Sunday, February 2, 2025, Trevor Noah hosted the 67th Grammy Awards night, making it his fifth year straight hosting The Grammys. Like every other year, The Grammy’s took place in the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. That night is meant to honor and award talented artists who gain the recognition they deserve, and to spotlight outstanding achievements these musicians have created.

Since 1959, The Grammy’s has been an annual event to honor musical accomplishments and performances in the music industry. There are over 90 categories, spanning multiple different genres–from music video production to best performances–the Grammy nominates many deserving artists; voting delegates will decide who the winner of the night will be. To be a voting delegate, you must go through a screening and an online entry which qualifies you to vote for your favorite artist. You can check out recordingacademy.com/awards/voting-process for more information–maybe you can be the next vote for the 2026 Grammys.

Now, let’s dive into the talented artists that the Grammys nominated for in some of the most popular categories:

Record of the Year

This year we had so many great songs made, and many new artists getting the recognition they deserve. Record of the Year recognizes the performance and production of a song. All these songs had amazing hits, with millions of views and listeners. From hip-hop rap music to electro-pop, let’s take a look at the nominees for “Record of the Year:”

• • The Beatles – Now and Then
    • November 2, 2023
  • Billie Eilish – Birds of a Feather
    • July 2, 2024
  • Beyonce – Texas Hold ‘Em
    • February 11, 2024
  • Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
    • April 11, 2024
  • Charli XCX – 360
    • May 10, 2024

• Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us (Winner)

• • May 4, 2024
• Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!
  • April 5, 2024
• Taylor Swift and Post Malone – Fortnight
  • April 19, 2024

Being one of the most iconic performances of the NFL halftime show at the Super Bowl, Kendrick Lamar won “Record of the Year” for “Not Like Us.” This song is a diss track to Drake saying how Drake cannot beat Lamar and has broken numerous records on multiple streaming platforms. Its catchy beat and satirical lyrics have gained popularity on social media, and people have even started trends over this song. As “Not Like Us” reached the top of Billboard Hot 100, it’s no-brainer that this song deserves its own Grammy.

Album of the Year

Album of the Year, also known as the most prestigious category at the Grammy Awards, is an artist’s most respected award. Alongside other popular awards in the general field, it has been presented since the very first Grammy’s. There was quite some competition as to which artist deserves the award, let’s take a look at the nominees and their famous albums:

• • New Blue Sun – Andre 3000
    • November 17, 2023
  • Cowboy Carter – Beyonce (Winner)

• March 29, 2024

• Short n’ Sweet – Sabrina Carpenter
  • August 23, 2024
• BRAT – Charli xcx
  • June 7, 2024
• Djesse Vol. 4 – Jacob Collier
  • Feb 29, 2024
• Hit Me Hard And Soft – Billie Eilish
  • May 17, 2024
• The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess – Chappell Roan
  • September 22, 2023
• The Tortured Poets Department – Taylor Swift
  • April 19, 2024

There were a lot of controversies over Beyonce winning the Grammy against Billie Eilish. Many fans said that they had “never listened to Cowboy Carter before” and many rumors say that Beyonce paid the Grammys to have her win. Although “Hit Me Hard And Soft” has reached millions of listens and created trends all over the media, “Texas Hold ‘Em” hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs chart as the first country song written by a black woman. 

Song of the Year

You may recognize most songs on the nominee’s list due to the outreach, catchy, and popular lyrics, and beats it has. With a wide range of vocals like the soft voice in “Birds of a Feather” to country tunes in “Texas Hold ‘Em,” these artists produced iconic songs that will shape our music history. Let’s take a look at the nominees:

• • The Bar Song (Tipsy) – Shaboozey
  • Birds of a Feather – Billie Eilish
  • Die With A Smile – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
  • Fortnight – Taylor Swift Ft. Post Malone
  • Good Luck, Babe! – Chappell Roan

• Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar (Winner)
• Please Please Please – Sabrina Carpenter
• Texas Hold ‘Em – Beyonce

When Not Like Us first came out, it was quick to become the most popular and famous diss track to Drake, creating many trends and impact on listeners. (Etc not done yet)

Best New Artist

For artists to qualify for the Best New Artist award, they must achieve a breakthrough to the public and impact the musical landscape during the year’s eligibility period. An artist must have a minimum of five singles/tracks or a completed album. Essentially, any artist can be considered a “new artist” as long as they have been released during the eligibility period, establishing a public figure as a performer. Let’s look at the new performers who have shaken our industry: 

• • Benson Boone
  • Sabrina Carpenter
  • Doechii
  • Khruangbin
  • Raye

• Chappell Roan (Winner)
• Shaboozey
• Teddy Swims

I think we’ve seen this coming ever since Chappell’s most popular song debut “HOT TO GO!” with over 600 million listens! Her fun dance and unique makeup made her figure stand out amongst everyone else in the music industry. She brought back fun, upbeat, and lively music that brings the happy energy to this century. 

Best Pop Solo Performance

Although the Grammy’s is a night to honor musicians, this award is dedicated to artists who can use their songs and turn them into an entertaining performance and connect with the audience. It’s as if we are watching their concert! Let’s see which performers were nominated:

• • Bodyguard – Beyonce

• Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter (Winner)
• Apple – Charli xcx
• Birds of a Feather – Billie Eilish
• Good Luck, Babe! – Chappell Roan

With the iconic light blue setting and sassy attitude, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” performance mashup at The Grammy’s won Best Solo Performance. Carpenter took a jazz-style take to the beginning of the song Espresso, followed by a tap performance with her backup dancers. It was quite entertaining and comedic that her set was inconvenient and was falling apart as she performed, you may have seen this over the media of her house falling and she jumps into the arms of her backup dancer. Carpenter being one of the best modern performers–in her concerts but also prior acting career–Carpenter is well deserving of this award.

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Similar to the Best Solo Performance, there is a Pop Duo/Group Performance to acknowledge the production collaborated artists have created. Let’s take a look at the nominees: 

• • us. – Gracie Abrams Ft. Taylor Swift
  • Levi’s Jeans – Beyonce ft Post Malone
  • Guess – Charli xcx & Billie Eilish
  • The boy is mine – Ariana Grande, Brandy & Monica
• Die With A Smile – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (Winner)

“Die With A Smile” is an iconic and heartfelt song that was surprisingly published while Bruno Mars was on tour. Many say that Bruno allegedly produced with song with Lady Gaga to get out of millions in gambling debt from the MGM resorts and casinos in Vegas. This song has reached millions of streams, well deserving of the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance award. 

Best Music Video

It’s quite obvious that just as famous songs are, the music video production and film are just as entertaining as listening to the music itself. This award is not only recognized to the artist but also to the production team that helped create such iconic songs. Let’s look at the nominees:

• • Tailor Swif – A$AP ROCKY
  • 360 – Charli xcx
  • Houdini – Eminem

• Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar (Winner)
• Fortnight – Taylor Swift Ft. Post Malone

Not Like Us Music Video was very metaphorical just like his lyrics. The clowns and the setting all contributed to an overall deeper message to the public that has touched the audience. Lamar has a thing for conveying themes that share an important message to society which is why he won Best Music Video.

Overall, all the amazing artists this year deserved recognition for their talented artistry. The music industry has been evolving and these artists work extremely hard to fulfill their fans desires and wants. Even if they did not receive a Grammy that night, they all contributed to the future of our pop culture. These different genres exposed will share the duality in music, and raise awareness of smaller artists, in hopes of setting their music career up for success.