The 2025 Grammys were exactly like we knew that they’d be: a comedic monologue by Trevor Noah to throw in random jokes, including some about recently infamous P. Diddy, several live pop performances with over-the-top choreography and sets, old legends making their return to the stage to draw new fans and to keep their small amount of relevance, famous musicians taking the stage to deliver the news of who won the Grammy.
But overall, this year’s Grammys, and the Grammys in particular, blend together into one. They all follow the same format; award, performance, award, performance, repeat. There is very little change from Grammy show to Grammy show, which to some people might be a good thing.
Some things were good about this year’s Grammys. The heartwarming presence of L.A. firefighters who fought on the frontlines in the recent California wildfires that destroyed homes and crushed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The lineup of performers somewhat varied in genre.
And let’s not forget the ACTUAL Grammys that were handed out. Kendrick Lamar, unsurprisingly, swept his nominations, taking home Grammys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video. Sabrina Carpenter predictably won Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance, CharlieXCX won Best Dance/Electronic Album, Alicia Keys won Best Musical Theatre Album with her acclaimed Broadway show “Hell’s Kitchen,” and Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars took home Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with “Die With a Smile.”
But there were also a lot of surprising, to say the least, winners. The Beatles, a band who hasn’t released music in over 50 years, won the award for “Best Rock Performance” while The Rolling Stones won Best Rock Album with their “Hackney Diamonds” which is a mediocre album by the band’s standards. However, arguably the most shocking of all the awards were the ones that Beyonce took home. Beyonce won her first ever Album of the Year award. She also took home Best Country Album, which if you listened to the album, you would understand why this is so surprising. Throwing a slight twang into a pop album is not enough to call it country by any means. She also managed to take home Best Country Duo/Group Performance with fellow pop superstar Miley Cyrus. Judging by this year’s Country winner, my bet is on Kendrick Lamar or Chappel Roan to win it next year.
In retrospect, the Grammys were as we expected them to be. Yet again, pop and rap sweep. Will we ever see the day this isn’t the case?