Grammys 2025: Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé take top honors in night honoring Los Angeles

The biggest question at the 2025 Grammys — who would take home the coveted Album of the Year award — was finally answered after nearly four hours of ceremony. At 8:47 p.m., the honor went to Beyoncé Knowles. After 99 nominations and more than 30 Grammys — but never the award for Album of the Year — the Texan artist triumphed at last with Cowboy Carter.

“I just feel very full and very honored. It’s been many, many years,” she said to applause, thanking “every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer,” for their “hard work.” Beyoncé took to the stage alongside her daughter Blue Ivy. In the audience, Jay-Z, her husband, was toasting with champagne with Taylor Swift, the big loser of the night. Despite six nominations for The Tortured Poets Department — which was the favorite to win Album of the Year — Swift left empty-handed.

It was an emotional moment, as it was the Los Angeles firefighters who presented Beyoncé with the award. “Thank you for supporting all of us and recognizing the heroes standing behind me,” said L.A. Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, calling it “a tremendous honor and privilege.” He extended his appreciation to first responders and paid tribute to those affected by the recent wildfires — including the 30 lives lost and countless others who lost everything. “I am confident that we will recover and rebuild together because we are L.A. strong,” he said.

The wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles for the past month were a central theme of the evening. The Grammy Awards began at 5 p.m. with a solemn speech from host Trevor Noah, who spoke about the devastation caused by the fires and the city’s efforts to recover through an overwhelming wave of solidarity. He also reflected on how artists like Chappell Roan and Stevie Wonder have drawn inspiration from Los Angeles to create some of their most iconic songs.

Fittingly, the night opened with a performance by Dawes, a duo formed by Los Angeles-born brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith, who lost their home in the fires. They performed We Love LA alongside John Legend, St. Vincent, and Sheryl Crow.

The Recording Academy’s 1,300 voters distribute a total of 94 awards, but only nine are presented during the live ceremony. As a result, performances add much-needed energy to a lengthy evening that stretches beyond three hours — often made even more sluggish by frequent commercial breaks. Noah joked about this, not just because the ceremony can feel endless, but also to explain that these pricey ads help fund the event. This year, in a heartfelt gesture, advertising space was given to local businesses affected by the fires. Among spots for major coffee chains and pharmaceutical companies, viewers saw ads for flower shops in Altadena and martial arts academies in Pasadena.

Throughout the night, images of the wildfires, destroyed homes, and displaced families were broadcast, while Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga delivered an emotional acoustic rendition of the 1965 classic California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & The Papas, a timeless ode to the city.

The night’s top awards overwhelmingly went to women, with seven of the nine major categories claimed by female artists. Alicia Keys received the honorary Global Impact Award, while Kendrick Lamar was the only male winner in the top categories, taking home Best Song and Record of the Year for Not Like Us. The Compton-born rapper, who is set to headline the Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans next week, dedicated his win to families affected by the fires.

The Best Duo award went to Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga for Die With a Smile. In one of the night’s few explicitly political moments, Gaga took the opportunity to speak out, declaring: “Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love.”

The 2025 Grammys were a night of tribute and reflection, honoring both the city that hosted them and recognizing past missteps. Without being overly heavy or repetitive — and with minimal political moments aside from brief statements by Gaga and Shakira, the latter advocating for immigrants — the ceremony effectively conveyed its message.

The Recording Academy’s CEO Harvey Mason Jr. addressed past criticism directly, even displaying headlines from when The Weeknd famously cut ties with the organization in 2020, citing a lack of transparency and internal corruption. He acknowledged the backlash and outlined steps taken to improve, including incorporating younger members, more women, and greater racial diversity. “Every voice in our community counts. There’s still work to be done, but I firmly believe we’re on the right path. As we’ve seen tonight, music is a powerful force for good. It heals us,” he said.

As a symbol of this change, The Weeknd made a long-awaited return to the Grammys stage. Even Will Smith, seemingly no longer sidelined by Hollywood, took part in a tribute to the late Quincy Jones. The musical homage featured a graceful performance by Cynthia Erivo, alongside country star Lainey Wilson, Stevie Wonder, and a children’s choir of students who lost their schools in the fires, delivering a poignant rendition of We Are The World. The tribute culminated with Janelle Monáe, who brought the house down with Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough — moonwalk included.

As widely expected, Chappell Roan took home the award for Best New Artist. In her third outfit of the night and clutching a small notebook, she nervously accepted the award, recalling how she felt “betrayed by the system” during the Covid-19 pandemic when she was unable to afford health insurance. Taking the moment to call for change, she urged major record labels to do more: “Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection,” she said, earning a wave of applause from the audience.

In another milestone moment, Doechii won best rap album for Alligator Bites Never Heal, whose acceptance speech was met with thunderous applause. She noted that since the category’s creation in 1999, only two women — Lauryn Hill and Cardi B — had ever won, making her the third. Later in the night, her electrifying performance was one of the evening’s most powerful, bringing the audience to its feet.

One of the most closely contested categories was Best Pop Vocal Album, where Sabrina Carpenter claimed victory with Short N’ Sweet, triumphing over Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, and even her mentor, Taylor Swift — Carpenter was the opening act on part of Swift’s The Eras Tour.

Taylor Swift presented the award for Best Country Album, reflecting on how she had won the same award nearly 15 years ago for Fearless. Though she has been nominated twice more in the category, she has never won again. Swift handed the award to her biggest competitor of the night, Beyoncé, who appeared genuinely stunned to win for Cowboy Carter — especially given that she had not received a single nomination at the Country Music Awards.

Beyoncé thanked God, as well as the country artists who had paved the way before her. She also expressed gratitude to her “beautiful family,” who were with her at the gala. With this win, she became the first Black artist to take home the award.

Jennifer Lopez presented the award for Best Latin Album, calling it “a sensational year” for Latin music. The award went to Shakira for Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.

“This is incredible, thank you so much,” Shakira said in her acceptance speech. “I want to dedicate this award to all my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country. You are loved, you are worth it, and I will always fight with you. And to all the women who work every day to provide for their families: you are the true She-wolfs.”

She also dedicated the award to her children, Milan and Sasha, who were in the audience celebrating with her — not just the win, but also her 48th birthday, which fell on the same day.

To keep the long event engaging — especially after the pre-gala, where artists like Sierra Ferrell, who took home four awards, and Kendrick Lamar, with three, were celebrated — the night’s main focus was the performances.

Billie Eilish set an intimate tone with Birds of a Feather, but the true spectacle of the Grammys followed with a dazzling cabaret-inspired number. Sabrina Carpenter, in a show-stopping display of glitter, feathers, and tap dancing, channeled a 1950s chorus girl as she descended a grand staircase while performing Espresso and Please Please Please.

Next came one of the year’s breakout stars, Chappell Roan, whose meteoric rise from Missouri to global stardom included drawing a massive 110,000-person crowd at Lollapalooza. She made a theatrical entrance atop a giant pink pony to perform her love letter to Los Angeles, Pink Pony Club.

In a playful moment, model Heidi Klum and presenter Nikki Glaser stripped Benson Boone of his suit in the audience, revealing a striking low-cut blue sequin jumpsuit. Dressed for the occasion, he delivered a performance of his global hit Beautiful Things.

Shakira mesmerized the crowd with her signature hip movements, revisiting her 1998 classic Ojos Así before launching into her hit song Session 53.

The night closed with an all-out rave organized by British pop provocateur Charli XCX, who took the energy to another level by tossing dozens of panties onto the stage. The underwear had been donated to support victims of gender-based violence.

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