Grammy Awards 2025: what are the best and worst moments of that evening?

Beyoncé finally won the Grammy for Best Album of the Year

It was probably one of the most memorable, eagerly-awaited moments of the 2025 Grammy Awards. Although she is one of the most nominated artists in the history of the ceremony, superstar Beyoncé has finally received the award for Best Album of the Year, along with the one for Best Country Album – a way for her to thumb her nose at the world of country music, which has long snubbed her. Despite the numerous other awards she won and her undeniable success, it was the first time she was awarded these ones.

This accolade, widely applauded by the guests and people at large on social media, crowned the artist as the first black woman to win both the award for Best Album of the Year since Lauryn Hill in 1999 and for Best Country Album. These highlights were also marked by singer Taylor Swift presenting one of these awards to Beyoncé, while many celebrities keep setting the artists against each other. We all remember the VMAS scandal in 2009… It looks like things have finally come full circle.

Sabrina Carpenter’s performance at the Grammy Awards

On stage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Sabrina Carpenter drew the audience’s attention. For the 2025 Grammy Awards ceremony, the 25-year-old singer and actress walked away with two awards – the Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Album of the Year for Short n’ Sweet. Beyond the recognition, her performance alone really stood out.

She gave the audience a jazzy rendition of her hit Espresso in a sparkling dinner jacket, before donning a pastel blue corset to deliver a live performance of her song Please Please Please. A daring performance that once again confirmed her status as “America’s new sweetheart”.

A host of artists pay tribute to the unforgettable Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones, who passed away last November at the age of 91, was one of the giants of American music. Recipient of 28 Grammy Awards during his career, this ceremony was an opportunity for many artists to pay tribute to him.

After a moving speech by Will Smith recalling his collaboration with the artist on the classic song The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), actress and singer Cynthia Erivo took to the stage singing the notes of Fly Me to the Moon with Herbie Hancock on the piano, a long-time collaborator of Quincy Jones. A moving performance, rounded off by Stevie Wonder on harmonica playing Bluesette (1975), and a cover of Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop ‘till You Get Enough (1979), produced by the legendary musician.

Charli xcx lights up the Grammy Awards ceremony with a Brat performance

After shaking up the world with her album Brat (2024) to the point of making the expression ‘Brat Summer’ enter pop culture, Charli xcx once again left her mark at the Grammy Awards. Winner of Best Electronic Album for Brat and Best Dance Pop Recording of the Year for Von Dutch, the British singer celebrated her victory with an electrifying show.

True to her wild Y2K aesthetic, she turned the Crypto.com Arena stage into a true underground club surrounded by a crowd of dancers under a rain of panties. The finale was as provocative as it was memorable, just like her meteoric rise.

The worst moment of the 2025 Grammy Awards:

The dramatic arrival (and departure) of Kanye West and Bianca Censori

It had been almost a decade since Kanye West had walked down the red carpet of the Grammy Awards. Nominated in the category for Best Rap Song, the artist arrived all dressed in black, alongside his wife Bianca Censori, who wore an entirely transparent dress, which revealed every single part of her body and left no room for imagination. A scandalous and contrasting appearance, since the rapper often appears clothed while his wife often wears close to nothing, that quickly took the media and social networks by storm…

Then, the couple decided to turn around and leave just seconds after posing, without even entering the venue, then fuelling the rumours that the two had been turned away from the Grammy Awards… Yet, it seemed that the couple had decided to leave on their own. Later, the rapper posted Polaroids of his wife on his Instagram account with the caption “Love story”. The post has already been deleted from the platform.

Ceremony host Trevor Noah’s faux pas

Trevor Noah is well-known for his scathing sense of humour, but this time the host of the Grammy Awards 2025 caused a bit of a stir. During his opening monologue, he paid tribute to the presence of Shakira, saying: “Three-time Grammy winner Shakira is in the house. She is the greatest thing out of Colombia that isn’t a Class A felony”.

A tasteless joke that immediately stirred controversy. On X, many users denounced an insensitive joke, all the more inappropriate at a time when Latin American immigrants are facing increasing threats of deportation in the United States. An embarrassing moment that could have been avoided…

Traduction Emma Naroumbo Armaing.