Molly Lau
Sitting at the edge of our couches, we waited eagerly with popcorn in hand to see if our favorite songs and albums from the past year won, the artists giving a speech, performance and taking home an award. But, at the end, turning off the TV, the screen going black, we along with the many watchers were stunned to learn that almost all assumed winners in reality lost the 2025 Grammy Awards.
One of the most talked about Grammy awards is Album of the Year. On social media, many fans and influencers like Chris Olsen were hoping for Billie Elish’s album, ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ to win, but Beyonce’s album ‘Cowboy Carter’ won, confusing many people considering how Billie’s album has far more streams than Beyonce’s. Aside from getting snubbed for album of the year, Billie did not receive a single award in any of the categories she was nominated for. We fully believe Billie’s album deserved to win at least one of its nominations, however, it is important not to jump to conclusions instantly. Instead, take time to listen to Beyonce’s album before making assumptions, and even if the album is not your type of music, you should try to keep an open mind.
Another thing we found puzzling was if the artists nominated for Best New Artist actually fit into that criteria. Sabrina Carpenter, who was nominated for Best New Artist along with seven other artists, has been making music for 10 years and has released five albums prior to “Short n’ Sweet,” indicating that she is not really a new artist. Although it is true that she just recently became extremely well-known this past year, it does not seem fair to the other nominees who are actually new artists. Though Chappell Roan has also been trying to make it big for years, we believe her win was well deserved, considering her first album came out in 2023 and quickly rose to popularity. While she did have singles and EPs released before her debut album, her first in 2017, we find her ability to persevere through challenges, like getting dropped from her label after “Pink Pony Club,” inspiring.
Though the Grammys did a great job at honoring new artists in performances, giving each nominee the opportunity to perform, they failed to give new alternative artists their flowers when it came to their awards. With certain awards like the Best Rock Album award going to an older band like The Rolling Stones, as well as Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance going to The Beatles even though their song used AI vocals, it is clear that the Recording Academy does not appreciate modern, more experimental alternative artists. While these bands have left an amazing legacy behind and plenty of people still listen to them, they do not seem to fit much into new music. With so many new artists such as Fontaines D.C. and St. Vincent producing fresh sounding tracks, it would not make sense for so many older artists to be awarded titles like Best Rock Album. These nominations potentially show that large-scale award shows are still trying to cater to a non-Gen Z audience even though mainstream focus has moved away from that long ago.
Overall, the 2025 Grammys sparked mixed emotions amongst viewers. Many were happy when their favorite artists won awards, many were excited to see the dramatic fashion on the red carpet before the show. But many were also outraged at some of the award winners, who they believe shouldn’t have won. Tense feelings often are a result of these large-scale award shows and we don’t believe that this idea will be changing anytime soon.
