Awards
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We all know that Prince was a musical genius, but at the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards on Saturday (Feb. 1), Jimmy Jam, formerly of The Time, told of other keys to Prince’s success – he was willing to outwork anybody and he could be something of a taskmaster. “He had the best work ethic of anybody I ever met,” Jam said flatly.
Jam recalled workshopping The Time’s 1982 hit “777-9311” (which Prince co-wrote with Morris Day). Prince kept giving Jam notes, pushing him to improve various aspects of the performance and choreography. Some might have chafed at all the notes, but Jam took Prince’s tutoring the right way. “What that lesson taught me was that he saw me as better than I saw myself.” Jam added that he has tried to pass that on. “I want to enlighten other people to their greatness.”
Prince was one of seven artists to receive lifetime achievement awards at this year’s ceremony, which was held at its usual home, the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. Lifetime achievement awards also went to The Clash, Frankie Valli, Frankie Beverly, Dr. Bobby Jones, Taj Mahal and Roxanne Shante. The trustees award recipients were Erroll Garner, Glyn Johns and Tania León. Dr. Leo Beranek was the Technical Grammy Award honoree.
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Several people spoke in the Prince tribute – Prince’s niece Rihanna Nelson (accompanied by her daughter and her twin sons, who wore tuxes with tennis shoes); Jam and Jerome Benton of The Time; Andre Cymone and Bobby Z. of Prince’s backing bands; Prince’s longtime manager/attorney L. Londell McMillan, and Charles F. Spicer Jr., a partner in managing Prince’s legacy.
“He was an advocate for artist rights,” McMillan said. “He didn’t put ‘Slave’ on his face just for fun. He wanted to take a stand.”
Bobby Z. said he met Prince when he was 19. “He was one of the most gifted human beings that ever lived; the greatest entertainer that ever lived,” a line that received applause from the audience.
Several awards were presented posthumously. R&B singer Beverly died in September; Prince and Dr. Beranek both died in 2016; Joe Strummer of The Clash died in 2002; and Garner, the composer of the pop standard “Misty,” died in 1977. The Recording Academy has presented trustees awards since 1967 (classical conductor George Solti and his producer John Culshaw were the first recipients). It’s remarkable that it took the academy 48 years to get around to Garner.
Most of the special merit award recipients every year are advanced in age. This year, four are in their 80s. Valli is 90.
Producer/engineer Glyn Johns, 82, joked about that in his acceptance speech. “Having been notified of this award in November, my main objective has to remain alive until today. Well, I made it!,” he said.
Valli made note of how long it took the Recording Academy to get around to him. Valli has never won a Grammy, on his own or in the Four Seasons, which landed their first three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962-63. “This has been an incredible evening,” he said. “I don’t know what took so long, but that’s the way it goes.”
Chuck D of Public Enemy (which received a lifetime achievement award in 2020) accepted for The Clash. The rapper marveled at the breadth of talent being honored on the night, singling out jazz pianist Error Garner, rock producer/engineer Glyn Johns and rapper Roxanne Shante. He read an acceptance speech from the surviving members of The Clash, which concluded with their thanks to Chuck D for accepting the award for them. “As you heard our voice, we also heard yours,” a nice example of cross-genre respect.
Shante’s 1985 R&B hit “Roxanne’s Revenge,” an answer record to UTFO’s “Roxanne, Roxanne,” was described as the first rap diss track. Shante is 55, making her the youngest of this year’s honorees. Shante said when she learned of her award, she finally felt she had made it. She said when an artist enters the business, they want three things – a record that gets on the Billboard charts, to get paid for it, and to win a Grammy. Now, she said, she has realized all three goals. Shante also paid her respects to Biz Markie, the “Just a Friend” hitmaker who died in 2021 at age 57. “I lost my hip-hop brother,” she said.
Taj Mahal was accompanied by two of his daughters as he accepted his award. He suggested that his path in music may have been pre-ordained. His parents met at a Chick Webb/Ella Fitzgerald concert at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem in 1937.
Most of the awards were accepted by the recipients, or family members, in the case of the recipients who have died. The award to Frankie Beverly was accepted by his son, Anthony Beverly, and by Ronald “Roame” Lowry, a longtime member of Beverly’s group, Maze. Lowry said that the group’s classic “Before I Let Go” is “the most danceable song about breaking up.”
The award to acoustics expert Dr. Leo Beranek, the Technical Grammy Award honoree, was accepted by his son, Tom Haynes. “My dad accomplished many things, working until he was 87 on concert halls in Japan,” he said. Beranek died in 2016 at age 102.
The academy also presented its music educator of the year award to Adrian L. Maclin of Cordova High School outside Memphis, Tenn., who said when he was a boy his dream was to become an artist and win a Grammy. His path segued into music education and now he has won a Grammy by turning other kids onto music.
The final presentation of the night was the Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award. This was the third year the award has been presented; the first since it was named in honor of the late singer, actor and activist, whose daughters Gina and Shari Belafonte were present. The award originated as a Special Merit Award but was recategorized as a CEO’s Merit Award.
Iman Jordan, who won for his song “Deliver,” noted that “Nina Simone said that art should reflect the times – and I wasn’t hearing much of that.” He co-wrote the winning song with his father, Roy Gartrell, along with Ariel Loh and Tam Jones.
Many have said that the Special Merit Award ceremony is warmer and more congenial than the following night’s Grammys. But one thing is missing. There are video packages before every presentation, but not a note of live music. If nothing else, the music educator award could include a performance by some of his/her prized pupils, and the winner of the Song for Social Change award could be performed.
Several of this year’s recipients had already received major honors. Prince was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, received a lifetime achievement award at the BET Awards in 2010, and was honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame in July 2024 (he had been voted in while he was alive, but scheduling the presentation proved difficult).
Valli was voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Four Seasons) in 1990, followed by The Clash in 2003 and producer Glyn Johns in 2012. Maze featuring Frankie Beverly received a lifetime achievement award at the BET Awards in 2012. León received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2022.
Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented to performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.
Trustees Awards are presented to individuals who have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording.
Technical Grammy Awards are presented to individuals, companies, organizations or institutions who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field.
André 3000, who’s nominated for album of the year at the 2025 Grammy Awards, will not be in attendance at Sunday’s (Feb. 2) ceremony in Los Angeles.
“Unfortunately, I’m not able to attend the GRAMMYs tomorrow but some of the New Blue Sun musicians, friends and supporters will be in attendance,” he wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday (Feb. 1), not giving the reason for his absence.
André’s instrumental album New Blue Sun competes with Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, Charli XCX’s Brat, Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 4, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department at this year’s awards show. Album of the year is one of the most anticipated honors to be handed out at the Grammys.
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New Blue Sun is also up for the Grammy for best alternative jazz album, and the Outkast member’s “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time” is nominated for best instrumental composition.
In his statement on Saturday, André added, “Our album was conceived and recorded in Los Angeles with the spirit of openness and creative collaboration. We hope that the rebound of Los Angeles is swift and renewing.”
“Congrats to all the musicians and collaborators being acknowledged,” he said. “Keep playing.”
In November, he commented on his nominations during an interview, saying, “I’m just happy to get paid attention to. The awards are nice because you know at that point more people get to listen and pay attention to what you’re doing, so more than anything, that’s what I love about it.” He also noted he’ll be working on new music in 2025.
The 2025 Grammys will be broadcast live on Feb. 2 from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Trevor Noah hosts the 67th annual ceremony.
See his announcement in its entirety below.
“The Grateful Dead are a lot of things. I would venture to say they are the great American band,” declared Andy Cohen at the opening of MusiCares Persons of the Year annual gala on Friday night (Jan. 31) at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
You’d be hard pressed to find any disagreement among the 2,000 or so Deadheads — whether for a lifetime or just for the night — who danced and sang along to the music of the band, who is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
Though there had been some question whether it was appropriate for the evening to proceed as planned given the wildfires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles County, leaving almost 30 dead and more than 22,000 households destroyed, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr quickly addressed the disaster and the way MusiCares has helped already at the beginning of the evening.
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MusiCares, the Academy’s philanthropic arm that provides financial aid and other services to those in the music community, “launched a relief effort, raising and distributing almost $4 and a half million dollars in grants to over 2,000 affected music professionals,” he said. “Throughout the Grammy weekend, we’ll continue to raise awareness and funds, celebrate first responders and support this city, so as we begin the 2025 Grammy weekend, there’s no better honoree than the Grateful Dead.” (Though the final numbers aren’t in from the evening, MusiCares executive director Laura Segura said during the night that more than $5.2 million had been raised from a paddle auction with the Dead’s Weir donating $100,000 and comedian Bert Kreischer giving $25,000.)
What a long, strange trip it’s been for the Dead, who were represented by guitarist Weir and drummer Mickey Hart, as well as the late Jerry Garcia’s daughter, Trixie, and the late Phil Lesh’s son, Grahame. (Drummer Bill Kreutzmann joined in via video.) Hart and Weir sat together at a front table taking in the 16 performances feting them with Hart often smiling broadly and swaying along while Weir appeared more stoic, though appreciative.
MusiCares, whose past honorees have included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Gloria Estefan, Bonnie Raitt and last year’s Person of the Year, Jon Bon Jovi, always provides a stellar evening of music and a chance to hear interpretations of the honoree’s catalog filtered through the musicians chosen to fete them. This year was no different. With a crackerjack band led by Don Was that included members of Goose, Dead & Company and Grahame Lesh, a number of performers made the Dead’s uniquely genre-blending sound into their own.
Among the most pleasing performances were those tributes performed by co-ed duos, which brought a refreshing, feminine energy to some of the songs. The War and Treaty opened the evening, accompanied by Mick Fleetwood and Stewart Copeland, to provide a sassy, playful “Samson and Delilah,” once again proving that there’s no musical style that Michael and Tonya Trotter can’t tackle (They, Sammy Hagar and Marcus King were the only three artists who had performed last year for Bon Jovi who appeared again Friday night).
The War and Treaty were followed by My Morning Jacket, who were joined by a very pregnant Maggie Rose for a funky “One More Saturday Night,” as Rose and MMJ lead singer Jim James’ voices wrapped around each other. Lukas Nelson and Sierra Farrell took to the circular rotating B-stage in the middle of the floor for a gorgeous, intertwining “It Must Have Been the Roses,” which felt like a collaboration album must be inevitable. Farrell, sporting a beautiful rose and ribbon headpiece and red velvet gloves, clearly understood the assignment.
Then there were those acts that felt like descendants of the Dead, who put their own stamp on their performances while still hueing closely to the jammy sounds of the originals. Best of the bunch were Zac Brown and Marcus King who united for an exhilarating “Bertha,” while Vampire Weekend brought a lilting airiness to “Scarlet Begonias.” Dwight Yoakam’s version of “Truckin,’” a song he cut nearly 20 years ago, provided a delightful psychobilly turn, while Billy Strings’ “Wharf Rat” and The War on Drugs’ “Box of Rain” (played with Grahame Lesh) both paid homage, while adding their own colors.
Former and current Dead associates also provided highlights: Bruce Hornsby, who played with the Grateful Dead as keyboardist from 1990-1992 following the death of Brent Mydland, turned in a delicate, intimate take on “Standing on the Moon,” while John Mayer soared on “Terrapin Station.”
The varied selection dove deep into the group’s canon and while there’s no way to cover every tune, signature songs like “Casey Jones,” Shakedown Street” and “Uncle John’s Band” went undone often in favor of lesser-known tunes.
Actor and longtime fan Woody Harrelson presented Hart and Weir with their award, humorously recalling his adventures with the group, including “smoking a fatty with Jerry in a bathroom of the vice presidential mansion and the band getting the boot by a very angry Al Gore.”
Hart picked up on the story adding that the event occurred on his daughter’s first birthday, with Gore even presenting her with a cake, but then segued into how the Grateful Dead’s mission has always been communal.
“For me, music’s always been more than just sound. It’s a force, a healer. But music doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” he said. “Music needs a community to play to. And in turn, a community needs its music. We know the power of community because we’ve lived it. Deadheads have kept the dream alive for 60 years now and continue to take this music into the next century.
“The Grateful Dead has always been more than just music,” Hart continued. “It’s about the people who believed in it, supported it and built something bigger than any one of us before the world even knew what to make of us. Our community lifted us up and kept us going. Without their support, there would be no Grateful Dead… [Music] soothes the soul, raises our consciousness and gives us strength when we need it most, because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about — giving back the very thing that’s given us so much.”
Following Hart, Weir took the stage and tied in the evening with the devastating Los Angeles fires. Growing up, Weir said he would spend his summers at camp, which evolved into a summer job as a ranch hand, “which as it turns out, was the only real job I’ve ever had outside of music,” he said. “But in all of this, I learned early on that you’re gonna get a lot more done a lot faster if you can make a team effort of your tasks… What we have here in SoCal these days is a rebuild that’s gonna take some time & effort — and an immense amount of teamwork. My guess is it’s gonna take a few years, but SoCal will be back, stronger and shinier.”
Hart also addressed the Grateful Dead’s long legacy of helping others. “All along, my old pal Jerry used to say, ‘You get some, you give some back.’ And so we did. From early on it was more than apparent to us that we could be of substantial benefit to our broader community — and have big fun doing it. We also learned right away that it was an honor and a privilege to be in this position — something we never took lightly… That brings us back to MusiCares, a beacon of hope in the music industry that provides financial assistance, mental health resources, recovery programs and other support to artists and music technicians facing challenges. Their work ensures that the people who make music — from behind-the-scene professionals to household names — will be able to carry on.”
To close the evening, Dead & Co took the stage for a medley of a Mayer-led “Althea” and then “Sugar Magnolia,” and the band’s only top 40 hit, 1987’s “Touch of Grey,” with Weir on lead for the latter two. It was a tuneful, upbeat set with “Grey’s” “We will get by/ We will survive” refrain serving as the perfect benediction for the night and a reminder that no matter how challenging times get, whether from fires and illness and other obstacles, there is, hopefully, a brighter road ahead.
Check out the Grateful Dead’s MusiCares setlist below:
“Samson and Delilah” (The War and Treaty with Mick Fleetwood and Stewart Copeland)
“One More Saturday Night” (My Morning Jacket with Maggie Rose)
“Ripple” (Norah Jones)
“Bertha” (Zac Brown and Marcus King)
“Ramble on Rose” (Wynonna Judd)
“Friend of the Devil” (Noah Kahan with Bela Fleck)
“Scarlet Begonias” (Vampire Weekend)
“Truckin’” (Dwight Yoakam)
“They Love Each Other” (Maren Morris)
“It Must Have Been the Roses” (Lukas Nelson and Sierra Farrell)
“Wharf Rat” (Billy Strings)
“Loose Lucy” (Sammy Hagar)
“Standing on the Moon” (Bruce Hornsby with Rick Mitarotonda)
“Box of Rain” (The War on Drugs)
“Terrapin Station” (John Mayer)
“Althea/Sugar Magnolis/Touch of Grey” (Dead & Company)
The Recording Academy announced on its social media channels Friday (Jan. 31) that Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars and Shaboozey are performing on the 2025 Grammy Awards, set for Sunday. Gaga and Mars will “perform a special tribute to the city of Los Angeles and those affected by the wildfires” that devastated parts of the city in January.
The academy usually holds one or two big names until the last minute to build up buzz and excitement. These artists certainly qualify. Gaga & Mars’ swoon-worthy ballad “Die With a Smile” has been No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the past four weeks. Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” logged 19 weeks at No 1 on that chart last year, tying the all-time record in the chart’s 68-year history.
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With Shaboozey being added to the lineup, seven of the eight nominees for best new artist will be performing on the telecast: Benson Boone, Chappell Roan, Doechii, RAYE, Sabrina Carpenter, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims. (The eighth best new artist nominees, Khruangbin, have not been announced as performers.)
Shaboozey is nominated for five Grammys, including record of the year. Gaga & Mars are nominated for two, including song of the year. The Gaga/Mars smash was released Aug. 16, 2024, just two weeks before the end of the Grammy eligibility year. If it had more time to fully blossom before Grammy balloting was under way, it might well have also received a coveted record of the year nod.
Live from Crypto.com Arena in L.A. and hosted by Trevor Noah, Music’s Biggest Night will be broadcast live on Sunday (Feb. 2) at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS. The show will also be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
This year’s telecast will carry an added sense of purpose: raising funds to support L.A. wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders.
A series of special performances will highlight the show, including a salute to the life and legacy of Grammy legend Quincy Jones, tributes to the spirit of Los Angeles, and the annual In Memoriam segment.
This is the fifth consecutive year that Noah has hosted the show. He will become the first comedian to host the Grammys five times. He’s also a Grammy nominee for best comedy album for Where Was I. If he wins, he’ll become just the second Grammy host to win on a night that he or she hosted. Kenny Rogers was the first, in 1980.
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards will be produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy for the fourth consecutive year. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins are executive producers.
This year’s Premiere Ceremony, where the vast majority of Grammys are presented, will stream live at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on the Grammy website. The show will be held at Peacock Theater in the LA Live complex in Los Angeles (which also encompasses Crypto.com Arena). Justin Tranter, a Grammy nominee for song of the year for co-writing Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe,” is set to host the Premiere Ceremony for the second year in a row.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ decision not to have performances of the nominated songs on the 97th annual Academy Awards on March 2, but to instead focus on the songwriters, has struck a sour note with Ashley Irwin, president of the Society of Composer & Lyricists.
Billboard has obtained a letter that Irwin wrote to the Academy’s board of governors and the producers of the Oscar telecast asking them to reconsider their decision.
“…This decision to exclude the song performances presents as just another example of the devaluation of music, and its creators,” Irwin wrote. “What should be an opportunity to elevate our craft, by an Academy tasked to represent the importance of music to a motion picture’s storytelling, will be lost. A performance shares the creation of a songwriter’s original work. To eliminate the nominee performances is to silence songwriters.
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Irwin also argued, “In a time when Los Angeles, the home of filmmaking, has lost entire communities and with so many people affected, music has the power to inspire and heal — a message reflected in the Oscar-nominated songs.”
The Academy announced its decision to present the best original song category on the Oscar telecast in a different way on Wednesday (Jan. 22), one day before the nominations were announced, presumably after it saw the list of nominees. The roster doesn’t include any songs that have become big hits, like last year’s winner, “What Was I Made For” from Barbie. Billie Eilish‘s recording of the song, which she co-wrote with her brother FINNEAS, had reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 months before the telecast.
This year’s nominees are “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez, “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight, “Like a Bird” from Sing Sing, “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez and “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late.
In a letter to Academy members on Jan. 22, Bill Kramer, Academy CEO, and Janet Yang, Academy president, said, “This year the Best Original Song category presentation will move away from live performances and will be focused on the songwriters. We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life. All of this, and more, will uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees.”
In their letter, Kramer and Yang also teased that music will play a role in the show in other ways. “There is so much more in store, including powerful musical moments that connect film’s rich history to its bold and inspiring future.”
Here’s Irwin’s letter, in full:
Dear AMPAS Governors and producers of the 97th Academy Awards,
I am the president of The Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL), the premier organization for professional songwriters and composers working in film and other visual media. All the Oscar-nominated songwriters this year, as in most years, are members of the SCL. Our members, who number over 4,000 in more than 80 countries worldwide, including the majority of the Motion Picture Academy Music Branch, are disappointed over the decision to eliminate the Oscar-nominated song performances at the 97th Academy Awards. Songwriters and composers face many challenges in the current climate, including everything from diminished royalty payments by streaming services to the theft of their intellectual property to enrich “big tech” in the guise of training for AI. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and an award like the Oscar, has always served to amplify and honor the work of talented craftspeople, but this decision to exclude the song performances presents as just another example of the devaluation of music, and its creators. What should be an opportunity to elevate our craft, by an Academy tasked to represent the importance of music to a motion picture’s storytelling, will be lost. A performance shares the creation of a songwriter’s original work. To eliminate the nominee performances is to silence songwriters.
We understand there are reasons behind this decision, but it is my understanding that there was no discussion with the Music Branch. The songs and performances this year would represent a diverse range of artists, including past Oscar winners H.E.R. and Elton John along with Brandi Carlile, Clément Ducol & Camille, Adrian Quesada & Abraham Alexander, as well as 16-time Oscar-nominee Diane Warren. The promotion of these song performances will undoubtedly draw a larger viewing audience. But most importantly, in a time when Los Angeles, the home of filmmaking, has lost entire communities and with so many people affected, music has the power to inspire and heal – a message reflected in the Oscar-nominated songs. [Here Irwin quoted healing lyrics from four of the five nominated songs.]
With the quality of the talent assembled to produce The Oscars, there must be a way to accommodate even abbreviated renditions of the nominated songs during the show. I respectfully urge you to reconsider your decision and let the songs provide the hope and inspiration to the audience that they do in their respective films.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Ashley Irwin
President of the Society of Composer & Lyricists
Kelsea Ballerini believes there’s room for everyone in the country world. While visiting SiriusXM’s Fierce: Women in Music, the “Peter Pan” star shared her support for Beyoncé, who shifted into the country music space with her Billboard 200-topping album Cowboy Carter and faced unnecessary controversy for her decision to do so. The project is nominated for […]
Along with the awards handed out throughout the night, the Grammy Awards always deliver star-studded performances — and this year is no different.
The 2025 Grammy performers announced so far include Benson Boone, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Cynthia Erivo, Doechii, Stevie Wonder, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Lainey Wilson, Herbie Hancock, Brittany Howard, Brad Paisley, Teddy Swims, Janelle Monáe, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent, Jacob Collier, Raye, Sabrina Carpenter and Shakira.
Six of the performers — Boone, Roan, Doechii, Raye, Carpenter and Swims — are all nominated for best new artist. The other two nominees, Shaboozey and Khruangbin, have not been announced as performers.
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Additionally, there will be a salute to the late Grammy legend Quincy Jones, who died in November at age 91, as well as tributes to the city of Los Angeles and the annual In Memoriam performance.
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Let us know by voting here and below. The 2025 Grammy Awards, which will be hosted by Trevor Noah are set to return to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 2. The show, which will help to raise funds for those who were affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, will broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand via Paramount+.
If you haven’t noticed, this year’s lineup of major Grammy contenders is unspeakably loaded: The biggest names in music, from the long-dominant superstars to the quick-rising new faces to the most compelling comeback artists in recent memory, will have a presence at the 67th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Sunday night (Feb. 2) at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles. Sure, there are a few left-of-center nominees in the Big Four general categories (album of the year, record of the year, song of the year and best new artist), but the large majority of the bolded names will sound familiar — and they’ll all be competing for the same hardware.
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A handful of artists not only stand to collect the top prizes come Grammy night, but to dominate the narrative around the ceremony, owning the chatter that follows in the hours and days once all the stars shuffle out of the arena. And while some artists could win multiple Big Four awards but not the album of the year trophy — like Kendrick Lamar, who could win both record of the year and song of the year with “Not Like Us” — only six artists (all women!) have a chance to win the top prize, album of the year, as well as at least one other Big Four award. In doing so, they would take hold of the headlines post-ceremony, and claim Grammy night as their own.
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With that in mind, here are the 6 artists who could dominate the narrative of the 2025 Grammys, the awards they would need to win in order to do so, and what those dominant performances would mean, big-picture.
Billie Eilish
What She’d Need To Win: Album of the year for Hit Me Hard and Soft, plus record of the year and/or song of the year for “Birds of a Feather”
What It Would Signify: An awards-show force continuing her unstoppable pace. Five years after becoming the second artist in Grammys history to sweep the Big Four categories, Eilish is back as a contender in album of the year, record of the year and song of the year; if anyone doubted her staying power following her dominance of the 2020 ceremony, Eilish has put those concerns to bed by earning multiple Big Four nods in four of the last five years, as well as follow-up wins in record of the year (for “Everything I Wanted” in 2021) and song of the year (for “What Was I Made For?” last year). Of course, it’s not just the Recording Academy that has lavished praise upon the pop superstar — Eilish owns multiple Academy Awards for Best Original Song, a 23-year-old with more Oscars to her name than Leonardo DiCaprio or Al Pacino.
Eilish could keep up her astonishing success rate on Sunday night thanks to “Birds of a Feather” — one of the biggest mainstream hits of her career, still squarely in the top 10 of the current Hot 100 more than eight months into its chart run — and Hit Me Hard and Soft, another acclaimed full-length that made her three-for-three with album of the year nominations. We witnessed a scorching-hot run like this in the 2010s from Adele, who took home a pair of album of the year trophies in 2012 and 2017, respectively. If Eilish takes home the top prize on Sunday night, she will have basically replicated that run for a new decade.
Taylor Swift
What She’d Need To Win: Album of the year for The Tortured Poets Department, plus record of the year and/or song of the year for “Fortnight” (featuring Post Malone)
What It Would Signify: History books being quickly rewritten. Thanks to her 2024 album of the year for Midnights, Swift already owns the all-time record for most wins in the category, with four (she previously won for Fearless, 1989 and Folklore). That total could stand for exactly one year if Swift once again emerges victorious in the category, this time for The Tortured Poets Department — which she happened to announce on the Grammys stage last year, and proceeded to give Swift the biggest first-week debut of her career last April.
However, album of the year might not be the most meaningful category at this year’s ceremony for Swift, who is up for six awards. The superstar also owns the record for career nominations in song of the year, with eight — but has yet to take home the award. “Fortnight,” her TTPD chart-topper with Post Malone, could change that on Sunday night, achieving what songs like “You Belong With Me,” “Lover” and “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” could not. So regardless of what happens in album of the year, Swifties could be very pleased with the outcome of Grammy night, then turn their attentions toward rooting like hell for Kansas City in the Super Bowl next Sunday.
Charli XCX
What She’d Need to Win: Album of the year for Brat, plus record of the year for “360”
What It Would Signify: A dramatic Grammys comeback narrative that somehow allows us to compare Charli XCX to… Santana! Prior to 1999’s Supernatural album, Carlos Santana had existed outside of the mainstream and top 40 radio for several years, but mega-smashes like “Smooth” and “Maria Maria” returned him to the Billboard charts and eventually resulted in an album of the year win in 2000. A quarter-century later, Charli — who was nominated for record of the year as the guest on Iggy Azalea’s No. 1 smash “Fancy” in 2015, then didn’t show up in the Big Four for years, in spite of consistent output — has a chance to similarly dominate Grammy night with Brat, an album that transformed the British pop star from cult hero to arena headliner.
Brat earned Charli both the best reviews of her career and the most success of any of her albums, a triumphant (and expertly marketed) project that served as the new highlight of for longtime fans and an introduction to a new generation of listeners. This campaign has already been a whirlwind success for Charli, and any wins across her seven nominations would be gravy. But the moment could be the exclamation point on an unexpected mainstream return if Charli emerges from Grammy night as the biggest winner and paints the ceremony Brat-green.
Chappell Roan
What She’d Need to Win: Album of the year for The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, plus record of the year and/or song of the year for “Good Luck, Babe!,” or best new artist
What It Would Signify: The rare first-album co-sign by the Recording Academy. In the 21st century, only two debuts have walked away with the album of the year trophy: Come Away With Me by Norah Jones in 2003, and When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, by current album of the year competitor Billie Eilish, in 2020. That list could grow this weekend if The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan’s spectacular pop debut, takes home the top prize — an unthinkable outcome 16 months ago, when the album was released to little fanfare in September 2023. With Roan gaining steam while opening for Olivia Rodrigo’s 2024 tour, then scoring the first top 10 hit of her career with the non-album single “Good Luck, Babe!” however, the album became a late-blooming chart smash, and the singer-songwriter earned nominations in all of the Big Four categories.
Midwest Princess winning album of the year would certainly be a cool outcome, akin to the Recording Academy giving Eilish the Big Four clean sweep five years ago; both Eilish and Roan crafted debut albums that challenged pop norms, and promoted them with outspoken, singular identities that were embraced by younger listeners. Even if Roan wins album of the year but misses the Big Four sweep, any general category victory would be a clear sign that the Academy views her as pop’s future, and deserves to be acknowledged immediately.
Sabrina Carpenter
What She’d Need to Win: Album of the year for Short n’ Sweet, plus record of the year for “Espresso,” song of the year for “Please Please Please,” or best new artist
What It Would Signify: The completion of a breathtaking rise to the A-list. A year ago, Sabrina Carpenter was a veteran recording artist beloved by pop diehards but still searching for a true crossover hit. Now, she’s had three top 10 smashes on the Hot 100 — “Espresso,” her spring breakthrough up for record of the year; “Please Please Please,” the summer chart-topper up for song of the year; and “Taste,” the fall radio mainstay — as well as a No. 1 album with Short n’ Sweet, an arena headlining tour, a Hollywood romance, and enough brand deals to keep her in regular rotation on most commercial breaks.
A major night at the Grammys would be the cherry on top of a whirlwind year for Carpenter, who released five full-lengths prior to Short n’ Sweet but never came close to this level of awards recognition. Like Roan, she is a presence in all of the Big Four categories; unlike Roan, she has different singles nominated in record of the year and song of the year, a testament to her power as a hit-maker in 2024. Carpenter is going to be a mainstream presence for a very long time whatever happens on Grammy night, but multiple general category wins would nudge a remarkable upward trajectory even higher.
Beyoncé
What She’d Need to Win: Album of the year for Cowboy Carter, plus record of the year and/or song of the year for “Texas Hold ’Em”
What It Would Signify: Queen Bey checking off the one remaining box. Beyoncé currently owns the records for most Grammy nominations and most Grammy wins, but famously has not been able to take home the album of the year prize, despite four previous nods for her solo albums. Cowboy Carter, her chart-topping foray into country and Americana, was not the most critically lavished or commercially successful project of Bey’s career, but its conceptual boldness and sky-high execution helped Beyoncé earn the most nominations of any artist at the 2025 Grammys, with 11.
Some could view Cowboy Carter becoming the project to finally give Beyoncé an album of the year trophy as a lifetime-achievement win for a relatively lesser work; others could claim that Cowboy Carter is the most audacious album that Bey has ever released, and that she pulled off the genre-hop masterfully. Regardless, a win would allow the BeyHive to finally exhale, after years and multiple ceremonies of their favorite superstar going home without the top award. And while No. 1 hit “Texas Hold ’Em” winning record of the year or song of the year would signify a nice victory, all eyes will be on the album prize.
The Recording Academy awarded Jack Antonoff one additional 2025 Grammy nomination this week – as one of 11 engineers on Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, which is nominated for best engineered album, non-classical. This is Antonoff’s first nomination in an engineering category and brings his career nominations total to an even 30.
Final-round Grammy voting ended on Jan. 3, so Antonoff’s name didn’t appear on the ballot in that category, but he will take home a Grammy on Sunday (Feb. 2) if the album wins in that category.
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Antonoff has five other nominations this year – record of the year for producing the Taylor Swift/Post Malone collab “Fortnight,” two for song of the year for co-writing “Fortnight” and Carpenter’s “Please Please Please,” and two for album of the year for his contributions to Short N’ Sweet and Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department.
Antonoff’s 2024-25 Grammy season got off to a surprisingly rough start. His failure to land a nomination for producer of the year, non-classical, a category he had won the last three years running, was widely considered the biggest snub in this year’s nominations – and is hard to reconcile with his bounty of nominations in other marquee categories. He’s the only producer with credits on two album of the year nominees this year. It appears that the members of the National Craft Nominating Committee, which selected the five nominees for producer of the year, non-classical, just decided that Antonoff has been rewarded enough in this category, at least for now.
The 67th Grammy Awards Rules & Guidelines handbook says “the first round of voting [in this category] is in the hands of the general voting membership via the first ballot. The second round of voting, however, takes place in a national craft nominating committee. The top 30 selections from the general voting membership…appear on the ballot for the national craft nominating committees, made up of 25-35 voting members representing all the chapters, to vote by confidential ballot to select the five nominations.”
Antonoff’s six nominations this year are evenly split between his work with Swift and Carpenter – three for work with each artist. Over the course of his career, he has received 11 nominations specifically for his work with Swift; six with fun., the pop trio in which he rose to fame; four with Lana Del Rey; three with Carpenter; two with St. Vincent; and one apiece with Lorde and Zayn. (The former One Direction star teamed with Swift for the duet “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” from Fifty Shades Darker, which was nominated for best song written for visual media.)
By category, Antonoff has received 10 album of the year nominations; six for song of the year; five for producer of the year, non-classical; three for record of the year; two for best pop vocal album; and one each for best new artist, best pop duo/group performance, best song written for visual media, best rock song and best alternative music album.
Antonoff, 40, has won 11 Grammys.
Here’s the updated list of nominations for best engineered album, non-classical. The artist’s name at the end of each listing is shown just for identification purposes.
AlgorithmDernst Emile II, Michael B. Hunter, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Rachel Keen, John Kercy, Charles Moniz & Todd Robinson, engineers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer (Lucky Daye)
Cyan BlueJack Emblem, Jack Rochon & Charlotte Day Wilson, engineers; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer (Charlotte Day Wilson)
Deeper WellCraig Alvin, Shawn Everett, Mai Leisz, Todd Lombardo, John Rooney, Konrad Snyder & Daniel Tashian, engineers; Greg Calbi, mastering engineer (Kacey Musgraves)
EmpathogenBeatriz Artola, Zach Brown, Oscar Cornejo, Chris Greatti, Mitch McCarthy, Adam Schoeller & Willow Smith, engineers; Joe LaPorta, mastering engineer (WILLOW)
i/oTchad Blake, Oli Jacobs, Katie May, Dom Shaw & Mark “Spike” Stent, engineers; Matt Colton, mastering engineer (Peter Gabriel)
Short n’ SweetJack Antonoff, Bryce Bordone, Julian Bunetta, Serban Ghenea, Jeff Gunnell, Oli Jacobs, Ian Kirkpatrick, Jack Manning, Manny Marroquin, John Ryan & Laura Sisk, engineers; Nathan Dantzler & Ruairi O’Flaherty, mastering engineers (Sabrina Carpenter)
The 67th annual Grammy Awards are here at last. A few weeks ago, the thought of an awards show in Los Angeles, where entire neighborhoods went up in flames, seemed unthinkable. But the Recording Academy withstood considerable pressure to postpone or even cancel the show in light of this month’s devastating wildfires, so here we are.
Live from Crypto.com Arena in L.A. and hosted by Trevor Noah, Music’s Biggest Night will be broadcast live on Sunday (Feb. 2) at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS. The show will also be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
This year’s show will put a spotlight on new artists. Six of this year’s best new artist nominees – Benson Boone, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Raye, Sabrina Carpenter and Teddy Swims – are set to perform. (The other two best new artist nominees, Shaboozey and Khruangbin, have not been announced as performers.)
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Other performers on the telecast include Billie Eilish (who won best new artist five years ago), Charli XCX and Shakira.
The Recording Academy usually reserves one or two really big names to announce closer to the show. Among the top nominees not yet announced as performers are: Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift (with or without Post Malone) and Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars.
Beyoncé, who led this year’s nominations with 11 nods, last performed on the Grammys in 2017. Swift, who received six nods, last performed on the show in 2021. A promo for the show which aired on CBS confirmed that they will be in attendance at the show, but not that they will perform. Gaga and Mars, whose twice-nominated “Die With a Smile” is in its fourth week atop the Billboard Hot 100, have performed on the telecast separately many times.
Lamar, who has seven nods, last performed on the Grammy telecast in 2018, when he opened the show in tandem with U2 and comedian Dave Chappelle. A Grammy performance this year is unlikely: Lamar is set to headline the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 9.
This year’s telecast will carry an added sense of purpose: raising funds to support L.A. wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders. A series of special performances will highlight the show, including a salute to the life and legacy of Grammy legend Quincy Jones, tributes to the spirit of Los Angeles, and the annual In Memoriam segment.
Swift, who won album of the year at the 2024 Grammy Awards, and Victoria Monét, who won best new artist on that show, are set to present on this year’s show. Other presenters, announced Friday, are Anthony Kiedis & Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cardi B, Gloria Estefan, Olivia Rodrigo, Queen Latifah, SZA and Will Smith.
Smith will introduce the salute to Jones. Jones was executive producer of the hit sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air which ran from 1990-96 on NBC and propelled Smith to stardom.
Jones, who died in November at age 91, won 28 Grammys across six different decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s. He was a friend and mentor to generations of talented artists, including Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Jacob Collier, all of whom are set to appear on the show.
This is the fifth consecutive year that Noah has hosted the show. He will become the first comedian to host the Grammys five times. He’s also a Grammy nominee for best comedy album for Where Was I. If he wins, he’ll become just the second Grammy host to win on a night that he or she hosted. Kenny Rogers was the first, in 1980.
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards will be produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy for the fourth consecutive year. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins are executive producers.
This year’s premiere ceremony, where the vast majority of Grammys are presented, will stream live at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on the Grammy website. The show will be held at Peacock Theater in the LA Live complex in Los Angeles (which also encompasses Crypto.com Arena). Justin Tranter, a Grammy nominee for song of the year for co-writing Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe,” is set to host the premiere ceremony for the second year in a row.
Check out the full list of performers and presenters on the main Grammy telecast below. For a summary of performers and presenters on Premiere Ceremony, go here.
Performers
Benson Boone
Billie Eilish
Chappell Roan
Charli XCX
Doechii
RAYE
Sabrina Carpenter
Shakira
Teddy Swims
Performers, Tribute Segments
Brad Paisley
Brittany Howard
Chris Martin
Cynthia Erivo
Herbie Hancock
Jacob Collier
Janelle Monáe
John Legend
Lainey Wilson
Sheryl Crow
St. Vincent
Stevie Wonder
Presenters
Anthony Kiedis & Chad Smith
Cardi B
Gloria Estefan
Olivia Rodrigo
Queen Latifah
SZA
Taylor Swift
Victoria Monét
Will Smith