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Bold fashion, iconic performances and gilded gramophones can mean only one thing: The Grammy Awards are back.
Music’s biggest night combines the star power of Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish with anticipated performances from Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii and Shakira.
The Recording Academy will hand out trophies in more than 90 categories Sunday, but all eyes are watching to see if Beyoncé, the most-winning artist in Grammys history, will win her first album of the year for “Cowboy Carter.” The night’s most prestigious award is always a nail-biter, but this year’s competition promises extra drama with Swift, who holds the AOTY record with four; breakthrough artists Carpenter, Roan and Charli xcx; and industry-evolving musicians Eilish, André 3000 and Jacob Collier in the mix.
And that’s just one category out of 94.
With so much packed into a single awards show, follow along with USA TODAY’s Entertainment team as we bring you the best of the 67th annual Grammys.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Sabrina Carpenter wins first Grammy of the night with ‘Espresso’
A sign of things to come? Sabrina Carpenter won the first Grammy award of 2025 for best pop solo performance for her smash summer anthem “Espresso,” but the “Short N’ Sweet” performer wasn’t there to grab her trophy. She also won best remixed recording alongside Mark Ronson and FNZ for “Espresso (Mark Ronson x FNZ Working Late Remix).” We’ll see her later at the televised ceremony, and maybe with a few more wins? She is also nominated for the big four categories: song of the year, record of the year, album of the year and best new artist.
DEI may be out with Trump, but it’s very much in at the Grammys
“This is going to get political but I promise you I will bring you nothing but joy,” said Grammy nominee Justin Tranter, a songwriter who has written for the likes of Brittney Spears and Ariana Grande and is nominated for the third time this year for song of the year for his work on Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” The musician helped kick off the ceremony with opening remarks that directly referred to President Trump’s policies and executive orders that have affected people of color and members of the LGTBTQ community. His mention of Recording Academy’s “diversity equity and inclusion team” (which has provided ASL interpreters for the ceremony) got a huge round of applause from the audience. His passionate speech came after Tammy Hurt, Chair of the Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees, similarly celebrated Grammy diversity, calling out her own queer identity to great applause.
Early Grammy Awards kick off with touching tribute to LA amid wildfire crisis
A bevy of talented Grammy nominees including Wayne Brady (here for his nominated musical theater album, “The Wiz”), sang a heartfelt arrangement of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” while images of the devastated city of Los Angeles flashed on the screen behind them. The powerful performance also included Angélique Kidjo (nominated for global music performance), Scott Hoying (nominated for arrangement, instrumental or classic), Deborah Cox (nominated for musical theater album), Taj Mahal (nominated for American roots performance and blues album) and Yolanda Adams (nominated for gospel performance/song). Getting the also-talented audience involved, there was plenty to dance about even before a single award had been given out.
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