67th Annual Grammy Awards

• 1. Introduction

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  Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department walked onto the stage at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on the 2nd of February 2025. They were there to present Album of the Year. It was not a standard presenter lineup. Outside the arena, Southern California was still burning. Wildfires had swept through the region in the weeks before any Grammy trophies were handed out. Music industry leaders had seriously debated postponing the show or converting its broadcast into a relief fundraiser. South African comedian Trevor Noah hosted for the fifth consecutive time. Recording Academy chief executive Harvey Mason Jr. had sent an urgent letter to the organization's 12,000 voting members. He asked them to vote with "purpose, intention, and integrity" and warned against "bias, grudge-holding, or careless voting." One rap song had received five separate nominations. Whether it could sweep all of them would become one of the evening's defining moments. And questions had also been gathering about who gets to be called a country artist.

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• 2. Kendrick's Historic Sweep

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  Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" arrived at the ceremony with five nominations and left with five wins. That result made the song the joint-most decorated in Grammy Awards history, tied with "Up, Up and Away." Lamar became only the second rap artist to win both Record of the Year and Song of the Year in the same year. Childish Gambino was the first, in 2019. Diana Ross stepped to the podium to present Song of the Year. Miley Cyrus presented Record of the Year. The production credit for "Not Like Us" named Sean Momberger, Mustard, and Sounwave as producers. Engineers Ray Charles Brown Jr. and Johnathan Turner, along with mastering engineer Nicolas de Porcel, were also recognized. Lamar received seven total nominations at the ceremony, alongside Billie Eilish, who also received seven.

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• 3. Beyonce's Country Crossover

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  Beyoncé received eleven nominations at the 67th Grammy ceremony, more than any other artist. That total set a new single-year record for nominations by a female artist. She had previously shared that record with Lauryn Hill, who earned ten nominations at the 1999 ceremony. Beyoncé had matched that personal best herself in 2010. Three awards came home with her, including Album of the Year and Best Country Album for Cowboy Carter. Taylor Swift stepped to the podium to present Best Country Album. That win made Beyoncé the first Black artist to win Best Country Album. The Album of the Year victory made her the first Black woman to win that category since Lauryn Hill in 1999. A running career total of 99 nominations made Beyoncé the most nominated artist in Grammy history. That milestone broke a tie with her husband Jay-Z. Among Beyoncé's other nominated tracks was "Texas Hold 'Em," a Record of the Year contender. "16 Carriages" received a nomination for Best Country Solo Performance.

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• 4. New Artist Breakthroughs

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  Chappell Roan won Best New Artist at the 67th ceremony, with Victoria Monét presenting the award. She and Sabrina Carpenter had both earned Grammy nominations in all four main General Field categories in a single year. Carpenter became the fourteenth artist in history to accomplish that distinction. Roan became the fifteenth. Doechii was also a Best New Artist nominee but made history in a different category. Her album Alligator Bites Never Heal won Best Rap Album. That made Doechii only the third woman to win the award. Lauryn Hill, recognized with the Fugees, won Best Rap Album in 1997. Cardi B won it in 2019. Sierra Ferrell completed the ceremony with a perfect nomination record in the American roots categories, winning all four. The Best New Artist medley at the main ceremony featured all eight nominees performing, including Doechii, Khruangbin, Shaboozey, and Raye alongside Roan and Carpenter.

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• 5. A City in Crisis

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  Tammy Hurt, chair of the Recording Academy's board of trustees, joined CEO Harvey Mason Jr. in confirming that the ceremony would proceed. Their joint statement described close coordination with local authorities. The 67th ceremony carried what they called a "renewed sense of purpose." That purpose centered on raising funds for wildfire relief and honoring the bravery of first responders.

  Some commercial airtime was donated to small businesses that had been damaged by the fires. The featured businesses included Orla Floral Studio of Altadena and Two Dragons Martial Arts of Altadena. Doja Cat appeared in the commercial for Orla Floral Studio. Charlie Puth appeared in the spot for Two Dragons Martial Arts. Anderson.Paak was featured alongside Rhythms of the Village of Altadena. Avril Lavigne appeared with Paliskates Skate Shop in Pacific Palisades. The Jonas Brothers appeared with the L.A. Lost Stuffy Project.

  High school choir students from Pasadena Waldorf School in Altadena sang backup during the broadcast. Students from Palisades Charter High School in the Pacific Palisades did as well. Both schools had sustained damage in the fires. Their performance came during Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock's rendition of "We Are the World." The broadcast aired on CBS and was available to stream on Paramount+. It carried the wildfire relief message to a national audience while fires were still burning.

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• 6. Records and Rule Changes

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  Now and Then by the Beatles received its first Grammy nomination at the 67th ceremony. The song was also the first produced with the help of artificial intelligence to receive a Grammy nomination. Jimmy Carter, the former United States president, became the oldest nominee in Grammy history at the age of 100. His recognition came in the category of Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording. Carter had won that award four times before, more than any other recipient. He died in December 2024, before the ceremony took place. Had he been present to accept the trophy, he would have been the oldest winner in Grammy history. Anitta's album Funk Generation was nominated as the first funk carioca album ever recognized at the Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy also renamed a significant award. Best Song for Social Change became the Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award at this ceremony. Conjunto music moved from Best Musica Mexicana Album to Best Regional Roots Music Album. The annual fee for media companies entering recordings in the online submission process was raised to $180. Taylor Swift became the first woman to earn seven career nominations for Album of the Year. The Tortured Poets Department was among the eight albums nominated in that category at the 67th ceremony.

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