley of “360” and “Guess” that featured an abundance of visitor stars (Gabbriette Bechtel! Alex Consani! Julia Fox!) and, um, undergarments, which rained from the ceiling as a chyron helpfully knowledgeable viewers that the unworn clothes can be donated.
7. Quincy Jones obtained a lavish, prolonged tribute.
A towering determine as a producer, a musician, a humanitarian and a 28-time Grammy-winner, Jones — who died in November at age 91 — impressed a memorial tribute befitting his monumental affect on the music business. Stevie Marvel, Herbie Hancock, Will Smith, Cynthia Erivo, Jacob Collier, Lainey Wilson and Janelle Monáe (standing in for Michael Jackson) all bought in on an epic-length medley that dwarfed the common “In Memoriam” section — and nonetheless barely scratched the floor of Jones’ profession.
8. The Weeknd returned to the fold, however Girl Gaga had to purchase airtime.
When his album After Hours (and its blockbuster single “Blinding Lights”) obtained zero Grammy nominations in 2021, The Weeknd introduced that he’d boycott the Grammys going ahead. He refused to submit subsequent recordings for consideration — although he is appeared on Grammy-honored works by different artists — and hasn’t carried out at or attended the Grammys since.
This 12 months, he returned to the fold unannounced, performing a medley of his new songs “Cry for Me” and “Timeless (feat. Playboi Carti)” after an introduction by Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., who acknowledged The Weeknd’s previous complaints. It appeared fairly mercenary throughout: Mason has a vested curiosity in undercutting artist boycotts, whereas The Weeknd had simply put out his new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, two days earlier. It is simpler to put aside previous grievances when there’s an album to advertise.
A cynic may word that Girl Gaga — who was really nominated for Grammys this 12 months, and who bypassed selling her hit Bruno Mars duet “Die With a Smile” when the 2 of them carried out collectively — really purchased business airtime to premiere her new single “Abracadabra” throughout Sunday evening’s telecast. Perhaps she might have saved some cash by boycotting the Grammys for a couple of years first.
9. The Premiere Ceremony had its moments, too.
The epic Grammy telecast — the one which airs on CBS — solely gave out 9 statuettes. That is 9 out of 94 classes, which meant that 85 awards needed to be handed out in a marathon, roughly four-hour premiere ceremony earlier within the day. The place else might you see not too long ago departed president Jimmy Carter win his fourth Grammy? (That is proper: Our thirty ninth president has received extra Grammys than The Seashore Boys, Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, Queen and Katy Perry mixed.)
You possibly can scan the complete listing of winners right here, but when we’re selecting sentimental favorites, let’s name it a tie between 1) Tank and the Bangas changing into the second-ever Tiny Desk Contest winner to take residence a Grammy; and a pair of) Gojira, the French steel band who stole the Olympics’ opening ceremony final summer season, profitable greatest steel efficiency for “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!).” It was the band’s first win in 4 nominations, and… let’s revisit that music another time, lets? It guidelines.
10. Alas, somebody needed to be shut out.
In 2020, Billie Eilish grew to become the second artist (after Christopher Cross) to comb the Grammys’ huge 4 classes: album, document and music of the 12 months, plus greatest new artist. She’s since received document and music of the 12 months a second time, as she’s piled up 9 Grammy wins in her younger profession. However she went 0-for-7 Sunday evening.
Taylor Swift is much more adorned than Eilish: She’s received 14 Grammys, together with 4 for album of the 12 months. However she simply went 0-for-6 in her Tortured Poets Division period — not that she appeared to thoughts, as she danced, cheered, sang alongside and in any other case pulled focus all through the evening. For individuals who concern that Swift’s losses imply she’ll embark on an prolonged absence out of your TV screens, fear not: She’ll cheer on Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce from a closely televised luxurious field at Sunday’s Tremendous Bowl.