A night of spectacular performances, sparkling fashion and fundraising for the LA fires, the 2025 Grammys were full of excitement and celebration for a shining year of music.

The biggest date in the US music industry’s calendar, this year’s event – held on 2 February in Los Angeles, California – included more than 20 performances and awards in 94 categories and was exhilarating for music lovers across the globe. 

Inevitably, there was disappointment and controversy too. Many viewers at home felt that there were countless snubs, including for the “big four” categories of Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist, and for massively popular artists such as Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift. 

As someone who is deeply invested in all things music, I always look forward to the Grammys. What especially excited me was the Best New Artist category: it’s always exciting but this year was particularly jam-packed with talent.

The Grammys finally thank Beyoncé

To begin with the Album of the Year, Beyoncé received the coveted award for the first time in her decades-long career for Cowboy Carter, which has been praised for its inventiveness and variation from her previously released music.

Should Beyoncé have won? That question took over the internet. 

Although Cowboy Carter might have been less commercially successful than some of its competitors in that the album did not chart for as long on the Billboard 200, it is undeniable that this award has been a long time coming for Beyoncé, a sentiment many artists shared while watching her receive the award. 

The debate seems to be, should the award have gone to Beyoncé considering the other nominees in the category? Such as Taylor Swift’s record-breaking The Tortured Poets Department. The album broke the record for the biggest streaming week and Swift also became the first artist to take the top 14 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 (breaking her own record, previously set with Midnights). 

Everyone shone in Best New Artist

The other category that gained a lot of attention, both in the lead-up to the Grammys and during the livestream itself, was Best New Artist. It felt filled to the brim with talent, with each artist really coming into their own this past year.

The fabulous performances by each of the eight nominees are what really made this year’s Grammys so much more special than in previous years. Yes, it’s always great to see big-name headliners grace the Grammy stage, but I genuinely discovered new music on a night that’s dedicated to celebrating exactly that. 

Perhaps my favourite performance of the night was by Doechii. A high-energy performance of two of her songs, ‘Catfish’ and ‘Denial is a River’, with countless dancers alongside her dynamic rapping. 

Also fantastic were Sabrina Carpenter – who leaned into her old Hollywood vibe to perform ‘Espresso’ and ‘Please Please Please’ – and Chappell Roan, whose performance of ‘Pink Pony Club’ was a love letter to Los Angeles. 

Ultimately, Chappell Roan won Best New Artist, deservedly so after years of being ignored in an industry that so clearly needed her fresh new voice. Sabrina Carpenter and Doechii didn’t go home empty-handed, though. Carpenter won Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance, while Doechii won Best Rap Album. 

As for the other big two awards of the night, Song of the Year and Record of the Year, both were won by Kendrick Lamar for ‘Not Like Us’. 

The vibrancy of talent and craft at the 2025 Grammys exemplified the year of amazing music we enjoyed in 2024. While the evening had surprises and snubs, it is undeniable that each artist in the room has left their mark on the industry and will hopefully continue to do so for many years to come. 

I know I will be waiting to see what each of them do next!