By Anna Trevathan, Editor
The 2025 Grammy Awards created an atmosphere unlike any awards show that came before it. With genre-bending, historical, and cultural wins it was a night that will be remembered for years to come, for myself and many others. It was a night that proved that the music industry and those in it are evolving. Whether that evolution is happening on or off the stage, with social media, we are more tuned in than ever.
After the CMA Awards snubbed Beyoncé for anything related to Cowboy Carter, it was refreshing to see her and all of the historic collaborators on the album finally receive the recognition they deserved. Along with winning “Album of the Year” for it,, Beyoncé made history as the first Black woman to win “Best Country Album.”
While accepting “Album of the Year,” Beyoncé thanked “her beautiful family, all of the artists that were collaborators, God, and (her) fans.” She also addressed her fellow musicians, both in the room and at home, stating, “genre is a cold word to keep us in our place as artists.” Since the release of her album, we have seen more artists venture outside their traditional genres—a trend we can only hope continues.
While Beyoncé took home one of the largest awards of the night, I couldn’t go without mentioning one of the biggest stars of this past “hot girl summer”– Sabrina Carpenter. Carpenter was nominated for six awards, and took home “Best Pop Vocal Album” for Short N’ Sweet and “Best Pop Solo Performance” for her hit song “Espresso”. She expressed tons of gratitude and adoration for the stars nominated alongside her, even while winning these highly sought-after awards. Following the awards show, Carpenter released a teaser for a Deluxe Version of her hit album Short N’ Sweet, which will feature our hometown hero Dolly Parton on the track “Please, Please, Please!”
Her set was something like a baby blue Phantom of the Opera staircase meets Vegas showgirl. It was electrifying, with a performance infused with her signature stage humor and a surprising tap dance routine to the song of the summer, “Espresso.” However, it was her performance of “Please, Please, Please” where she truly found her footing. The choreography, visual aesthetics, and raw vocals all served as a reminder that there is a new pop princess in town.
Speaking of female powerhouses, Doechii took home a Grammy for “Best Rap Album.” for Alligator Bites Never Heal. She was also nominated for “Best New Artist”and “Best Rap Performance.” This makes her the third woman ever to win “Best Rap Album,” sharing the honor with Lauryn Hill and Cardi B.
While accepting the award, Doechii dedicated her win to Black girls and women watching, stating:
“Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you that tell you that 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. You are exactly who you need to be to be right where you are- and I am a testimony!”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Following her speech, Doechii performed her songs “Catfish” and “Denial Is A River” the latter of which having gone viral on TikTok. Her album has taken the world by storm, with her vocals at the center of every track. The set design for her performance- featuring stacks of speakers, circular stage lights, and a prominent clock- reinforced the message that her time is now.
A trained dancer with a background in theatre, Doechii delivered one of the most technically demanding performances of the night, complete with a quick costume change mid-performance. In a golden era for women in rap, she is defining her legacy in real-time.
Charli XCX also took The Grammys to another level, turning her performance into an underground rave. After winning “Best Dance/Electronic Album” for Brat, she hit the stage to perform tracks from the winning album“Von Dutch” and “Guess.”
The performance opened with Charli stepping out of a black limo and being met by a lineup of It-girls, including Gabriette Bechtel and “Model of the Year” Alex Consani.. Consani, the world’s youngest transgender supermodel, took the stage with a powerful expression of femininity and a reminder that the trans community continues to thrive through anything. It was also a meaningful nod to the LGBTQ+ community which has supported Charli throughout her career.
After “Von Dutch,” Charli transformed the stage into a runway, strutting in a custom lingerie set for “Guess” before the performance took an unexpected turn when lingerie began raining from the top of the stage. These were donated pieces from Victoria’s Secret and PINK, later sent to a women’s domestic violence shelter. Watching Charli support different aspects of womanhood while confidently owning the stage made this one of the most unforgettable moments of the night.
The Grammys was a night of wins for the female powerhouses of the music industry, and we’re hoping that this marks a shift in wins for women in general. Women for so long have been the backup vocalists, and it’s been a great pleasure to witness them moving into the spotlight.
