With Cowboy Carter, which additionally gained finest nation album, Beyoncé lastly took house the Grammy she’d most coveted.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Photos
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Kevin Mazur/Getty Photos
The Grammys prefer to name themselves Music’s Greatest Evening, and danged in the event that they did not pull collectively a reasonably terrific night. Here is a rundown of the evening’s highlights, storylines, memorable performances and nostalgic favorites.
1. Our lengthy nationwide nightmare is lastly over: Beyoncé has gained album of the yr.
Till Sunday evening, probably the most adorned Grammy winner of all time — with 35 wins in 99 nominations — had by no means gained the Grammys’ largest prize: album of the yr. Not for I Am… Sasha Fierce (which misplaced to Taylor Swift‘s Fearless), not for Beyoncé (which misplaced to Beck‘s Morning Part), not for Lemonade (which misplaced to Adele‘s 25) and never for Renaissance (which misplaced to Harry Types‘ Harry’s Home). With Cowboy Carter, which additionally gained finest nation album, she’s lastly taken house the Grammy she’d most coveted. In hindsight, the coronation wasn’t an enormous shock, however it would not have been an enormous shock had I Am… Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé, Lemonade or Renaissance gained, both.
What does qualify as a shock is the win for finest nation album, provided that Beyoncé was shut out of a lot as a nomination ultimately yr’s Nation Music Awards. There’s typically been a good bit of ideological actual property between the CMAs and the Grammys, however that gulf has by no means felt wider.
2. It was Kendrick Lamar‘s evening, too.
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” was nominated for 5 Grammys Sunday: report of the yr, tune of the yr, finest rap tune, finest rap efficiency and finest music video. It gained all 5 of them. And, although the tune was written as a diss observe — a part of Lamar’s epic lyrical feud with Drake — it had lengthy since change into an anthem for Los Angeles, which suffered devastating wildfires final month. Given the evening’s give attention to elevating cash for victims (extra on that in a second), it was solely pure that Lamar’s tune would change into one among these Grammys’ main tales.
With Lamar headlining subsequent weekend’s Tremendous Bowl halftime present, then embarking on a stadium tour with SZA, the rapper’s large yr has solely simply begun. And to suppose that his newest album, GNX, dropped after the window for 2025 Grammy eligibility had closed. He is set to be a significant component in subsequent yr’s Grammys, too.
3. Organizers stated it would not be a telethon, then placed on a telethon
Within the run-up to this yr’s Grammys, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. advised Selection that the telecast “won’t be a telethon,” including, “It may be completely different, however I would not say dramatically completely different.” However ultimately, it was fairly dramatically completely different.
Host Trevor Noah largely bypassed bits and skits and joke-filled monologues, as a substitute peppering his many appearances with pleas for donations. The present opened with a efficiency of Randy Newman‘s “I Love L.A.” — by the never-nominated rock band Dawes, which was joined by all-star ringers like John Legend and Sheryl Crow — and returned to the topic repeatedly all through the evening. As an alternative of performing their Grammy-winning chart-topper “Die With a Smile,” Woman Gaga and Bruno Mars lined The Mamas & The Papas‘ “California Dreamin’.” It was an evening for LA lengthy earlier than “Not Like Us” took house two of the evening’s prime prizes.
4. The newcomers obtained an opportunity to shine — particularly Chappell Roan.
Although large stars like Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish put out colossal data in 2024, arguably the yr’s largest musical story got here from the surge of breakthrough artists, from Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan to 3 guys who every landed one of many yr’s most inescapable pop hits: Benson Boone, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims. (Doechii, RAYE and Khruangbin rounded out the stacked finest new artist class.)
Except for poor Khruangbin, whose vibey atmospherics have been relegated to glorified interstitial music, everybody within the area obtained ample time to shine. Carpenter placed on an enthralling and deeply theatrical medley of “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” Boone did his normal backflips as he thundered via “Lovely Issues.” Swims and Shaboozey gamely handled viewers to their millionth publicity to “Lose Management” and “A Bar Track (Tipsy),” respectively. RAYE went 0-for-3 on the evening however crushed “Oscar Profitable Tears”; would anybody be shocked if she ended up successful dozens of Grammys earlier than her profession is out?
As for Roan, her commanding efficiency of “Pink Pony Membership” supplied one of many evening’s most spectacular highlights. And when she gained finest new artist, she gave one of many telecast’s finest and most memorable speeches — a name for creating artists to obtain better entry to well being care, mental-health help and all-around business infrastructure. Give Roan credit score for searching for methods to deal with the artists arising behind her.
Oh, and let’s not overlook the opposite finest new artist nominee…
5. Doechii could have had the largest evening of all.
No, she did not win finest new artist. However when you’re searching for the star who’s likeliest to expertise a meteoric surge in streaming popping out of Sunday evening’s awards, you must have a look at Doechii, who rightfully gained finest rap album (for Alligator Bites By no means Heal), delivered a killer efficiency of “Catfish” and “Denial Is a River” and gave one of many evening’s best victory speeches.
The Grammys do not simply give out trophies; additionally they anoint unofficial business ambassadors, and people ambassadors are likely to win awards yr after yr. Doechii did herself each favor conceivable Sunday evening: She was stellar in efficiency, gracious in victory and completely located to be a staple of Grammy telecasts for years to return. (Additionally, for the love of all that’s holy, don’t sleep on her Tiny Desk live performance.)
6. Brat Summer time rolled on. Charli xcx did not win both of the evening’s largest prizes — Brat misplaced album of the yr to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and “360” misplaced report of the yr to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” — however she did take house her first three Grammys, successful finest digital/dance album, finest dance pop recording and finest recording package deal.
She additionally gave one of many evening’s grabbiest and most memorable performances, with a medley of “Von Dutch” and “Guess” that featured an abundance of visitor stars (Gabbriette Bechtel! Alex Consani! Julia Fox!) and, um, undergarments, which rained from the ceiling as a chyron helpfully knowledgeable viewers that the unworn clothes could be donated.
7. Quincy Jones acquired a lavish, prolonged tribute.
A towering determine as a producer, a musician, a humanitarian and a 28-time Grammy winner, Jones — who died in November at age 91 — impressed a memorial tribute befitting his huge impression on the music business. Stevie Surprise, Herbie Hancock, Will Smith, Cynthia Erivo, Jacob Collier, Lainey Wilson and Janelle Monáe (standing in for Michael Jackson) all obtained in on an epic-length medley that dwarfed the common “In Memoriam” phase — and nonetheless barely scratched the floor of Jones’ profession.
8. The Weeknd returned to the fold, however Woman Gaga had to purchase airtime.
When his album After Hours (and its blockbuster single “Blinding Lights”) acquired zero Grammy nominations in 2021, The Weeknd introduced that he’d boycott the Grammys going ahead. He refused to submit subsequent recordings for consideration — although he is appeared on Grammy-honored works by different artists — and hasn’t carried out at or attended the Grammys since.
This yr, he returned to the fold unannounced, performing a medley of his new songs “Cry for Me” and “Timeless (feat. Playboi Carti)” after an introduction by Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., who acknowledged The Weeknd’s previous complaints. It appeared fairly mercenary throughout: Mason has a vested curiosity in undercutting artist boycotts, whereas The Weeknd had simply put out his new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, two days earlier. It is simpler to put aside previous grievances when there’s an album to advertise.
A cynic would possibly be aware that Woman Gaga — who was really nominated for Grammys this yr, and who bypassed selling her hit Bruno Mars duet “Die With a Smile” when the 2 of them carried out collectively — really purchased industrial airtime to premiere her new single “Abracadabra” throughout Sunday evening’s telecast. Possibly she may have saved some cash by boycotting the Grammys for a number of years first.
9. The Premiere Ceremony had its moments, too.
The epic Grammy telecast — the one which airs on CBS — solely gave out 9 statuettes. That is 9 out of 94 classes, which meant that 85 awards needed to be handed out in a marathon, roughly four-hour premiere ceremony earlier within the day. The place else may you see just lately departed president Jimmy Carter win his fourth Grammy? (That is proper: Our thirty ninth president has gained extra Grammys than The Seaside Boys, Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, Queen and Katy Perry mixed.)
You’ll be able to scan the complete checklist of winners right here, but when we’re selecting sentimental favorites, let’s name it a tie between 1) Tank and the Bangas turning into the second-ever Tiny Desk Contest winner to take house a Grammy; and a couple of) Gojira, the French steel band who stole the Olympics’ opening ceremony final summer time, successful finest steel efficiency for “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!).” It was the band’s first win in 4 nominations, and… let’s revisit that tune yet one more time, lets? It guidelines.
10. Alas, somebody needed to be shut out.
In 2020, Billie Eilish grew to become the second artist (after Christopher Cross) to comb the Grammys’ huge 4 classes: album, report and tune of the yr, plus finest new artist. She’s since gained report and tune of the yr a second time, as she’s piled up 9 Grammy wins in her younger profession. However she went 0-for-7 Sunday evening.
Taylor Swift is much more adorned than Eilish: She’s gained 14 Grammys, together with 4 for album of the yr. However she simply went 0-for-6 in her Tortured Poets Division period — not that she appeared to thoughts, as she danced, cheered, sang alongside and in any other case pulled focus all through the evening. For many who concern that Swift’s losses imply she’ll embark on an prolonged absence out of your TV screens, fear not: She’ll cheer on Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce from a closely televised luxurious field at Sunday’s Tremendous Bowl.
