The Grammy Awards have earned the reputation of being an opportunity for celebrities to mingle, drink and dance with their closest A-lister pals in a night of musical celebration.
This year, wildfires ravaged much of Los Angeles just weeks before the event — and, rather than turning a blind eye, the Academy turned the 67th Annual Grammy Awards into a night full of remembrance, fundraising and, of course, the year’s best music.
Throughout the day, the Recording Academy handed out over 90 gramophones and nonprofit MusiCares raised over $7 million for fire relief.
Before the at-home broadcast began, the non-televised Grammys Premiere Ceremony divvied out 85 awards across categories including Americana, jazz, blues, rock, world and more.
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Sierra Ferrell went 4-0 at her first Grammy Awards, sweeping the Best Song and Best Performance awards for both the Americana and American Roots categories. Also representing Music City, Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves picked up wins for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song, respectively.
Just after 5 p.m. Central time, attendees and nominees skittered to their seats as the opening performers navigated the aisles to the center stage. Dawes, Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard, John Legend, Brad Paisley and St. Vincent opened with a rendition of “I Love L.A.” by Randy Newman, a peek into the night’s overarching message of community and resilience.
LA native Billie Eilish was the first nominee to perform during the ceremony, singing her earworm hit “Birds of a Feather.” Her band was backdropped by a California desert and the audience swayed to each strum — including Taylor Swift and Margaret Qualley, who found ample dancing room around their table.
Doechii took home the first award of the night for Best Rap Album, using her speech to instill confidence in her Black female audience, earning her a standing ovation from the arena.
“Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you, that tell you you can’t be here, that you’re too dark or that you’re not smart enough or that you’re too dramatic or you’re too loud,” Doechii said. “You are exactly who you need to be, to be right where you are, and I am a testimony.”
After a medley performance from Sabrina Carpenter on an elegant staircase set, Chad Smith and Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers announced this year’s Best Pop Vocal Album, but not before they shared a brief ode to the City of Angels. With the help of the crowd, they sang a short acapella snippet of “Under the Bridge” before handing the award to Carpenter for her album “Short n’ Sweet.”
Chappell Roan side-saddled an enormous hot pink “My Little Pony”-esque horse for a thundering rendition of “Pink Pony Club.” She exited the stage alongside her entourage of cowboy clowns before Taylor Swift took her only onstage moment of the night to announce Best Country Album: Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter.”
A series of back-to-back performances from Best New Artist contenders included a suit rip and piano flip from Benson Boone, a barebones Teddy Swims performance and a packed Doechii set featuring backup dancers and a quick change. Shaboozey then put country on a literal soapbox with “A Bar Song (Tipsy,)” while Raye let her vocal range and a full orchestra do the talking for “Oscar Winning Tears.”
After the audience got a sample of each nominee, Chappell Roan came out on top in the Best New Artist category, advocating for liveable wages and healthcare for developing artists in her crowd-stirring acceptance speech.
“Labels, we got you,” Roan said. “Do you got us?”
After a few hours of Grammys normalcy, host Trevor Noah slowed the show to acknowledge and remember the recent wildfires that wrecked many of the areas surrounding LA. The arena fell silent as footage of fire damage flashed on the big screens. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars lent their voices to the cause with an intimate and acoustic version of “California Dreamin’” by the Mamas & the Papas on the center stage.
The most unexpected performance of the night came after Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr.’s speech.
The Weeknd returned to the Grammys stage for the first time in years, ending his four-year boycott of the ceremony after his 2020 album “After Hours” earned zero nominations. He performed two new songs from his upcoming album, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” and featured the most intricate stage production of the night. Dozens of dancers covered head-to-toe in red bodysuits surrounded the singer for “Cry For Me,” and blue strobe lights extended far above the stage, bleeding into the rafters during “Timeless.”
The night of remembrance continued as Will Smith presented a Grammys tribute to legendary producer and composer Quincy Jones, who died in November. Once-in-a-lifetime performances from Cynthia Erivo, Lainey Wilson, Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder followed. Janelle Monáe ended the tribute with an eccentric and groovy performance of “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” shimmying, moonwalking and throwing her suit jacket — which Taylor Swift caught and wore for the rest of the night.
Lady Gaga highlighted the importance of transgender visibility during her acceptance speech for Best Pop Duo Performance with Bruno Mars, which earned standing applause from the audience and an appreciative wave from Chappell Roan. Sighs and “awws” were echoed throughout the arena shortly after as videos of Liam Payne led the 2025 In Memoriam montage.
The audience worked in sync to belt the infamous “A minor” lyric from Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” as he approached the stage to collect the Record of the Year award. Lamar also snagged the Song of the Year award for the same track later in the night.
Shakira and Charli XCX turned the arena into a nightclub during their performances, utilizing the freedom of unrestricted movement within the venue. Shakira traveled from the small center stage to host a dance cohort on the main stage, and Charli XCX arrived onstage from the outdoor loading dock. Charli ended her performance with a crowd of club-ready dancers while it rained underwear, with a few pairs of briefs cascading down the stage steps and landing at the feet of nominees.
As the night came to a close, the Grammys paid homage to those involved in the wildfires one final time: members of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department presented the Album of the Year Award.
Firefighters ripped open the envelope to reveal Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter.”
The win marked Beyoncé’s fifth Album of the Year nomination and first win, and she’s now the fourth Black woman in history to win the biggest award in music. Artists like Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish were brought to tears by the monumental accomplishment.
To accentuate the achievement, Beyoncé announced the day before the awards that she’ll embark on a tour for the album this year.
“I just feel very full and very honored,” Beyoncé said. “It’s been many, many years… I hope we just keep pushing forward, opening doors.”
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