That’s a wrap on the 2025 GRAMMYs! Music’s Biggest Night was filled with unforgettable performances and history-making moments — from Beyoncé finally winning Album Of The Year and becoming the first Black woman to win Best Country Album for COWBOY CARTER to Kendrick Lamar sweeping Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year with “Not Like Us,” marking the MC’s first-ever wins in the General Field.
Over the course of the evening, the Beatles also won their first GRAMMY in 28 years thanks to “Now and Then,” the revolutionary single that used machine-learning-assisted audio restoration technology to complete John Lennon‘s unfinished demo. Plus, Daniel Nigro earned his first GRAMMY for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical three years after Olivia Rodrigo‘s SOUR won him a trophy for Best Pop Vocal Album, and Tems accepted her first solo GRAMMY for Best African Music Performance for “Love Me JeJe.”
Plenty of other artists became first-time GRAMMY winners by the night’s end, with rising talents like Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii and Chappell Roan cementing their superstar status and established acts like Charli XCX and Sheila E. finally earning their long-deserved GRAMMY gold.
Below, take a look at some of the biggest names that took home their very first golden gramophones at this year’s ceremony.
Sabrina Carpenter Couldn’t Help Cursing About Her GRAMMYs
Sabrina Carpenter was technically already a GRAMMY winner going into Sunday night’s telecast — “Espresso” took home the golden gramophone for Best Pop Solo Performance ahead of the show — but the diminutive star’s true Cinderella moment occurred when her 2024 breakout album, Short n’ Sweet, won the GRAMMY for Best Pop Vocal Album.
“I’m still out of breath from the performance!” Carpenter quipped, returning to the stage to pick up her GRAMMY just minutes after wowing the audience with a performance of hits “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” that was filled with slapstick humor and showgirl finesse.
Her emotional acceptance speech also included wide-eyed appreciation for the other artists in the Category, her collaborators and her family. Visibly overwhelmed by the honor, Carpenter accidentally let some swear words slip. “What the hell — I don’t know if I’m allowed to say hell, but I said it three times now,” she quipped, before concluding with, “Thank you holy s— bye!”
Chappell Roan Took A Stand As 2025’s Best New Artist Winner
No newcomer has had a breakout year quite like Chappell Roan, who garnered nominations for Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance on the heels of her smash 2023 debut, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and its hit follow-up, 2024’s “Good Luck, Babe!”
This year’s Best New Artist Category was particularly packed with talent, as evidenced by the thrilling performance showcasing RAYE, Benson Boone, Shaboozey and more. When last year’s BNA winner, Victoria Monét, announced Roan as the winner, the Midwest Princess used her time in the spotlight to keep a promise to herself.
Wearing her signature white makeup and a medieval-inspired gown and headpiece, the “Pink Pony Club” performer called on the entire major label system to do a better job supporting artists in her acceptance speech. “I told myself if I ever won a GRAMMY and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music,” she read from a notebook, “I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars of artists would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.”
As the arena full of stars erupted into applause, Roan recounted her own experience being signed by her first record label as a minor and later dropped, leaving her with “zero job experience under [her] belt” and unable to afford health insurance during the pandemic. “Labels, we got you,” she concluded with gravity, “but do you got us?”
Charli XCX Proved Winning A GRAMMY Is BRAT
Charli XCX came into the 2025 GRAMMYs as one of the most nominated artists of the year, having earned eight with her culture-defining smash sixth album, BRAT.
A full decade after her initial pair of nominations in 2014 for “Fancy” with Iggy Azalea, the “365” party girl-in-chief and mastermind behind Brat Summer won her first three GRAMMYs for Best Dance/Electronic Album, Best Recording Package and Best Dance Pop Recording (“Von dutch”).
Later in the evening, Charli took over the stage at Crypto.com Arena to offer up a joyfully uninhibited performance of both “Von dutch” and “Guess,” which she described in her intro package as the “sort of, like, least GRAMMY-appropriate songs” before unapologetically warning everyone watching, “Expect to be, like, a little bit upset, honestly.”
Doechii Celebrated Her Best Rap Album Win With A Surprise Single
“Remember old dude from 2019?” Doechii memorably rapped on 2024’s “DENIAL IS A RIVER.” Well, it’s safe to say the deadbeat guy who did her “dirtier than laundry” is now firmly in the GRAMMY winner’s rear-view mirror.
Also a nominee for Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance, the Swamp Princess was positively overwhelmed upon taking home her first GRAMMY for Best Rap Album. In doing so, she became only the third woman to win in the Category’s 36-year history after Miss Lauryn Hill and Cardi B, a feat she proudly commended in her tearful acceptance speech before urging labels to check out the talent in her hometown of Tampa, Florida.
Dedicating her win to the many Black girls and women watching, Doechii concluded, “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!”
To further prove her point, the rapper dropped a triumphant single titled “Nosebleeds” immediately after the ceremony to mark her big win. “Stepped out the swamp to the motherf—in’ stage/ Cut my mic off ’cause I’m ’bout to misbehave/ Will she ever lose? Man, I guess we’ll never know!” she spits on the hard-hitting track.
Sierra Ferrell Swept All Four Of Her Categories
Sierra Ferrell was a first-time nominee coming into Music’s Biggest Night, and the Charleston, West Virginia, native ended up winning all four GRAMMYs she was up for in the Country & American Roots Music Field.
The singer/songwriter’s fourth album, 2024’s Trail of Flowers, took home the trophy for Best Americana Album, while its folksy opener “American Dreaming” won for both Best Americana Performance and Best American Roots Song. Additionally, plucky, harmonic highlight “Lighthouse” rounded out her quartet of wins with a GRAMMY for Best American Roots Performance.
Following her acceptance speeches, Ferrell reflected on her journey to “overnight success” on the GRAMMYs red carpet: “It was definitely a slow build because as a child I never thought that I would be here. I remember watching [the GRAMMYs] when I was a little kid — I just didn’t think someone like me would fit. And now here I am and it’s been a beautiful experience.”
Rawayana Commemorated A 15-Year Journey With A Golden Gramophone
Rawayana may have asked “Who brings the bugles?” in the title of their fifth studio album, ¿Quién trae las cornetas?, but the bugles ultimately brought the GRAMMY gold. The Venezuelan rockers won Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album for their 2023 studio effort, describing the accomplishment as “a crazy ride.”
“We are an independent band from a place where we don’t have a serious and proper industry,” the recent Latin GRAMMY winners added. “So for us, it’s been a 15-year career to get into this. So I know that in our country, in Latin America, our fans are very happy because they’ve seen us build all this.”
Notably, Rawayana also won their first Latin GRAMMY with the same album, taking home Best Pop Song at the 2024 ceremony thanks to “Feriado.”
Carín León Added A GRAMMY To His Recent Latin GRAMMY Win
Also celebrating his first GRAMMY win after a victory at the 2024 Latin GRAMMYs, Carín León won Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano) for his 2024 LP, Boca Chueca, Vol. 1.
Taking to social media after his big win, the regional Mexican music star posted a gratitude-filled video in his native Spanish. Translated into English, the caption reads, “My people, I feel very happy about this that just happened. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you for being part of this dream…Arriba México, Arriba Sonora y Arriba la H.”
Sheila E. Finally Won 40 Years After Her Best New Artist Nomination
Sheila E. first burst onto the scene as a solo artist back in 1984 — the same year she provided backing vocals on Prince‘s “Erotic City” and opened for the icon on his Purple Rain Tour. Thanks to her debut album, Sheila E. in The Glamorous Life, and its breakout title track, the frequent Prince collaborator nabbed four GRAMMY nominations the following year — Best New Artist; Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female; Best Rhythm & Blues Song and Best R&B Instrumental Performance — but ultimately went home empty-handed by night’s end.
Fast-forward to four decades later and, remarkably, the Queen of Percussion (and 2021 Latin GRAMMYs Lifetime Achievement Award recipient) had never been nominated again. That is, until this year, when her ninth solo album, Bailar, nabbed noms for Best Tropical Latin Album and Best Global Music Performance (“Bemba Colorá”) — the latter helping her win her first GRAMMY 40 years in the making.
“Just know that it’s never too late to keep doing and dreaming,” the percussionist said in her acceptance speech during the GRAMMYs Premiere Ceremony, thanking her “Bemba Colorá” collaborators Gloria Estefan and Mimy Succar.
Mimy Succar’s Life Of “Sacrifice” Paid Off
Speaking of Mimy Succar, joining forces with two music industry legends wasn’t the only way for the singer to take home GRAMMY gold during the evening. One year after marking her very first nomination for Best Tropical Latin Album with her son Tony Succar, the 65-year-old Japanese immigrant from Peru won in the Category alongside him for their 2024 live album, Alma, Corazón y Salsa (Live at Gran Teatro Nacional).
“My mother was a retired singer, and she just started her career two years ago because she gave it all for us, her children,” the younger Succar said during their joint acceptance speech at the Premiere Ceremony. “She sacrificed all her life, so this is just an honor to be here for my mom.”
A Tie Gifted Viewers With Avery*Sunshine’s Ultra-Relatable Acceptance Speech
During the Premiere Ceremony, Jimmy Jam revealed a delightful surprise while presenting the award for Best Progressive R&B Album: there was a tie between independent artist Avery*Sunshine‘s fourth album So Glad to Know You and Why Lawd?, Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge‘s sophomore effort as superduo NxWorries.
With her high heels in hand, the independent artist born Nicole White bounded up to the stage barefoot to give a sweetly relatable acceptance speech. “Are you f—ing kidding me?” she declared in tears before hilariously adding, “These are the shoes I was gonna wear but I wanted to run,” and handing them off to her guitarist husband Dana Johnson.
“What a way to punctuate my 50th year of life,” the singer/songwriter continued. “I’m officially feeling many things at once… This is a win for all the independent soul music artists! We’ve been working in the dark for a minute, but the light is shining, somebody. I’m so glad to know you. Somebody better say amen in here!”
Rapsody Found “Affirmation” In Her First GRAMMY Win
In a crowded field that included stars like Beyoncé with Linda Martell and Shaboozey, Latto, Future and Metro Boomin with The Weekend, and Jordan Adetunji featuring Kehlani, Rapsody emerged victorious — taking home her very first GRAMMY for Best Melodic Rap Performance for the Erykah Badu-assisted single, “3:AM.”
Though the song’s producer JeMarcus Bridges accepted the award on her behalf during the Premiere Ceremony, the North Carolina MC later shared her thoughts on social media. “So much to feel. So many loved ones to thank. Not enough words to articulate it all,” she wrote on Instagram. “It’s been a long time coming. Not validation. Affirmation. A welcoming into a prestigious village.
“This is dedicated to the pure ones. The lovers. The righteous. The fearless. The creators. The black sheep,” Rapsody continued. “The under appreciated [sic] but most respected ones. Those from small towns. The underground. To the women who scare the men on the mic. To those who carry light. The hoteps. The ‘boring’ ones. For the village. For the ancestors. This one is for ME. You did it, homegirl!”
Fourth And Fifth Time’s The Charm For Tame Impala & FNZ
Two powerhouse dance acts celebrated their first wins after more than 15 years in the business each. After scoring three nods for Best Alternative Music Album since 2014, Tame Impala became a GRAMMY winner in the Best Dance/Electronic Recording Category for “Neverender,” his 2024 collab with Justice.
Meanwhile, joining forces with Mark Ronson proved to be the ticket to GRAMMY success after three consecutive years of nominations for Australian production duo FNZ, who won Best Remixed Recording for their remix of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”
Gojira, Marina Viotti & Victor Le Manse Went From The Olympics To GRAMMY Gold
French metal quartet Gojira, opera singer Marina Viotti and composer Victor Le Manse each won their first GRAMMYs thanks to their 2024 collab, “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!),” which was crowned Best Metal Performance during the Premiere Ceremony.
While the win marked a major milestone for all three acts, it wasn’t the first time “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” helped them check off a bucket-list achievement. The collaborators memorably performed the song at the Opening Ceremony of last summer’s Paris Olympics.
“It’s a real team effort, in the context of the Olympics and the ceremony, so a very, very special moment and we were already on a high because of that and now it ends with a GRAMMY so it wraps it up really nicely,” Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier summed up from the red carpet.
Tank And The Bangas Scored A “Win For Poetry”
Half a decade after scoring their first GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist, Tank and The Bangas brought home their first GRAMMY in the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album Category.
An ecstatic Tarriona “Tank” Ball dedicated the group’s award as a “win for poetry and poets everywhere, from the slam mics to the open mics to the GRAMMYs stage!”
Dan Pugach Big Band Celebrate A Group Victory
Dan Pugach Big Band made a splash in this year’s nominations by nabbing a pair of nods for Best Jazz Performance and Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Ultimately, the 18-piece band won the latter for their 2024 album Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence, with the Israeli conductor recounting his first trip to an L.A. record store as a child during his thoughtful acceptance speech.
