Emma Gladstone is an entertainment journalist dedicated to offering a fresh perspective in today’s media landscape. As a content writer for The Hollywood Insider, her goal is to serve as a break from negativity by focusing on positive, human-centered angles that uplift and inspire. Writing reviews and feature stories for The Hollywood Insider, Emma celebrates the transformative and authentic power of reporting, to promote meaningful change and substance in media. Her passion for global entertainment fuels her writing, creating stories that educate, empower, and resonate deeply with readers. Emma is truly thrilled to be writing for The Hollywood Insider, as their values align closely with hers.
Feb 9, 2025
Table of Contents
The 2025 Grammy Awards were packed with unforgettable moments that left viewers buzzing long after the show ended. Beyoncé’s history-making wins and Kendrick Lamar’s awakening success dominated the night, setting the stage for a new chapter in music history. From surprise wins to epic performances, the evening was nothing short of legendary.
Beyoncé Takes Home Album of the Year, Makes Country Music History
Beyoncé stunned fans and industry insiders alike by taking home the prestigious Album of the Year award for ‘Cowboy Carter’. This victory marked a significant milestone in her career, as it made her the most awarded artist in Grammy history. While her success wasn’t entirely unexpected—after all, it’s Beyoncé—the moment was still jaw-dropping. The album, which was released in March 2024, highlighted her versatility and showed a new side of the icon as she dove into country music.
But Beyoncé didn’t stop there. She also made history by winning Best Country Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for ‘II MOST WANTED’, with Miley Cyrus. These wins were especially significant, as Beyoncé became the first Black woman in 50 years to win a country Grammy. Her presence in the country genre underscores the lasting impact she’s making in all musical spaces.
Beyoncé’s wins weren’t just about her; they were about breaking barriers. The success of ‘Cowboy Carter’ has opened doors for other Black artists in country music, a genre she has openly discussed not feeling entirely welcomed in. Her journey to this point has been filled with obstacles, and yet, her determination has brought her to the forefront of the genre.
The night’s award ceremony was a testament to Beyoncé’s incredible influence and staying power in the music industry, as well as a reminder that no matter the obstacles, working hard pays off. As she accepted her awards, Beyoncé expressed her gratitude with a speech that reflected her deep connection to the album’s message and the people who supported her. She shared:
“Wow, I really wasn’t expecting this. Oh my God! I want to thank God for allowing me to do what I love after so many years. I’d like to thank all the incredible country artists who embraced this album. Sometimes, genres can be used to keep artists in boxes, and I just want to encourage everyone to follow their passion and persist. I’m still in shock, but I’m so grateful to my family, my collaborators, and, of course, my fans. Thank you!”
Kendrick Lamar Continues His Reign with Record-Breaking Wins
While Beyoncé made history, Kendrick Lamar was on a winning streak of his own. Lamar took home an impressive number of awards, sweeping every category he was nominated in. Among his wins were Record of the Year and Song of the Year for his track ‘Not Like Us’. This double victory solidified Lamar’s position as one of the most influential figures in modern hip-hop.
During his acceptance speech, Lamar took a moment to honor the Los Angeles Fire Department for their courageous efforts during the recent wildfires, dedicating his Record of the Year win to the city.
Lamar’s dominance didn’t end with his wins in the major categories. Earlier in the evening, ‘Not Like Us’ earned accolades for Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video. With this latest Grammy, Lamar set a new record for the most wins in the Best Rap Performance category, now holding an impressive seven victories. His influence on hip-hop is undeniable, and with this string of Grammy wins, it’s clear that Lamar is still at the top of his game.
It’s worth noting that Lamar’s Grammy triumphs came just a week before he is set to perform at today’s Super Bowl LIX. This opportunity will undoubtedly elevate his already impressive legacy, further cementing him as one of the greatest artists of our time.
Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, and Sabrina Carpenter Shine
The night also brought wins for some of music’s brightest legends. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their song ‘Die With a Smile’, a track that earned fame for its catchy melody and emotional depth. Gaga, known for her fierce individuality and vocal prowess, and Mars, with his signature funk-infused voice, proved once again that they’re a formidable duo.
Sabrina Carpenter had a standout evening as well. The multi-talented artist took home the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album for ‘Short n’ Sweet’. Earlier in the night, Carpenter won her first-ever Grammy awards for Best Pop Solo Performance with ‘Espresso’ and Best Remixed Recording for ‘Espresso’ (Mark Ronson x FNZ Working Late Remix). Her big night marked a new chapter in her career as one of the most exciting pop artists of the moment.
Shakira and Doechii Make Waves in Latin and Rap Categories
Shakira took home the Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album for ‘Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran’, a victory that reaffirmed her status as one of the most influential Latin artists of all time.
Meanwhile, in the rap category, Doechii made history by winning Best Rap Album for ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’. This victory made Doechii only the third female artist to ever claim the award, cementing her position as one of the most exciting voices in rap music today.
If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth the watch. The moment her name was announced was filled with– well, one could say at the very least– raw emotion, as Beyoncé, who had not anticipated the win, was visibly stunned. Taylor Swift, who had previously won Best Country Album for ‘Fearless’, presented the award. The camera cut to Beyoncé, who expressed her shock in her acceptance speech.
“I’m still in shock,” Beyoncé said as she hugged Swift. “I want to thank God and all the incredible country artists who helped make this album a reality. This album is a message of persistence and passion, and I’m so grateful for everyone who believed in me.”
Beyoncé’s victory was a powerful reminder that greatness comes in many forms and from unexpected places. Her accomplishments serve as an inspiration to artists everywhere, proving that with hard work, resilience, and a love for the craft, anything is possible.
Best Pop Solo Performance Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Die With A Smile – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
Best Pop Vocal Album Short n’ Sweet – Sabrina Carpenter
Best Dance/Electronic Recording Neverender – Justice & Tame Impala
Best Dance Pop Recording Von dutch – Charli xcx
Best Dance/Electronic Album BRAT — Charli xcx
Best Remixed Recording Espresso (Mark Ronson x FNZ Working Late Remix) — FNZ & Mark Ronson, remixers (Sabrina Carpenter)
Best Rock Performance Now and Then — The Beatles
Best Metal Performance Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) — Gojira, Marina Viotti & Victor Le Masne
Best Rock Song Broken Man – Annie Clark, songwriter (St. Vincent)
Best Rock Album Hackney Diamonds — The Rolling Stones
Best Alternative Music Performance Flea — St. Vincent
Best Alternative Music Album All Born Screaming – St. Vincent
Best R&B Performance Made For Me (Live On BET) — Muni Long
Best Traditional R&B Performance That’s You — Lucky Daye
Best R&B Song Saturn – Rob Bisel, Carter Lang, Solána Rowe, Jared Solomon & Scott Zhang, songwriters (SZA)
Best Progressive R&B Album So Glad to Know You – Avery*Sunshine (WINNER – TIE)
Best R&B Album 11:11 (Deluxe) — Chris Brown
Best Rap Performance Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar
Best Melodic Rap Performance 3 — Rapsody Featuring Erykah Badu
Best Rap Song Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar
Best Rap Album Alligator Bites Never Heal — Doechii
Best Spoken Word Poetry Album The Heart, The Mind, The Soul — Tank and The Bangas
Best Jazz Performance Twinkle Twinkle Little Me — Samara Joy Featuring Sullivan Fortner
Best Jazz Vocal Album A Joyful Holiday — Samara Joy
Best Jazz Instrumental Album Remembrance — Chick Corea & Béla Fleck
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence — Dan Pugach Big Band
Best Latin Jazz Album Cubop Lives! — Zaccai Curtis, Luques Curtis, Willie Martinez, Camilo Molina & Reinaldo de Jesus (WINNER)
Best Alternative Jazz Album No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin — Meshell Ndegeocello (WINNER)
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Visions — Norah Jones (WINNER)
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album Plot Armor — Taylor Eigsti (WINNER)
Best Musical Theater Album Hell’s Kitchen — Shoshana Bean, Brandon Victor Dixon, Kecia Lewis & Maleah Joi Moon, principal vocalists; Adam Blackstone, Alicia Keys & Tom Kitt, producers (WINNER)
Best Country Solo Performance It Takes A Woman — Chris Stapleton (WINNER)
Best Country Duo/Group Performance II MOST WANTED — Beyoncé Featuring Miley Cyrus (WINNER)
Best Country Song The Architect — Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves) (WINNER)
Best Country Album COWBOY CARTER – Beyoncé (WINNER)
Best American Roots Performance Lighthouse — Sierra Ferrell (WINNER)
Best Americana Performance American Dreaming — Sierra Ferrell (WINNER)
Best American Roots Song American Dreaming — Sierra Ferrell & Melody Walker, songwriters (Sierra Ferrell) (WINNER)
Best Americana Album Trail Of Flowers — Sierra Ferrell (WINNER)
Best Bluegrass Album Live Vol. 1 — Billy Strings (WINNER)
Best Traditional Blues Album Swingin’ Live at The Church in Tulsa — The Taj Mahal Sextet (WINNER)
Best Contemporary Blues Album Mileage — Ruthie Foster (WINNER)
Best Folk Album Woodland — Gillian Welch & David Rawlings (WINNER)
Best Regional Roots Music Album Kuini — Kalani Pe’a (WINNER)
Best Gospel Performance/Song One Hallelujah — Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Erica Campbell & Israel Houghton Featuring Jonathan McReynolds & Jekalyn Carr; G. Morris Coleman, Israel Houghton, Kenneth Leonard, Jr., Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Naomi Raine, songwriters (WINNER)
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song That’s My King — CeCe Winans; Taylor Agan, Kellie Gamble, Llyod Nicks & Jess Russ, songwriters (WINNER)
Best Gospel Album More Than This — CeCe Winans
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album Heart Of A Human — DOE
Best Roots Gospel Album Church — Cory Henry
Best Latin Pop Album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran — Shakira
Best Música Urbana Album LAS LETRAS YA NO IMPORTAN — Residente
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album ¿Quién trae las cornetas? — Rawayana
Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano) Boca Chueca, Vol. 1 — Carín León
Best Tropical Latin Album Alma, Corazón y Salsa (Live at Gran Teatro Nacional) — Tony Succar, Mimy Succar
Best Global Music Performance “Bemba Colorá” — Sheila E. Featuring Gloria Estefan & Mimy Succar
Best African Music Performance “Love Me JeJe” — Tems
Best Global Music Album ALKEBULAN II — Matt B Featuring Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Best Reggae Album Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By The Film (Deluxe) — Various Artists
Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album Triveni — Wouter Kellerman, Eru Matsumoto & Chandrika Tandon
Best Children’s Music Album Brillo, Brillo! — Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band
Best Comedy Album The Dreamer — Dave Chappelle
Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration — Jimmy Carter
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media Maestro: Music By Leonard Bernstein — Bradley Cooper & Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media Dune: Part Two — Hans Zimmer
Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord — Winifred Phillips
Best Song Written For Visual Media “It Never Went Away” [From American Symphony] — Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson
Best Music Video “Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar
Best Music Film American Symphony — Jon Batiste
Best Recording Package BRAT — Charli xcx
Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package Mind Games — John Lennon
Best Album Notes Centennial — Ricky Riccardi
Best Historical Album Centennial — King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band & Various Artists
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical i/o — Peter Gabriel
Looking Ahead: What’s Next for These Superstars
As the 2025 Grammys come to a close, the legacies of Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and others are stronger than ever. Lamar will take the stage at today’s Super Bowl LIX, while Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ continues to inspire artists across genres. With the music industry buzzing, it’s clear that these stars will continue to shape the future of music for years to come.
By Emma Gladstone
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Emma Gladstone is an entertainment journalist dedicated to offering a fresh perspective in today’s media landscape. As a content writer for The Hollywood Insider, her goal is to serve as a break from negativity by focusing on positive, human-centered angles that uplift and inspire. Writing reviews and feature stories for The Hollywood Insider, Emma celebrates the transformative and authentic power of reporting, to promote meaningful change and substance in media. Her passion for global entertainment fuels her writing, creating stories that educate, empower, and resonate deeply with readers. Emma is truly thrilled to be writing for The Hollywood Insider, as their values align closely with hers.
Emma Gladstone is an entertainment journalist dedicated to offering a fresh perspective in today’s media landscape. As a content writer for The Hollywood Insider, her goal is to serve as a break from negativity by focusing on positive, human-centered angles that uplift and inspire. Writing reviews and feature stories for The Hollywood Insider, Emma celebrates the transformative and authentic power of reporting, to promote meaningful change and substance in media. Her passion for global entertainment fuels her writing, creating stories that educate, empower, and resonate deeply with readers. Emma is truly thrilled to be writing for The Hollywood Insider, as their values align closely with hers.
Emma Gladstone is an entertainment journalist dedicated to offering a fresh perspective in today’s media landscape. As a content writer for The Hollywood Insider, her goal is to serve as a break from negativity by focusing on positive, human-centered angles that uplift and inspire. Writing reviews and feature stories for The Hollywood Insider, Emma celebrates the transformative and authentic power of reporting, to promote meaningful change and substance in media. Her passion for global entertainment fuels her writing, creating stories that educate, empower, and resonate deeply with readers. Emma is truly thrilled to be writing for The Hollywood Insider, as their values align closely with hers.
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