The GRAMMYs took place February 2nd, 2025 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The four big categories included: Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. More general categories included: Best Rap Album, Best Country Album, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Dance/ Electronic Album, Producer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop/Duo group performance, etc. After the results were announced, the public was not satisfied.
In particular, the public was shocked when the Album of the Year winner was announced. After 99 GRAMMY nominations, Beyoncé finally took home the GRAMMY in recognition for her album titled
“Cowboy Carter”. Interestingly, she took home the award just one year after her husband, Jay-Z made remarks at the 2024 GRAMMYs about his wife Beyoncé not receiving Album of the Year ever. During his speech, Jay-Z criticized the awards show for what he described as its snubs and inconsistencies in giving out honors to Black artists, pointing out that his wife has the most Grammys but has never won for Album of the Year.
Users online made statements such as: “She put out a supposed country album. It gets zero air time, at least on the country stations I listen to. This is a PR move to make Beyoncé seem wholesome and All-American. That way when her connection with Diddy and his parties is whispered about, no one will believe it.”. Previously, Beyoncé had been accused of being in connection with singer Sean Combs, more commonly known as P. Diddy, and his criminal accusations involving forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery. Fans suggest she paid for her GRAMMY as a way to “steer away” from her controversies she’s being accused of.
Additionally, fans pointed out how Beyoncé had 51 writers for her album in comparison to other artists like Billie Eilish having her album written by her and her brother, Finneas. Users suggested that she shouldn’t have won an award for an album she hardly contributed to. Although she credited the writers, the public was still not content. Fans hoped for other artists like Billie Eilish to receive the recognition instead, considering how she wrote and produced the entire album with her brother.
In conclusion, the public was disappointed with the 2025 GRAMMY results and called it a scam. Many have said voting is not equal and is based on the preference of those who host the GRAMMYs. Beyoncé has not yet spoken about the criticism she has received but it is likely that she will soon.
