Key winners for the Grammy Awards

Beyonce wins Album of the Year for 'Cowboy Carter'

Beyonce won her first-ever Album of the Year Grammy on Sunday, finally taking home the coveted prize for her sweeping country revue, "Cowboy Carter."

It was a moment of vindication for Beyonce, the Recording Academy's most nominated and decorated artist ever -- who for more than a decade has been routinely snubbed for top Grammys.

"It's been many, many years," she said in accepting the prize, which she dedicated to Linda Martell, a pioneering Black woman in country who performed on the album.

"I hope we just keep pushing forward, opening doors," Beyonce said.

The 43-year-old music icon bested stiff competition including Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish to claim the night's most prestigious trophy.

Byoncé at the 67th edition of the Grammy Awards / © AFP

It was the fifth time one of her albums had been nominated for the top prize, previously losing the award to Swift, Beck, Adele and Harry Styles.

And Beyonce is the first Black woman in the 21st century to win the prize, and just one of four to do so: Lauryn Hill was the last to win in 1999, following in the footsteps of Natalie Cole and Whitney Houston.

"Cowboy Carter" is a rhinestone-studded, genre-bending, historically grounded honky tonk of an album that pays homage to Beyonce's southern heritage.

The 27-track second act in her "Renaissance" trilogy, "Cowboy Carter" magnified a wider conversation on the long history of Black artists in country music, and the persistent racist backlash they have continued to experience.

Beyonce entered the night with the most chances at Grammys gold, having garnered 11 nominations, including in the major fields along with pop, country, Americana and melodic rap performance.

She ultimately took home three awards - Album of the Year, best country album and best country duo/group performance with Miley Cyrus.

Kendrick Lamar wins best record and song Grammys for 'Not Like Us'

Kendrick Lamar on Sunday won the Grammys for Record and Song of the Year for his smash diss track "Not Like Us," one of a series of tracks from the Los Angeles-area native that skewer hip-hop rival Drake.

Lamar's scathing song was released as part of a lengthy feud with the Canadian rapper. The Record of the Year prize honor the overall performance of a song, while Song of the Year recognizes songwriting.

On the night, he won in all five categories in which he was nominated, all for "Not Like Us." The others were best rap song and performance, as well as best music video.

For both best rap song and performance, he was nominated a second time for the track "Like That."

"Nothing more powerful than rap music," the 37-year-old Lamar said in accepting the top song trophy. "We are the culture."

Lamar released "Not Like Us" in May 2024, the fifth of a collection of songs skewering the Canadian rapper that dropped less than a day after his previous single, "Meet the Grahams."

"Not Like Us" led critics and followers to proclaim Lamar the winner of the battle, which saw the rappers trade barbs including allegations of domestic abuse and sexual misconduct involving children.

A record-breaking streaming giant, "Not Like Us" catapulted to the top of the charts and quickly became a West Coast rap anthem, beloved for its pounding bass line, rhythmic strings and exaggerated enunciation.

Lamar's Grammys success comes a week before he is due to headline this year's Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans.

It was the first time he won the prize for Record of the Year, after three previous nominations.

Born in Compton, California, Lamar is renowned as one of contemporary music's most impactful writers, with his poignant verses offering personal insights while taking on systemic issues such as race relations and structural poverty.

Set to jazz-heavy instrumentals, the Pulitzer Prize winner's music has made him a household name and a rare artist whose work is commercially successful but who is not dependent on a constant content churn.

He dedicated Sunday's best record Grammy to his hometown of Los Angeles that is still reeling from recent deadly wildfires, naming several neighborhoods and saying, "You know, this is my neck of the woods."

Chappell Roan wins Grammy for Best New Artist

Pop superstar Chappell Roan on Sunday won the Grammy for Best New Artist, besting stiff competition including from fellow artists of the moment Sabrina Carpenter and Shaboozey.

The honor caps a year in which Roan went from struggling artist to music's It girl.

The 26-year-old used her acceptance speech to put the recording industry on notice to treat struggling artists with more respect and offer better social protections.

"I told myself that if I ever won a Grammy and got to stand up here before the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists," she said to applause.

Chappelle Roan at the 67th Grammy Awards / © AFP

She recounted how difficult it was to be dropped by her label with "zero job experience," and then to find a job as the coronavirus pandemic swept the nation.

"It was devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and dehumanized," she said.
"Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees," she said. "Labels, we got you, but do you got us?"
  
Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz on February 19, 1998 in small-town Missouri, the artist took to singing and piano at a young age, and began gaining attention for videos she uploaded to YouTube in her teens.

She moved to Los Angeles and back home again to support herself as a barista before finally coming into her own with singles like "Pink Pony Club" and "Naked in Manhattan," which found renewed fame upon release of her debut studio album.

That record, "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess," came out to widespread acclaim, with a number of publications including it in their lists of the year's top releases.

The bold, vulnerable album explores themes of sexuality, heartbreak and yearning with a pop-forward, dance-heavy beat, while also showcasing her impressive vocals that one critic characterized as "singing in cursive."

The album lived mostly underground for several months after its release, before exuberant performances from Roan including at major festivals saw her burst to the forefront of pop.

Her artistic persona is part of the appeal: Her aesthetics frequently draw from the world of drag, coupling heavy makeup with camp costumery.

Songs like "Good Luck, Babe!" and "Hot to Go!" went viral, with the former becoming her first Top 10 hit.

Roan has been outspoken about her support of queer and trans rights as well as her public support of the Palestinian people, and has also spoken out about the psychological toll of her massive fame.

All the winners

Here is a list of winners in the major categories for the 67th annual Grammy Awards, which were handed out on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Beyonce – the most decorated artist in Grammys history – won the Album of the Year prize for the first time for her genre-defying "Cowboy Carter." She ended the night with three awards.

It was a clean sweep for rapper Kendrick Lamar, who won in all five categories in which he was nominated.
 
Album of the Year:  "Cowboy Carter" - Beyonce

Record of the Year: "Not Like Us" - Kendrick Lamar

Song of the Year:  "Not Like Us" - Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)
Best New Artist: Chappell Roan

Best Pop Solo Performance: "Espresso" - Sabrina Carpenter

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: "Die with a Smile - Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga

Best Pop Vocal Album: "Short n' Sweet" - Sabrina Carpenter

Best Rap Album: "Alligator Bites Never Heal" - Doechii

Best Rap Song: "Not Like Us" - Kendrick Lamar

Best Rap Performance: "Not Like Us" - Kendrick Lamar

Best Music Video: "Not Like Us" - Kendrick Lamar

Best Dance/Electronic Album: "Brat" - Charli XCX

Best Rock Album: "Hackney Diamonds" - The Rolling Stones

Best Rock Performance: "Now and Then" - The Beatles

Best Country Album: "Cowboy Carter" - Beyonce

Best Country Solo Performance: "It Takes a Woman" - Chris Stapleton

Best Country Duo/Group Performance: "II Most Wanted" - Beyonce ft. Miley Cyrus

Best African Music Performance: "Love Me JeJe" - Tems

Grammys open with tribute to fire-ravaged Los Angeles

The 67th annual Grammys opened Sunday with an "I Love LA" tribute to the city still reeling from the devastating impact of recent wildfires.

A supergroup including Sheryl Crow and John Legend delivered a performance of Randy Newman's track to open the show in honor of Los Angeles's resilience and efforts to pick up the pieces.

Host Trevor Noah then delivered his monologue introducing the top nominees like Beyonce and Taylor Swift along with a number of barbed quips including some aimed at President Donald Trump's conservative policies on immigration.

"I'm going to enjoy tonight because this may be the last time I get to host anything," said Noah, who is Black and was born in South Africa.