Grammys 2025: Beyonce makes history as she wins album of the year | Ents & Arts News

Beyonce has made history, winning the coveted album of the year prize at this year’s Grammy Awards.

Despite being the most nominated artist in Grammy history, this was her fifth shot at the prize, and her first win in the category.

Only three women of colour have ever won album of the year, the last being Lauryn Hill 26 years ago.

It was tough competition this year, with female stars including Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift in the mix. Andre 3000 and Jacob Collier were also in the running.

Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department presented the award and were given a standing ovation as they took to the stage.

Earlier in the night, a stunned Beyonce told the audience she was “still in shock” after winning best country album for Cowboy Carter – the first black female artist to take the prize.

After being handed the award by Taylor Swift, the Texas-born star said: “Wow, I really was not expecting this. I want to thank God that I’m able to do what I love after so many years.”

She went on: “Genre is a code word to keep us in place as artists, and I just want to encourage us to do what we’re passionate about.”

Beyonce has previously been vocal about the lack of wins in the big Grammy categories for artists of colour, who she said were relegated to the genre categories.

And last year her husband, rap star Jay-Z, addressed the oversight, telling the audience: “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year. So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work.”

Beyonce had already made history earlier in the night, winning best country duo/group performance for II Most Wanted featuring Miley Cyrus. But she was pipped at the post by Kacey Musgraves, who took best Country song for The Architect.

Ahead of the ceremony she announced on social media that she would be taking Cowboy Carter on tour.

Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar dominated the night, taking both song of the year and record of the year for his much talked about diss track, Not Like Us.

He dedicated his record of the year win “to the city,” and later said he was “starstruck” to be handed his best song award by Diana Ross.

The California-born star had already won three awards earlier in the night.

The first award of the main ceremony, best rap album, went to Doechii for Alligator Bites Never Heal, who became tearful on stage as she became only the third woman ever to take the prize. She later gave a jaw-dropping, high-energy performance.

Her award was presented by Cardi B, one of those past winners, who told the audience: “Rap helped me find my voice, rap helped me find my story, but most of all rap changed my life.”

Best pop vocal album went to Sabrina Carpenter for Short N’ Sweet, she said she “might cry” for her first Grammy win, thanking her mum for “driving me to every voice lesson,” before going on to apologise for saying “Hell” three times during her acceptance speech.

Carpenter’s gong was presented by Red Hot Chilli Peppers band members Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith, who sang a burst of their 1991 hit Under The Bridge, in tribute to the City Of Angles – LA.

The evening had a very different tone to previous shows following the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. Black was a common theme on the red carpet and the evening kicked off by highlighting the city’s resilience.

Host Trevor Noah’s opening speech spoke of the “entire communities burned to the ground”, going on, “it’s often said in the darkest time the best of humanity shines through…tonight we’re not only celebrating our favourite music but celebrating the city that brought us our favourite music”.

Raising money for those affected by the disaster, Noah said advertising space had also been given to local LA businesses affected by fire.

Best newcomer went to Chappell Roan, who wore a giant cone hat with a veil spouting from the top to accept her award, which threatened to fall as she accepted her gong.

The 26-year-old singer gave an empassioned speech as she accepted her first Grammy saying: “I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a liveable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.”

She went on to describe the strain of being signed young, and then dropped by her label, struggling to afford health insurance.

She said “It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and so dehumanised… And if my label would have prioritised artists’ health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to.

She finished by saying: “So record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a liveable wage and health insurance and protection. Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”

Earlier, her rocking Pink Pony Club performance had featured a giant pony and host of cowboy clowns.

Other notable early wins of the night included some nostalgic British acts – The Beatles, who took best rock performance for Now And Then, and The Rolling Stones who won best rock album for Hackney Diamonds.

Charli XCX scored her first Grammys for best dance/electronic album and best dance/pop recording, following her culture-shaping Brat album, which was the talk of the summer. She later worked her way through the arena in a performance, which featured Julie Fox and a large haul of knickers, and which Charlie joked might be so racy “it might not make the edit”.

Jennifer Lopez presented best Latin pop album, which went to Shakira for Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran. Shakira hugged her two sons as she went to collect her prize, dedicating it to “all my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country – you’re loved, you’re worth it, and I will always fight with you.”

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars won best pop duo/group performance for Die With A Smile, paying their respects to one anothers career achievements in their acceptance speech.

Gaga also spoke out for trans rights, saying, “Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love.”

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