As the night concluded with SZA’s triumphant reprise of “Kill Bill” (complete with a theatrical sword fight on the stage screen), the Recording Academy announced that the 68th Annual Grammy Awards would return to New York City’s Madison Square Garden for the first time since 2018. Early predictions for 2026 already include heavy hitters like Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism, the debut of whatever supergroup Taylor Swift forms next, and the potential posthumous release of a certain unreleased Prince album.
The broadcast ran 22 minutes over its scheduled runtime (a Grammy tradition). However, new producer Jesse Collins introduced a “silent disco” recovery segment during the final commercial break, allowing the audience to dance while producers fixed a teleprompter glitch during the Album of the Year presentation.
Sound mixing was nearly flawless, except for a notorious five-second feedback squeal during Joni Mitchell’s performance of “Both Sides, Now” (for which she received the MusiCares Person of the Year honorary award earlier in the week). Mitchell, 81, laughed it off, saying, “That was just a ghost trying to harmonize.”
No modern Grammys are without friction. Prior to the ceremony, the Academy quietly updated its guidelines for the 2025 awards, explicitly banning any track that used generative AI to replace a human songwriter’s “original melodic or lyrical contribution” from being considered for Song or Record of the Year. However, AI-assisted mixing/production is still allowed. The 67th Annual Grammy Awards -2025-2025
This led to a small protest outside the venue by a collective called “The Human Loop,” arguing that the rules are “too vague.” Inside, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. defended the rules, stating, “We celebrate human artistry. Tech is a tool, not the artist.”
Additionally, the night saw the introduction of three new categories (Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative R&B Album, and Best Video Game Score), pushing total categories to 96. Critics noted that the telecast still only aired 11 of them.
In a ceremony hosted by Trevor Noah (his fifth consecutive year), the night’s major categories broke from predictable patterns. As the night concluded with SZA’s triumphant reprise
LOS ANGELES, CA – On Sunday, February 2, 2025, the music industry turned its eyes to the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles for the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. While the gold gramophones were handed out for artistic excellence, the night told a bigger story: one of a music industry grappling with technology, legacy, and a changing definition of “success.”
From a shocking Album of the Year win to a historic moment for African music, and a surprising amount of rock ‘n’ roll energy, the 2025 Grammys offered more than just a plaque—they offered a roadmap for the year ahead.
Rock Field: In a move that pleased purists, The Rolling Stones won Best Rock Album for Hackney Diamonds. At 81, Mick Jagger performed a high-octane version of “Angry” with Lady Gaga, who stepped in for the late Tina Turner in a bluesy duet. It was a moment of intergenerational respect. Paramore took home Best Rock Song for “This Is Why,” cementing their post-hiatus return. However, new producer Jesse Collins introduced a “silent
Rap Field: The narrative of the night belonged to Nicki Minaj. After years of public feuds with the Recording Academy and multiple snubs, she finally won her first competitive Grammy: Best Rap Album for Pink Friday 3. But the shock came earlier: Best Rap Song went to Central Cee & Dave for “Sprinter,” marking the first time a UK drill track won a major US rap category. The performance featured a rotating stage built to look like a London Underground carriage.
Country Field: In a controversial twist, the Best Country Solo Performance was awarded to Beyoncé for “Texas Hold ‘Em” (from Act II: Cowboy Carter). The win was met with a mixture of cheers and audible boos inside the arena. Beyoncé did not attend the ceremony (she was reportedly working on the visual component of Act III), but her creative director accepted, saying, “Genre is a code. And codes are meant to be broken.”
Unlike the relatively subdued 66th Grammys, the 67th was overtly political. Several artists wore blue ribbons in support of the Music Workers Alliance, protesting streaming royalty rates. During her acceptance speech for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (for “Guess” with Billie Eilish), Charli XCX delivered an unscripted rant about “the billionaire class of Spotify” that caused the network to cut to a commercial early.
Later, Macklemore (presenting Best Spoken Word Album) wore a suit covered in names of journalists detained abroad, urging the industry to “pay attention to the First Amendment,” a moment that split the room between enthusiastic applause and awkward silence.
