By Lily Magurno | February 12, 2025
Photo Credit: Pixabay
This year’s Grammy awards aired on Sunday, Feb. 2, from Los Angeles, California. The night not only awarded musicians for their work in 2024, but paid tribute to those who lost their homes in the Los Angeles fires at the beginning of January. Here are some of the best moments from music’s biggest night.
Beyonce’s First Album of the Year
“Cowboy Carter,” Beyonce’s first country album, scored two Grammys: Best Country Album and Album of the Year. While holding the record for most Grammys at 32, this was Beyonce’s first time winning in both categories. She had been nominated for Album of the Year four times previously, the most recent time being in 2023 where her album “Renaissance” lost to Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House.” While a big moment for the artist, Beyonce’s record breaking wins are in the midst of her husband Jay-Z’s legal troubles alongside rapper P. Diddy, causing controversy from viewers on his appearance at the awards.
Chappell Roan’s Call To Action
First time Grammy nominee and winner Chappell Roan took a stand in her acceptance speech for Best New Artist. After a ground-breaking performance to her hit song “Pink Pony Club,” Roan won the award for Best New Artist. She took her time on stage to call out producing companies for their treatment of up and coming artists.
“Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection,” Roan said. “Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”
Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-Winning Diss Track
Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s 2024 feud produced multiple diss tracks from each artist, including “Push Ups,” “Taylor Made Freestyle,” and “The Heart Part 6” by Drake and “Meet The Grahams,” “Euphoria,” and “6:16 in LA” by Kendrick Lamar. While Drake struck first, Lamar won the feud with his hit single “Not Like Us.” The song earned Lamar seven nominations and he walked away with five grammys, which included Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Drake did not receive any nominations.
Artists Gather to Honor Quincy Jones
An important section of the night was the tribute to late artists, composers, and producers in the music industry, such as Liam Payne, Toby Keith and producer Quincy Jones. Jones received a speech by Will Smith in his honor, and “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo subsequently took the stage to sing “Fly Me to the Moon.” Other performers that took the stage in honor of Jones included Janelle Monae, Stevie Wonder, Lainey Wilson and Jacob Collier. The tribute worked to remember Jones’ legacy, as he produced several pop culture gems such as three of Michael Jackson’s albums, the film “The Color Purple,” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
Every Best New Artist Nominee Gets Time to Shine
The award for Best New Artist was a tough category at this year's awards. Nominees included Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, Benson Boone, RAYE, Teddy Swims, Doechii and Khruangbin. While Chappell Roan ultimately walked away with the award, each nominee had their chance to shine in their own performance. Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Khruangbin performed individually, while Benson Boone, Doechii, Teddy Swims, Shaboozey and RAYE performed one after the other. Each nominee performed their top hits of the year in both theatrical and acoustic performances.
Grammy’s Dedicate Night to LA Wildfires
The main theme of the night was compassion, as artists and host Trevor Noah emphasized donations and support for the victims of the wildfires that swept through Los Angeles County at the beginning of January. Throughout the night a QR code sat at the bottom of the screen where viewers could scan to donate to aid for rebuilding and recovery to those who lost their homes. At the end of the night, the recording academy honored the LA Fire Department and had members present the award for Album of the Year
This year’s awards weren’t just about music. Artists took the time to advocate for their fellow industry members, honor prominent industry figures, and help rebuild music and the Grammy’s home.
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