The 67th Annual Grammy Awards unfolded with a flurry of accolades distributed across a multitude of genres, celebrating both established icons and emerging talents. While the televised ceremony showcased the most prominent categories, a significant portion of the 94 awards were presented during a pre-televised event. Early winners included Beyoncé, who secured her first Grammy of the night for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “II Most Wanted,” featuring Miley Cyrus, later adding Best Country Album to her collection for “Cowboy Carter.” Kendrick Lamar made a strong showing early on, winning three awards for “Not Like Us” in the rap categories, setting the stage for a potential sweep in the major categories. Charli XCX also emerged as an early victor, claiming three Grammys for her critically acclaimed album “Brat.” These early wins positioned these artists as frontrunners for the evening’s top honors.
The rock categories saw The Beatles recognized for Best Rock Performance with “Now and Then,” while Gojira, Marina Viotti, and Victor Le Masne took home Best Metal Performance for “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!).” St. Vincent secured two Grammys, winning both Best Alternative Music Performance and Best Alternative Music Album for “Flea” and “All Born Screaming,” respectively. The Rolling Stones added another Grammy to their illustrious career with a win for Best Rock Album for “Hackney Diamonds.” In R&B, Muni Long won Best R&B Performance, Lucky Daye secured Best Traditional R&B Performance, and SZA’s “Saturn” won Best R&B Song. Chris Brown’s “11:11 (Deluxe)” was awarded Best R&B Album, while Avery*Sunshine’s “So Glad to Know You” took home Best Progressive R&B Album.
The rap scene saw further recognition with Rapsody featuring Erykah Badu winning Best Melodic Rap Performance for “3:AM” and Doechii winning Best Rap Album for “Alligator Bites Never Heal.” Samara Joy made a mark in the jazz categories, claiming both Best Jazz Performance and Best Jazz Vocal Album. Other jazz awards went to Chick Corea and Béla Fleck for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Dan Pugach Big Band for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Luques Curtis and collaborators for Best Latin Jazz Album, and Meshell Ndegeocello for Best Alternative Jazz Album. Norah Jones’ “Visions” won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, while Taylor Eigsti’s “Plot Armor” earned the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album award.
The country music field saw Chris Stapleton win Best Country Solo Performance, while Kacey Musgraves’ “The Architect” earned the Best Country Song award. Sierra Ferrell dominated the Americana categories, winning Best American Roots Performance, Best Americana Performance, Best American Roots Song, and Best Americana Album. Billy Strings continued the bluegrass tradition with a win for Best Bluegrass Album, while The Taj Mahal Sextet and Ruthie Foster secured victories in the traditional and contemporary blues categories, respectively. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings won Best Folk Album for “Woodland,” and Kalani Pe’a took home the Best Regional Roots Music Album award.
In the gospel and Christian music categories, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Erica Campbell, and Israel Houghton featuring Jonathan McReynolds and Jekalyn Carr won Best Gospel Performance/Song, while CeCe Winans won both Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song and Best Gospel Album. Doe’s “Heart of a Human” earned the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album award, and Cory Henry’s “Church” won Best Roots Gospel Album. Residente, Rawayana, Carín León, and Tony Succar’s projects won in the Latin music categories.
Global music awards went to Sheila E. featuring Gloria Estefan and Mimy Succar, Tems, and Matt B featuring Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The reggae category saw a win for the compilation album “Bob Marley: One Love — Music Inspired by the Film (Deluxe).” Wouter Kellerman, Eru Matsumoto, and Chandrika Tandon’s “Triveni” won Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album. Awards recognizing various other creative contributions went to Dave Chappelle for Best Comedy Album, Jimmy Carter for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording, and several others for their work on soundtracks, music videos, and album packaging.
Classical music accolades were distributed across a range of categories, recognizing performances, compositions, and production work. Víkingur Ólafsson’s interpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations earned him Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Karen Slack won Best Classical Solo Vocal Album, and Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic received recognition for their performance of Gabriela Ortiz’s “Revolución Diamantina.” Esa-Pekka Salonen’s conducting on “Saariaho: Adriana Mater” earned a Grammy for Best Opera Recording, and “Ochre” by The Crossing won Best Choral Performance. These diverse wins underscore the depth and breadth of the classical music landscape.
The awards also highlighted technical achievements in music production, with Tchad Blake and his team winning Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for Peter Gabriel’s “I/O,” and Mark Donahue and John Newton winning Best Engineered Album, Classical. Elaine Martone received recognition as Producer of the Year, Classical, showcasing the essential role of producers in shaping the sound of classical music. The Immersive Audio Album category went to Hans-Martin Buff and Peter Gabriel for the immersive mix of “I/O (In-Side Mix),” highlighting the growing importance of immersive audio experiences. Overall, the 67th Annual Grammy Awards celebrated a wide array of musical talent, from veteran artists to rising stars, and acknowledged the diverse creative forces that shape the music industry.
