The Grammy Awards are presented by the Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievements in music each year. The Grammys are one of the four major annual American entertainment awards along with the Academy Awards (films), the Emmy Awards (TV shows), and the Tony Awards (theater). The origin of the Grammys goes way back to the 1950s. The recording executives from the Hollywood Walk of Fame project compiled a list of all the significant people of the music industry that might qualify for a star on Hollywood Boulevard. This is when they realized that many leading people of the industry would not be able to get a star. Because of this, they decided to create an award ceremony similar to the already-existing Oscars and Emmys awards.
There are four awards that are not restricted to music genres and are called the “General Field.” These categories include Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. Only three artists have ever won all four categories: Christopher Cross (1981) and Billie Eilish (2020) both swept the categories, while Adele won over a span of three years (2009, 2012, 2017). In 2020, Billie Eilish was the youngest artist to have won all four awards. Additionally, Beyoncé reigns supreme as the artist with the most nominations and wins, bringing in 99 nods and 35 victories.
This year’s award show was a historic night filled with many monumental events. Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” was awarded Album of the Year, marking her first Album of the Year award. This album also made history by winning Best Country Album— making her the first black woman to win in this category. Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” won both the Record of the Year and Song of the Year award. Chappell Roan was awarded Best New Artist, Sabrina Carpenter won Best Pop Solo Album with her album “Short n’ Sweet,” and Doechii won Best Rap Album for Alligator Bites Never Heal.
There were many other significant winners, including lots of first-time wins for the artists. The following is just a short list of some of the winners on February 2, 2025.
Record of the Year: “Not Like Us” – Kendrick Lamar
Album of the Year: Cowboy Carter – Beyoncé
Song of the Year: “Not Like Us” – Kendrick Lamar
Best New Artist: Chappell Roan
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 Pop Recording: “Von Dutch” – Charli XCX
Best Dance/Electronic Album: Brat – Charli XCX
Best Rock Album: Hackney Diamonds – Rolling Stones
Best R&B Song: “Saturn” – SZA
Best Rap Album: Alligator Bites Never Heal – Doechii
Best Country Album: Cowboy Carter – Beyoncé
