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Beyoncé takes home her 1st album of the year for Cowboy Carter at the Grammys

Beyonce receives Album of the Year award for Cowboy Carter during the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Beyonce receives Album of the Year award for Cowboy Carter during the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Beyoncé, the most-awarded and most-nominated artist in Grammys history, took home album of the year at the 67th Grammy Awards for her smash hit Cowboy Carter. It was her fifth time she had an album up for the award, and her first time winning.  

It was a big evening for Cowboy Carter, which also won best country music album, making Beyoncé the first female Black artist to win in that category. 

Another big winner was Kendrick Lamar, whose infamous hit from his rap feud with Drake, Not Like Us, won in every category it was nominated in, including record of the year and song of the year. 

Women dominated most of the major categories, with Chappell Roan snagging best new artist, Doechii winning best rap album, and Sabrina Carpenter taking best pop vocal album. 

The 67th Grammy Awards was full of triumphs, surprises and intense moments, with many artists reflecting on the impact of the Los Angeles wildfires and others delivering emotional statements of defiance in a time of political turmoil. 

 

Cowboy Carter scores big

Beyoncé reacted with a start of surprise when her name was called for best country album, before making her way to the stage. The award was presented to her by a smiling Taylor Swift. 

"I'd like to thank all of the incredible country artists that accepted this album," Beyoncé told the crowd. "I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists, and I just want to encourage people to do what they're passionate about and stay persistent."

A woman in a short red dress is on stage next to a woman in a long beige dress. The second woman is holding an award.
Taylor Swift, left, presents the award for best country album to Beyonce for Cowboy Carter. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/The Associated Press) 

 

When she won album of the year — an honour that has eluded her for four previous albums — the venue erupted into cheers 

"I just feel very full and honoured," she said as she accepted the award. "It's been many, many years."

With 11 nominations, Beyoncé was the clear frontrunner going into Sunday evening.

She had already made history hours before the main event, scoring her first country music Grammy win at the Grammys Premiere Ceremony with a win for best country duo/group performance category for her track II Most Wanted, performed with Miley Cyrus. With that win, Beyoncé became the first Black woman to be awarded a Grammy in a country music category. 

Beyoncé's win also helped Canadian musician Dave Hamelin become a Grammy winner. The Montreal musician's role as producer engineer and mixer on Cowboy Carter meant Hamelin is sharing the glory as part of the creative team that brought it to life. 

Beyonce smiles as she accepts an award.
Beyonce has been nominated five times for album of the year, but Cowboy Carter marks her first win in that category. (Chris Pizzello/The Associated Press) 

Other homegrown Grammy winners this year included Montreal conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin, who landed his fifth career Grammy for his work alongside the London Symphony Orchestra and Bradley Cooper on music for Netflix's film Maestro. It won a soundtrack award.

Toronto songwriter Scott Zhang picked up best R&B song as part of the team behind SZA's hit Saturn.

 

'My neck of the woods'

After devastating wildfires swept through Los Angeles County, devouring countless homes in a city known for its musical roots, it was announced that the 67th Grammy Awards would focus on raising money for wildfire relief efforts. 

This theme was present in the show from beginning to end, with host Trevor Noah checking in between performances to prompt the audience at home and in the Crypto.com Arena to donate. 

Viewers at home had raised more than $7 million US before the end of the broadcast, he said. 

As he accepted the award for record of the year, Lamar spoke about his connection to L.A. 

"This is my neck of the woods," he said. "I can't give enough thanks to these places that I rolled around since high school."

A smiling man wearing all denim stands at a microphone, while another man stands off to the side.
Kendrick Lamar, left, accepts the record of the year award for Not Like Us. Mustard looks on from right. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/The Associated Press) 

 

Some of the ad time was also given to boost L.A. businesses who had been affected by the fires, with celebrities like Doja Cat and Avril Lavigne popping up to add some star power.

Numerous performances honoured L.A., from the first performance of the night, an ensemble performance which featured lyrics celebrating firefighters and the city's resilience, to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars's cover of California Dreamin', originally by The Mamas & Papas. 

 

Best new artist goes to Chappell Roan

After a seismic rise, Chappell Roan has taken home best new artist at the Grammys. 

The singer accepted the award with a fiery speech aimed at the recording industry, calling for labels to offer artists healthcare and a livable wage. She was signed so young that when she was dropped by her label, she had no job experience and no coverage, she said. 

"Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees," she said. 

A woman sits on a giant pink horse, performing a song.
Chappell Roan performs Pink Pony Club. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/The Associated Press) 

 

In her first ever Grammys performance, the singer straddled a giant statue of a pink horse to sing Pink Pony Club, delivering powerful vocals as backup dancers in clown makeup caroused around her. 

 

Doechii, Sabrina Carpenter score wins

Doechii took home the first award of the televised event, snatching best rap album from the otherwise all-male lineup of nominees for Alligator Bites Never Heal.

The first-time Grammy winner was visibly emotional as she took the award from Cardi B. In her speech, she pointed out that only three women have ever won in this category — herself, Cardi B. and Lauryn Hill — and said she hoped she could inspire other Black women to follow their dreams.

An emotional woman reaches out to embrace another on an award's show stage in front of a microphone.
Cardi B, left, presents the award for best rap album to Doechii for Alligator Bites Never Heal. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/The Associated Press) 

 

"Anything is possible. Don't allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you," she said.

Sabrina Carpenter snagged best pop vocal album for Short n' Sweet, which she accepted shortly after an energetic, comedic performance of a medley of her songs that saw her missing spotlights, walking into a pit in the stairs and leaping into a backup dancer's arms with a shriek.  

"I'm still out of breath from the performance, so I really was not expecting this," she said, brandishing a napkin she had written names on to thank. "This is — whoo — my first Grammy, so I'm going to cry."

A woman in a blue sparkly bodysuit sings into a microphone on a set of stairs.
Sabrina Carpenter performs a medley during the 67th annual Grammy Awards, on Sunday in Los Angeles. Carpenter took the Grammy for best pop vocal album. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/The Associated Press) 

 

'DEI is not a threat'

Roan was not the only one to use her time at the mic to raise a pressing issue. 

As she accepted the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, presented to her by icon Queen Latifah, 17-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys took aim at U.S. President Donald Trump's attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.  

"This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices," she said. "DEI is not a threat, it's a gift. And the more voices, the more powerful the sound."

Pop duo/group performance went to Die With a Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, who both began by thanking each other. 

After calling her collaborator "an incredible human being," Lady Gaga spoke up in support of the transgender community, which has come under attack in recent weeks through numerous executive orders from U.S. President Donald Trump. 

"I just want to say tonight that trans people are not invisible," she said. "Trans people deserve love, the queer community deserves to be lifted up."

When Shakira won best Latin pop album for Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, which is her first album in seven years, she dedicated the award "to all my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country.

A bunch of dancers are all hitting the same move, with the woman in the centre mid-hair flip and in the middle of singing into a microphone.
Shakira, centre, won best Latin pop album for Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, her first album in seven years,  (Chris Pizzello/Invision/The Associated Press) 

 

"You're loved," she said, to a wave of cheers. She also thanked her two young children, who were smiling up at her from the audience. 

Shakira took to the stage a second time later that night as a performer, bringing her iconic hip gyrations and undulating voice back to the Grammys stage for the first time since 2007. 

 

Floor-shaking performances, emotional tributes

One of the surprises of the night was a performance by The Weeknd, ending the artist's boycott of the Grammys.  

A man in dark glasses and a dark overcoat performs on a stage.
One of the surprises of the night was a performance by The Weeknd, ending the artist's boycott of the Grammys. ( Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

 

The Weeknd had declined to submit his music for the awards ever since his 2020 smash singleBlinding Lights, which shattered streaming records the year of its release and continues to be Spotify's most streamed song of all time, received a shocking zero Grammy nominations. 

Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, introduced The Weeknd's Grammy comeback performance by acknowledging the artist's criticism of the lack of transparency in the Grammy nomination process and saying things had changed. 

The Weeknd performed two songs from his brand new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow. 

Quincy Jones, a legendary record producer, composer, arranger and recording artist, received an emotional tribute at the award show, with performances by Cynthia Erivo, Jacob Collier, Lainey Wilson, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder and Janelle Monáe honouring the songs he contributed to and the artists he helped bring to the world. 

Will Smith, who led the segment, described Jones as "a mentor, a friend, a father figure."

"In his 91 years, Q touched countless lives, but I have to say he changed mine forever," Smith said. He had been cast in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a teenager only after a screen test with executive producer Jones. 

The performances ranged from a slow, curling rendition of Fly Me to the Moon by Erivo, backed by Hancock on the piano, which built into a jazzy climax, to a high-energy performance of Michael Jackson's Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough by Monáe, underlining the range of Jones's influence. 

A woman perfoms on a stage. Behind her is a large band.
Janelle Monáe performs a tribute to legendary music producer Quincy Jones. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images) 

 

Coldplay's Chris Martin performed during the in-memoriam portion of the night, as photos of musicians and artists lost in 2024 flashed up on screen, including Liam Payne, Kris Kristofferson, Tito Jackson, Marianne Faithfull, Seiji Ozawa and Wayne Osmond, among others.  

Other performances of the night included an understated performance of Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish, a thumping medley of songs from Charli XCX's album Brat and back-to-back performances by many of the nominees for best new artist, including Benson Boone, Doechii, Teddy Swims, Shaboozey and Raye.

Early award winners

The vast majority of the 94 awards given out at the Grammys were handed out at a ceremony before the televised event.

This was where Lamar's Not Like Us racked up its first three awards of the night: best rap performance, rap song and music video. 

Another highlight of the premiere ceremony was Charli XCX, whose album Brat sparked the iconic "brat summer" memes, scoring her first three Grammys ever. She took home best dance pop recording for her song Von Dutch, best electric/dance album and best recording package as an art director on Brat.

Check out the full list of awards and winners below:

Album of the Year

Cowboy Carter by Beyonce

Song of the Year

Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar

Record of the Year

Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Die With a Smile by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars

Best Latin Pop Album

Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran by Shakira

Best New Artist

Chappell Roan

Best Country Album

Cowboy Carter by Beyonce

Best Pop Vocal Album

Short n' Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter

Best Rap Album

Alligator Bites Never Heal by Doechii

Best Dance/Electronic Album

Brat by Charli XCX

Best Dance/Electronic Recording

Neverender by Justice and Tame Impala

Best Pop Dance Recording

Von Dutch by Charli XCX

Best Pop Solo Performance

Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

Amy Allen

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Daniel Nigro

Best Rock Album

Hackney Diamonds by The Rolling Stones

Best Rock Song

Broken Man by Annie Clark, songwriter (St. Vincent)

Best Metal Performance

Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) by Gojira, Marina Viotti and Victor Le Masne

Best Rock Performance

Now and Then by The Beatles

Best Remixed Recording

Espresso (Mark Ronson x FNZ Working Late Remix) – FNZ and Mark Ronson, remixers (Sabrina Carpenter)

Best Rap Song

Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)

Best Melodic Rap Performance

3:AM by Rapsody, with Erykah Badu

Best Rap Performance

Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar

Best R&B Album

11:11 (Deluxe) by Chris Brown

Best Progressive R&B Album: TIE

So Glad To Know You by AverySunshine

Why Lawd? by NxWorries (Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge)

Best R&B Song

Saturn by Rob Bisel, Carter Lang, Solána Rowe, Jared Solomon and Scott Zhang, songwriters (SZA)

Best Traditional R&B Performance

That's You by Lucky Daye

Best R&B Performance

Made For Me (Live On BET) by Muni Long

Best Alternative Music Album

All Born Screaming by St. Vincent

Best Alternative Music Performance

Flea by St. Vincent

Best Country Song

The Architect by Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves and Josh Osborne, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

II Most Wanted by Beyoncé, with Miley Cyrus

Best Country Solo Performance

It Takes A Woman by Chris Stapleton

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Plot Armor by Taylor Eigsti

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Visions by Norah Jones

Best Alternative Jazz Album

No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin by Meshell Ndegeocello

Best Latin Jazz Album

Cubop Lives! by Zaccai Curtis

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Bianca Reimagined: Music For Paws And Persistence by Dan Pugach Big Band

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

Remembrance by Chick Corea and Béla Fleck

Best Jazz Vocal Album

A Joyful Holiday by Samara Joy

Best Jazz Performance

Twinkle Twinkle Little Me by Samara Joy, with Sullivan Fortner

Best Regional Roots Music Album

Kuini by Kalani Pe'a

Best Folk Album

Woodland by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

Best Contemporary Blues Album

Mileage by Ruthie Foster

Best Traditional Blues Album

Swingin' Live At the Church In Tulsa by The Taj Mahal Sextet

Best Bluegrass Album

Live Vol. 1 by Billy Strings

Best Americana Album

Trail Of Flowers by Sierra Ferrell

Best American Roots Song

American Dreaming by Sierra Ferrell and Melody Walker, songwriters (Sierra Ferrell)

Best Americana Performance

American Dreaming by Sierra Ferrell

Best American Roots Performance

Lighthouse by Sierra Ferrell

Best Roots Gospel Album

Church by Cory Henry

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

Heart Of A Human by DOE

Best Gospel Album

More Than This by CeCe Winans

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

That's My King by CeCe Winans; Taylor Agan, Kellie Gamble, Lloyd Nicks and Jess Russ, songwriters

Best Gospel Performance/Song

One Hallelujah by Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Erica Campbell and Israel Houghton, with Jonathan McReynolds and Jekalyn Carr; G. Morris Coleman, Israel Houghton, Kenneth Leonard, Jr., Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Naomi Raine, songwriters

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

i/o – Tchad Blake, Oli Jacobs, Katie May and Dom Shaw, engineers; Matt Colton, mastering engineer (Peter Gabriel)

Best Historical Album

Centennial by Meagan Hennessey and Richard Martin, compilation producers; Richard Martin, mastering engineer (King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and Various Artists)

Best Album Notes

Centennial by Ricky Riccardi, album notes writer (King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and Various Artists)

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

Mind Games by Simon Hilton and Sean Ono Lennon, art directors (John Lennon)

Best Recording Package

Brat – Brent David Freaney and Imogene Strauss, art directors (Charli XCX)

Best Music Film

American Symphony (Jon Batiste) – Matthew Heineman, video director; Lauren Domino, Matthew Heineman and Joedan Okun, video producers

Best Music Video

Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar; Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar, video directors; Jack Begert, Sam Canter and Jamie Rabineau, video producers

Best Song Written for Visual Media

It Never Went Away (from American Symphony) – Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste)

Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord by Winifred Phillips, composer

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film And Television)

Dune: Part Two by Hans Zimmer, composer

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

Maestro: Music by Leonard Bernstein – London Symphony Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bradley Cooper

Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording

Last Sundays In Plains: A Centennial Celebration – Jimmy Carter

Best Comedy Album

The Dreamer by Dave Chappelle

Best Children's Music Album

Brillo, Brillo! by Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band

Best Tropical Latin Album

Alma, Corazón y Salsa (Live at Gran Teatro Nacional) by Tony Succar, Mimy Succar

Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano)

Boca Chueca, Vol. 1 by Carín León

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album

¿Quién trae las cornetas? by Rawayana

Best Música Urbana Album

Las Letras Ya No Importan by Residente

Best Contemporary Classical Composition

Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina – Gabriela Ortiz, composer (Gustavo Dudamel, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale)

Best Classical Compendium

Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina – Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Dmitriy Lipay, producer

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

Alma – Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johanye Kendrick & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (säje with Regina Carter)

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella

Bridge Over Troubled Water – Jacob Collier, Tori Kelly & John Legend, arrangers (Jacob Collier feat. John Legend and Tori Kelly)

Best Opera Recording

Saariaho: Adriana Mater – Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Nicholas Phan and Christopher Purves; Jason O'Connell, producer (San Francisco Symphony; San Francisco Symphony Chorus; Timo Kurkikangas)

Best Orchestral Performance

Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina – Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Best Instrumental Composition

Strands – Pascal Le Boeuf, composer (Akropolis Reed Quintet, Pascal Le Boeuf and Christian Euman)

Best Immersive Audio Album

i/o (In-Side Mix) – Hans-Martin Buff, immersive mix engineer; Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel & Richard Russell, immersive producers (Peter Gabriel)

Producer Of The Year, Classical

Elaine Martone

Best Engineered Album, Classical

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7; Bates: Resurrexit – Mark Donahue & John Newton, engineers; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album

Triveni by Wouter Kellerman, Éru Matsumoto & Chandrika Tandon

Best Reggae Album

Bob Marley: One Love - Music Inspired By The Film (Deluxe) (Various Artists)

Best Global Music Album

Alkebulan II by Matt B, with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Best African Music Performance

Love Me JeJe by Tems

Best Global Music Performance

Bemba Colorá by Sheila E. feat. Gloria Estefan and Mimy Succar

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

Beyond The Years - Unpublished Songs Of Florence Price – Karen Slack, soloist; Michelle Cann, pianist

Best Classical Instrumental Solo

Bach: Goldberg Variations by Víkingur Ólafsson

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

Rectangles And Circumstance by Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion

Best Choral Performance

Ochre – Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)

 

With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press

 

 

Author: Alexandra Mae Jones

Source: CBC News:

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