Grammy Awards 2025: Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar take top gongs, Kanye West courts controversy, and The Weeknd returns from boycott

Host for the night was comedian Trevor Noah, who kept the proceedings light but faced criticism online for his overtly political jokes and digs at current US President Donald Trump.

Lamar had a clean sweep, winning all five Grammys that his hit diss track Not Like Us was nominated for, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

“First and foremost all praise to the most-high we woke up this morning. We gonna dedicate this one to the city [LA],” the rapper said.

The wins are bound to ruffle the feathers of fellow rapper Drake, who is currently in the middle of a tense legal defamation suit over the song.

In what was a first for the artist, Beyoncé finally took home Album of the Year for her country record Cowboy Carter, which was presented to her by members of the LA County Fire Department.

“I hope we keep pushing forward and opening doors,” she said.

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars won the best Pop Duo/Group Performance award for their hit song Die With A Smile.

“I believe God gave us this song to sing together so thank you so much,” Mars said.

“I don’t know music without Bruno,” Gaga replied. She also made a plea for recognition of those in the LGBTQ+ community.

“Trans people deserve love, and the queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love”.

Best New Artist winner Chappell Roan (Kayleigh Rose Amstutz) used her speech to demand that record executives and labels offered a liveable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.

“Labels, we got you, but do you got us?” she said, recounting the time she struggled in her early career.

As part of the ceremony, artists including Chris Martin, Cynthia Erivo, John Legend and Stevie Wonder also performed tributes celebrating “the city of Los Angeles,” as well as those in the industry who had died in recent years, such as Liam Payne and Quincy Jones.

After previously boycotting the awards due to their alleged lack of diversity, The Weeknd (Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) also gave a special surprise performance.

“It’s a system rooted in fairness, integrity, and the belief that every voice matters,” Recording Academy President Harvey Mason Jr said of his organisation.

When accepting her Dr. Dre Global Impact award, singer Alicia Keys thanked industry trailblazers and “all the ladies who know the magic they bring to the room”.

“This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices,” she said.

“DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift”.

Others who performed during the ceremony included Billie Eilish, Benson Boone, Doechii, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, RAYE, Shakira, Sabrina Carpenter and Teddy Swims.

Early winners, announced in a separate Premiere ceremony, included Carpenter’s Espresso for Best Pop Solo Performance and Charli XCX’s Brat for Best Dance/Electronic Album.

Noah announced that US$7 million ($12.6m) had been raised by viewers for the wildfire response.

Below is the Herald’s Live Blog for the event and a selected list of winners and nominees:

Album of the year

New Blue Sun, André 3000

WINNER: Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé

Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter

Brat, Charli XCX

Djesse Vol. 4, Jacob Collier

Hit Me Hard and Soft, Billie Eilish

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan

The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift

Record Of the Year

Now And Then, The Beatles

Texas Hold ‘Em, Beyoncé

Espresso, Sabrina Carpenter

360, Charli XCX

Birds of a Feather, Billie Eilish

WINNER: Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar

Good Luck, Babe!, Chappell Roan

Fortnight, Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone

Song Of The Year

A Bar Song (Tipsy), Shaboozey

Birds of a Feather, Billie Eilish

Die With A Smile, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars

Fortnight, Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone.

Good Luck, Babe!, Chappell Roan.

WINNER: Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar

Please Please Please, Sabrina Carpenter

Texas Hold ‘Em, Beyoncé

Best New Artist

Benson Boone

Sabrina Carpenter

Doechii

Khruangbin

Raye

WINNER: Chappell Roan

Shaboozey

Teddy Swims

Best Pop Vocal Album

WINNER: Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter

Hit Me Hard and Soft, Billie Eilish

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan

The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift

Eternal Sunshine, Ariana Grande

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Us, Gracie Abrams ft Taylor Swift

Levii’s Jeans, Beyoncé ft Post Malone

Guess, Charli XCX & Billie Eilish

The Boy Is Mine, Ariana Grande, Brandy & Monica

WINNER: Die With A Smile, Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars

Best Pop Solo Performance

Good Luck, Babe! Chappell Roan

Birds of a Feather, Billie Eilish

Apple, Charli xcx

WINNER: Espresso, Sabrina Carpenter

Bodyguard, Beyoncé

Best Dance/Electronic Album

Telos, Zedd

Timeless, Kaytranada

Hyperdrama, Justice

Three, Four Tet

WINNER: Brat, Charli xcx

Best Dance Pop Recording

Make You Mine, Madison Beer

WINNER: Von dutch, Charli XCX

L’Amour de ma Vie (Over Now Extended Edit), Billie Eilish

Yes, and?, Ariana Grande

Got Me Started, Troye Sivan

Best Rock Song

Beautiful People (Stay High), the Black Keys

WINNER: Broken Man, St. Vincent

Dark Matter, Pearl Jam

Dilemma, Green Day

Gift Horse, Idles

Best Rock Album

No Name, Jack White

WINNER: Hackney Diamonds, The Rolling Stones

Dark Matter, Pearl Jam

TANGK, IDLES

Saviours, Green Day

Romance, Fontaines D.C.

Happiness Bastards, The Black Crowes

Best Alternative Music Album

Wild God, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Charm, Clairo

The Collective, Kim Gordon

What Now, Brittany Howard

WINNER: All Born Screaming, St. Vincent

Best R&B Song

After Hours, Kehlani

Burning, Tems

Here We Go (Uh Oh), Coco Jones

Ruined Me, Muni Long

WINNER: Saturn, SZA

Best R&B Album

Coming Home, Usher

Algorithm, Lucky Daye

Revenge, Muni Long

VANTABLACK, Lalah Hathaway

WINNER: 11:11 (Deluxe), Chris Brown

Best Progressive R&B Album

So Glad to Know You, Avery*Sunshine

En Route, Durand Bernarr

Bando Stone and the New World, Childish Gambino

Crash, Kehlani

WINNER: Why Lawd?, NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge)

Best Rap Album

Might Delete Later by J. Cole

The Auditorium, Vol. 1 by Common & Pete Rock

WINNER: Alligator Bites Never Heal by Doechii

The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) by Eminem

We Don’t Trust You by Future & Metro Boomin

Best Rap Performance

Enough (Miami), Cardi B

When The Sun Shines Again, Common & Pete Rock Featuring Posdnuos

Nissan Altima, Doechii

Houdini, Eminem

Like That, Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar

Yeah Glo!, GloRilla

WINNER: Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar

Best Rap Song

Yeah Glo! GloRilla

WINNER: Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar

Like That, Kendrick Lamar

Carnival, Kanye West & Ty Dolla $Ign

Asteroids, Rapsody Featuring Hit-Boy

Best Alternative Jazz Album

Night Reign, Arooj Aftab

New Blue Sun, André 3000

Code Derivation, Robert Glasper

Foreverland, Keyon Harrold

WINNER: No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin, Meshell Ndegeocello

Best Country Album

WINNER: Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé

F-1 Trillion, Post Malone

Deeper Well, Kacey Musgraves

Higher, Chris Stapleton

Whirlwind, Lainey Wilson

Best Americana Album

The Other Side, T Bone Burnett

$10 Cowboy, Charley Crockett

WINNER: Trail Of Flowers, Sierra Ferrell

Polaroid Lovers, Sarah Jarosz

No One Gets Out Alive, Maggie Rose

Tigers Blood, Waxahatchee

Best Latin Pop Album

Funk Generation, Anitta

El Viaje, Luis Fonsi

GARCÍA, Kany García

WINNER: Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, Shakira

Orquídeas, Kali Uchis

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film And Television)

American Fiction, Laura Karpman, composer

Challengers, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, composers

The Color Purple, Kris Bowers, composer

WINNER: Dune: Part Two, Hans Zimmer, composer

Shōgun, Nick Chuba, Atticus Ross and Leopold Ross, composers

Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording

The Beatles in Their Own Words, Various Artists; Guy Oldfield, producer

...And Your Ass Will Follow, George Clinton

WINNER:Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration, Jason Carter, Jimmy Carter’s grandson

Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, Dolly Parton

My Name Is Barbra, Barbra Streisand

Best Musical Theater Album

WINNER: Hell’s Kitchen

Merrily We Roll Along

The Notebook

The Outsiders

Suffs

The Wiz

Best Opera Recording

Adams: Girls of the Golden West, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus

Moravec: The Shining, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus

WINNER: Saariaho: Adriana Mater, San Francisco Symphony; San Francisco Symphony Chorus; Timo Kurkikangas