Grammys 2025 award winners: Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Chappell Roan
An incendiary hip-hop diss track by Kendrick Lamar and an unconventional artistic left turn into country music by Beyonce were the biggest winners at the 67th Grammy Awards on Monday, Australian time.
An incendiary hip-hop diss track by Kendrick Lamar and an unconventional artistic left turn into country music by Beyonce were the biggest winners at the 67th Grammy Awards on Monday, Australian time.
The night’s undisputed champion of setting tongues wagging, though, was a non-musician: Bianca Censori, the Melbourne-born wife of hip-hop artist Kanye West (aka Ye), who appeared on the red carpet in a sheer outfit that meant she was all but nude – and apparently unbothered.
As planned, Censori and West drew plenty of attention to themselves. For a prime-time event that attempts to be family-friendly and inclusive, it was hard to parse the model’s near-naked appearance, and one senses that red carpet organisers were highly unimpressed by her clothing, or lack of it.
The annual celebration of excellence in American music, held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, was an unpredictable ceremony, as notable for its surprising award misses as its hits.
Lamar’s track Not Like Us – a sharply worded conclusion to a series of back-and-forth lyrical missiles sent between him and Canadian rapper Drake – was an undeniable pop cultural moment last year, which on Monday earned five trophies for the Compton-born rapper.
The enthusiasm of about 13,000 Recording Academy voters meant that Not Like Us triumphed in five categories, including song of the year and record of the year, as well as best rap song and best rap performance.
But when he took to the stage towards the end of the nearly four-hour-long ceremony to accept two of the final awards, Lamar – who will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show next week in New Orleans – spoke carefully, befitting his Pulitzer Prize-winning reputation as a man who knows the weight of words.
Propelled by a bouncing beat and an insistent string sample, Not Like Us made strong claims against Drake, including his alleged attraction to young women. Yet in his remarks, Lamar made no mention of the Canadian rapper, whose 14-date Australian tour will begin in Perth on Tuesday.
Instead, the 22-time Grammy winner paid tribute to the West Coast hip-hop artists who inspired him to start writing and recording.
“At the end of the day, nothing more powerful than rap music,” said Lamar, 37. “And to the young artists … respect the art form; it’ll get you where you need to go.”
Pop singer-songwriters Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish were both among the most nominated artists, yet neither won a trophy.
Instead, both were beaten to album of the year by Cowboy Carter, the eighth LP by Beyonce Knowles-Carter, wherein the pop and R&B star opted to blend a dozen or so genres while paying homage to black pioneers in country and Americana.
After becoming the first black woman to win the Grammy for best country album, Beyonce was visibly shocked when hers was the final name read from the podium, in an award presented by Los Angeles firefighters following the recent catastrophic bushfires that have ravaged the city.
Though she was the most awarded artist in Grammys history, Beyonce, 43, had long been snubbed in the major award of album of the year. That drought was broken on Monday, and she can now claim 35 wins from 99 nominations.
“I feel very full and very honoured,” she said from the stage.
“It’s been many, many years. And I just want to thank the Grammys, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer – all of the hard work.”
In a classy touch, she used the platform to honour one of her forebears in Linda Martell, the first commercially successful black country artist.
“I want to dedicate this to Ms Martell, and I hope we just keep pushing forward, opening doors,” she said. “God bless y’all, thank you so much.”
The Grammy for best new artist went to 26-year-old pop singer-songwriter Chappell Roan, aka Missouri native Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, for her culture-shaping debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
One of its singles, Good Luck, Babe!, topped the annual Triple J Hottest 100 music poll last week.
Among the other major award winners were British pop artist Charli XCX – who will tour Australia next week while headlining Laneway Festival – and US artist Sabrina Carpenter, both of whom gave high-energy performances from the stage.
Perth’s Tame Impala, aka Kevin Parker, won his first Grammy for Neverender – his collaboration with the French electronic duo Justice which took out best dance/electronic recording.
Australian production duo FNZ scored best remixed recording for their work with Mark Ronson on Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso.
Carpenter, 25, was another of the night’s winners, taking home trophies for best pop solo performance and best pop vocal album.
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