By Claire Barickman Editor-in-Chief and Camryn Harakal Sports and Social Media Editor
The 67 annual Grammy Awards was held on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. While there was a great number of awards given out, the big four categories, Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year, were once again the highlights of the night. In order for artists and their music to be eligible for this year’s awards the recordings must have been released between Sept. 2023 and Aug. 2024.
In addition to the normal celebration of artists and their music, this year’s Grammys had a focus on fundraising for fire relief and celebrating L.A. Throughout the night there were moments to recognize what was lost as well as fundraising opportunities for those in attendance and those at home. The highlight of these moments however was when the L.A. County Fire Department got to present the Album of the Year award to the winner.
Record of the Year is the category that recognizes the recording of a song. This not only honors the performing artist, but also the producers, engineers, and other behind-the-scenes members. In 2023, “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus won Record of the Year. In 2021, “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic won the award. To be eligible for Record of the Year the song must be new or have become prominent in the eligibility year. It also must be commercially released. The nominees for Record of the Year this year are “Now and Then” by the Beatles, “Texas, Hold ‘Em” by Beyoncé, “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter, “360” by Charli xcx, “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish, “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappel Roan, and “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone. This year the winner was “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar.
The category of Best New Artist is one that many big-name artists have won in the past including Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Megan Thee Stallion in recent years. To be eligible for Best New Artist the musician must have released at least five singles or one album, but no more than three albums or 30 singles in their career. The biggest qualifying factor is however their impact on the musical landscape during the eligibility period, meaning that even if they released music in the past they must have “broken out” during the eligibility period. If an artist has been considered for nomination three times prior this also disqualifies them from eligibility, this is why artists like Tate McRae are no longer eligible. This year Best New Artist is filled with artists who have made quite an impact on the music industry including Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Khruangbin, Raye, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims. This year the winner was Chappell Roan.
Song of the Year is awarded to recognize the recording of the song, the songwriter(s), and the lyrical prowess, melodic innovation and sonic impact of the song. Past winners of Song of the Year include “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish, “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic and “Hello” by Adele. To qualify for Song of the Year the song “must contain melody and lyrics and must be either a new song or a song first achieving prominence during the eligibility year” according to the Grammy’s website. This means that a song can qualify for Song of the Year even if it was released before the eligibility period as long as it didn’t become mainstream or popular before qualification time. This year the songs nominated for Song of the Year include “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey, “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish, “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift Ft. Post Malone, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan, “Please, Please, Please” by Sabrina Carpenter, “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar and “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyoncé. This year the winner was “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar.
Album of the Year is awarded to recognize a whole album for its quality and creativity and is the most prestigious Grammy award. In 2023, “Harry’s House” by Harry Styles won Album of the Year, and in 2024, “Midnights” by Taylor Swift won Album of the Year. To be eligible for Album of the Year, the album must be at least 15 minutes in length and have a minimum of 5 songs, 75% of the material on the album must be a new recording or unreleased material before the album’s release date, 20% of the album’s runtime must be credited to those who worked on the album. The nominations this year are “New Blue Sun” by André 3000, “COWBOY CARTER” by Beyoncé, “Short n’ Sweet” by Sabrina Carpenter, “BRAT” by Charli xcx, “Djesse Vol. 4” by Jacob Collier, “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” by Billie Eilish, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” by Chappell Roan, and “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” by Taylor Swift. This year the winner was “COWBOY CARTER” by Beyoncé.
The Grammys is an annual celebration of music that brings musical artists and fans together. This year it was especially important to bring people together after the wildfires in California and all of the other tragedies that have happened recently. Let this years award ceremony be a reminder for how music can connect you with those around you, no matter how different you might seem.
