On February 1, one of the biggest events in the music industry, the GRAMMY Awards, recognized 94 winners in their respective categories for their creative achievements over the past year (GRAMMYs.com). While these awards range from Best Engineered Album to Best Spoken Word Poetry Album, the ones that keep most viewers on the edge of their seats are the Big Four… Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. With several outstanding nominees, the selected winners have undeniably been monumental in the music industry this past year.
Record of the Year
Nominees: “Now and Then,” “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM,” “Espresso,” “360,” “BIRDS OF A FEATHER,” “Not Like Us,” “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Fortnight”
Winner: “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar
Released on May 4, 2024, and produced by Mustard, “Not Like Us” was written during Kendrick Lamar’s feud with Drake as a response to his diss track “Family Matters.” Not only did this song undoubtedly win the battle between the two rappers, but it won in all five categories it was nominated for including Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Music Video, and Song of the Year (and performed at the Super Bowl Halftime show… what a week!). Two weeks after its release, it reached the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and currently has over one billion streams on Spotify alone. With all of his success surrounding this song, he dedicated his award to the city of Los Angeles, thanking it for its impact on his life (CNN Entertainment).
Album of the Year
Nominees, New Blue Sun, COWBOY CARTER, Short n’ Sweet, BRAT, Djesse Vol. 4, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, The Rise and Fall of A Midwest Princess, and THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT
Winner: COWBOY CARTER by Beyonce
Adding another three GRAMMYs to her record-breaking total of 35, Beyonce’s country album COWBOY CARTER won both Best Country Album and the coveted Album of the Year. Despite her abundance of past GRAMMY wins, this marks her first win for Album of the Year, making this a sought-after milestone in her music career. COWBOY CARTER is her eighth studio album which was released on May 29, 2024 (CNN Entertainment). This twenty-seventrack album debuted at No. 1 On the Billboard 200 and has continued to increase in streams post-GRAMMY awards (AfroTech). In her acceptance speech, Beyonce dedicated this award to Linda Martell, the first successful black female artist in country music (PBS).
Song of the Year
Nominees: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”, “Die With A Smile”, “Fortnight”, “Good Luck, Babe!”, “Not Like Us”, “Please Please Please”, and “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”
Winner: “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar
Not Like Us? More like not like him! Kendrick Lamar swept half of the Big Four awards with his song. It’s important to note is that Record of the Year recognizes the entire production team including producers and engineers, whereas Song of the Year is focused on the song writing and composition,making it a more artist-centered award. Nonetheless, this nomination further highlights Lamar’s success and talent as an artist and songwriter. With this latest win, he now holds 20 GRAMMY awards and counting!
Best New Artist
Nominees: Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Khruangbin, Raye, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, and Teddy Swims
Winner: Chappell Roan
Winning her first-ever GRAMMY award, Chappell Roan made her GRAMMY debut as this year’s Best New Artist. Working her way up in the music industry over the past decade, her win was marked by hard work and overcoming adversity. This past year, she performed as the opener on the Guts Tour with Olivia Rodrigo, as well as Coachella and Lollapalooza. These performances exploded her into stardom with millions of new fans in her fanbase.
In her dedication speech, Roan used her platform to advocate for artists’ rights, calling for record labels to provide healthcare and a livable wage. Reflecting on her struggles in the industry, she boldly stated how she felt dehumanized and the burden of financial hardships as a beginner artist, concluding her speech to the record labels stating, “We got you, but do you got us?” (Rolling Stone).
Not only was the GRAMMY 2025 Awards marked by achievements, but a stage for dedication, thankfulness, support, and advocacy thanks to these Big Four winners.