The 67th Annual Grammy Awards belonged to Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar, as the two megastars took home the night’s biggest honors in a ceremony filled with historic wins, stunning performances, and a few surprises. Hosted by Trevor Noah at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the event showcased the ever-evolving landscape of music.
Beyoncé Makes History – Twice
Beyoncé once again proved why she is the queen, making history with her Album of the Year win for Cowboy Carter. This marked her first win in the category, and more significantly, she became the first Black woman to win in a Country Category at the Grammys.
The genre-blending project, which saw her explore country, folk, and R&B, broke barriers and redefined what country music can be. Accepting the award, Beyoncé honored the Black pioneers of country music and thanked her fans:
“This album was about honoring those who paved the way before me. To every Black artist who has ever felt unseen in this space, this moment is for you.” Beyoncé then dedicated her award to Linda Martell, the pioneering Black country singer who became the first Black woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. Martell’s story was a major theme in COWBOY CARTER, an album designed to restore Black visibility in a genre historically dominated by white artists.
“I want to dedicate this to Mrs. Martell, and I hope we just keep pushing forward, opening doors. God bless y’all.”
Beyoncé beat out a strong field of contenders, including André 3000, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Jacob Collier, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Taylor Swift.
Despite being nominated six times for Album of the Year, this was Beyoncé’s first victory in the category. Even host Trevor Noah acknowledged the historic moment, joking,
“She had 99 nominations, and now Album of the Year is one,” referencing both her 99 career GRAMMY nominations and her husband Jay-Z’s song 99 Problems.
In addition to winning Album of the Year and Best Country Album, she also took home Best Country Duo/Group Performance for II MOST WANTED, her collaboration with Miley Cyrus.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Breaks Records
Kendrick Lamar took home Record of the Year and Song of the Year for his hit Not Like Us, making it the most decorated rap song in Grammy history. The track, which became an anthem beyond music, was a defining moment in hip-hop over the past year.
During his speech, Lamar gave a shoutout to his hometown of Compton and the power of hip-hop:
“This is for the culture. This is for Compton. This is for everybody who puts their heart into this art.”
Other Major Winners of the Night
While Beyoncé and Kendrick stole the spotlight, several other artists claimed well-deserved victories: Here is the list of winners from the 2025 Grammy Awards:
- Album of the Year: COWBOY CARTER – Beyoncé
- Song of the Year: Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar
- Record of the Year: Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar
- Best Latin Pop Album: Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran – Shakira
- Best New Artist: Chappell Roan
- Best Country Album: COWBOY CARTER – Beyoncé
- Best Pop Vocal Album: Short n’ Sweet – Sabrina Carpenter
- Best African Music Performance: Love Me JeJe – Tems
- Best Opera Recording: Saariaho: Adriana Mater
- Best Alternative Jazz Album: No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin – Meshell Ndegeocello
- Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: Dune: Part Two – Hans Zimmer
- Best Alternative Music Album: All Born Screaming – St. Vincent
- Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Daniel Nigro
- Best Americana Album: Trail Of Flowers – Sierra Ferrell
- Best Rock Song: Broken Man – St. Vincent
- Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical: Amy Allen
- Best R&B Song: Saturn – SZA
- Best Progressive R&B Album: So Glad to Know You – Avery*Sunshine & Why Lawd? – NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge)
- Best Rap Performance: Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar
- Best Pop Solo Performance: Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter
- Best Dance Pop Recording: Von dutch – Charli xcx
- Best Dance/Electronic Album: BRAT – Charli xcx
For the full list of winners, visit Grammy.com.
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