The Grammys ceremony was held on February 2nd, 2025, and was full of show-stopping performances and record-breaking wins and honored the best music released in 2024. The ceremony was held in honor of and to raise money for the wildfires that have devastated most of southern California.
The recording academy had thirteen thousand judges this year. However, If I were the sole judge this year, the Grammys would have gone a little differently.
First of all, Album of the Year definitely should have gone to Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft”. Don’t get me wrong, Beyoncé is an incredibly talented artist and has albums that deserve the Album of the Year award, however “Cowboy Carter” is not one of them. I just was not very moved by it.
The Best New Artist of 2025 was awarded to the Midwest Princess herself, Chappell Roan. I think the academy got that right. Song of the Year went to “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar. Honestly, I agree with that choice, the lyrics of that song were so catchy and transcended usual genre prejudice. Record of the year also went to “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar. I agree with this for the same reasons listed above.
Country Album of The Year went to “Cowboy Carter” by Beyoncé and I have been informed by my friends (they are my academy) who listen to country music that it should have gone to someone else.
Best rap album went to the magnificent “Alligator Bites Never Heal” by Doechii. This was the perfect choice. Doechii is now the third woman ever to win this award, and everything wonderful I could say about it has already been said elsewhere.
Best Pop Vocal album went to “Short n’ Sweet” by Sabrina Carpenter and, perhaps controversially, I disagree with this choice. The album itself is amazing; Sabrina Carpenter certainly made a fun sixties-inspired pop record that had me dancing in my room like an idiot. However, I don’t think the vocals in the recorded version of this album are deserving of this award. Carpenter can sing incredibly well, and she shows her talents in live renditions of this album. However, the recorded version in my opinion does not hold a candle to other nominees in this category. Specifically, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” by Chappell Roan, which featured unreal vocals.
The Best Music Video award went to “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, which is, admittedly, a wonderful music video. Though, to me, the award definitely should have gone to “Fortnite” by Taylor Swift. The special effects in that music video alone could have won the video the award. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you do.
As for the rest of the categories, I don’t have much to say. I will end this by saying I am in no way claiming any of these artists are untalented or undeserving. This is my opinion based on my own personal listening patterns; please do not take it too seriously.
