Awards

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars threw it back to the ’60s for their performance at the 2025 Grammys, singing The Mamas and the Papas’ iconic hit “California Dreamin” midway through the ceremony at Crypto.com Arena Sunday (Feb. 2).

Taking the stage just after a video played highlighting the destruction in the Los Angeles area — which has been left devastated following January’s deadly wildfire crisis — the two singers added a bittersweet edge to the cheerful 1965 tune by slowing the song down and pouring emotion into their powerful vocals. When one duet partner was singing lead, the other would join in on backup vocals.

“All the leaves are brown,” Mars sang toward the end while Gaga leaned her head on his shoulder, echoing the line back to him. “And the sky is gray/ I’ve been for a walk/ On a winter’s day.”

The ceremony comes three days after Gaga joined numerous other stars in performing at the FireAid benefit concert in L.A., raising money for the city’s rebuilding efforts after the blazes displaced tens of thousands of residents and destroyed countless homes. The musician is also gearing up to release her highly anticipated seventh studio album, Mayhem, in March.

Leading up to the Grammys broadcast, fans had heard only two songs from the LP: “Die With a Smile,” Gaga’s smash hit duet with the Silk Sonic star, and “Disease,” which dropped in October. The former spent eight weeks atop the Billboard Global 200 and last month reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 more than four months after it first entered the chart. “Die With a Smile” is also nominated for both song of the year and best pop duo/group performance at this year’s Grammys.

Shortly after Gaga performed with Mars, Mother Monster premiered a third single and music video titled “Abracadabra” from Mayhem during a commercial break. The choreography-filled project featured one Gaga, dressed in a scarlet corset and puffy skirt, surveying a desolate warehouse space as another Gaga, sporting a white jumpsuit, dramatically dances with dozens of other performers.

Sabrina Carpenter clinched her second-ever Grammy win for best pop vocal album Sunday night (Feb. 2), courtesy of her 2024 home-run project Short n’ Sweet. The “Espresso” singer expressed gratitude at the 2025 Grammy Awards after edging out Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan in a heavyweight showdown for pop supremacy.

“I really was not expecting this,” said a visibly surprised Carpenter, who performed earlier in the night. “All those nominees who are on the screen are some of my favorite artists in the world, and I can’t believe that I’m nominated against them are even in this room right now. Whew. This is my [second] Grammy, so I’m gonna cry.”

Carpenter continued sharing her appreciation by thanking the Recording Academy, her fans, Island Records and her mother, who she said “drove her to every vocal lesson.”

“You guys have no idea how much I love you and how much this album means to me,” said Carpenter, her voice filled with emotion, before punctuating her rousing speech with a bleeped-out “holy s–t.”

Carpenter entered the night nominated for six awards, including album of the year, song of the year, record of the year and best new artist. As previously mentioned, earlier in the night, Carpenter punched in a fun performance of “Please Please Please” and “Espresso,” during which she delivered a Hollywood-nodding set consisting of numerous costume changes, an entertaining tap routine, some comedic bits and more.

Ahead of the show’s ceremony, Carpenter won best pop solo performance for “Espresso,” ousting Beyoncé, Eilish, Roan and Charli XCX from the race.

After picking up her first career Grammy during the premiere ceremony for best pop solo performance (“Espresso”), Sabrina Carpenter shut down the stage at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night (Feb. 2).

After a brief video segment chronicling her career-shifting 2024 — including pivotal moments such as her viral live debut of “Espresso” at Coachella — Carpenter graced the Grammys stage with a medley of two of her Grammy-nominated hits. First, the Billboard chart-topping singer launched into “Espresso” with a cheeky, Old Hollywood-nodding set that blended several costume changes, a nifty tap routine, hilarious comedic timing tied to her trademark sailor’s mouth and lots of baby blue and blonde — two of the defining colors of the Short n’ Sweet era.

In between “Espresso” verses, Carpenter slightly slowed down the pace to head over to a smaller side stage to deliver the first verse and chorus of her Billboard Hot 100-topping “Please Please Please,” which is nominated for song of the year. After the “Please” interlude, the pint-sized pop princess ran back to the stage — by way of some slickly choreographed lifts and twirls — to finish out “Espresso,” delivering a bombastic performance that served as a beautiful cap for her incredible year.

In addition to its win for best pop solo performance, “Espresso” — which peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 — is also nominated for record of the year. Her Billboard 200-topping Short n’ Sweet is nominated for album of the year and best pop vocal album (which she won shortly after the performance), while Sabrina herself earned a nod for best new artist.

In the wake of January’s devastating fires in the greater Los Angeles area, this year’s Grammys — held at Crypto.com Arena in L.A. — also served as fundraiser for relief and rebuilding efforts.