Online Reporter
LOS ANGELES. The Grammys 2025 is now done and dusted.
What were its best moments?
1) STANDING UP FOR ONE ANOTHER
Without explicitly calling out Donald Trump, several of this year’s Grammys presenters and winners alike made sure to use their voices to defend marginalised communities that have already been affected by the US President’s latest policies. Lady Gaga fiercely defended trans people and the greater queer community during her and Bruno Mars’ win for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, while the legendary Diana Ross acknowledged that many children may be “frightened” during these dark times and expressed her hope to “keep the light of hope and love alive” moving forward. Alicia Keys didn’t hold back when she declared: “DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift — and the more voices, the more powerful the sound.”
2) THE CALIFORNICATION OF THE GRAMMYS
From its opening “I Love L.A.” number performed by Dawes to presenters like Red Hot Chili Peppers to commercials celebrating small businesses, this year’s Grammys served as a love letter to the City of Angels and its magical music history. However, nothing was more affecting than Billie Eilish’s nostalgia-drenched performance of her smash single “Birds of a Feather,” which saw the LA native (dressed in a Dodgers cap) sing in front of a dreamy set that evoked the San Gabriel Mountains as snapshots from her and brother Finneas O’Connell’s childhood were superimposed onto the screen behind them. A simple, yet perfect tribute.
3) CHAPPELL ROAN’S PINK PONY RODEO
Is there anything Chappell Roan can’t do? Your artist’s favourite artist took home the award for Best New Artist, challenged record labels to provide healthcare and living wages for artists, cycled through three different outfit transformations (thus far), and blew the roof off with her rollicking round-up rendition of “Pink Pony Club.” Accompanied by rodeo clowns, Chappell brought the energy up on a slightly subdued evening with her vivacious love letter to both California and Tennessee — complete with a massive Pink Pony standee, onscreen explosions, and a built-in moment for stars like Janelle Monáe and Alicia Keys to belt out its cathartic pre-chorus, too.
4) DOECHII DOES IT RIGHT!
First, she won the Rap Album of the Year award, noting that she’s only the third woman to win in the category, after Lauryn Hill and Cardi B (who presented the category).
The Tampa rapper used her time to deliver a powerful message. “I know there is some Black girl out there, so many Black women out there that are watching me right now,” she concluded her speech. “I want to tell you: You can do it. Anything is possible.
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. Praise God.” —ew.com
Mathew Masinge