Hannah Macron ‘26
The most glamorous event in music, the 2025 Grammy Awards, was graced with high-profile celebrities strutting the red carpet, exceptional musical performances from nominees, and a jaw-dropping ending. With audiences betting on nearly all the nominations, the results of the Album of the Year category left fans in a frenzy of emotions, with confusion, frustration, and disappointment at the forefront.
Nominees for the prestigious award included: Charli XCX’s BRAT, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess, Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, André 3000’s New Blue Sun, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 4, and Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft.
Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, also the Country Album of the Year, snagged the Album of the Year, much to the public’s disappointment. Amassing over 1.7 billion streams on Spotify, Knowles-Carter still received waves of backlash for her awards. Hundreds of thousands rushed online to share their disappointment with the selection, many considering the awards ‘rigged’ in some sense.
Considering the theories circulating about her media presence, as well as her husband, Jay-Z, particularly the major scandal with producer Sean Combs, it is no surprise that her awards were called into question.
Billie Eilish appears to be the clear choice to win, with her third studio album made in collaboration with her brother and producer, Finneas, Hit Me Hard and Soft, making an even larger impact on audiences. Her album of over 2 billion streams on Spotify with notable songs like “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” and “WILDFLOWER” caught the attention of media platforms at a worldwide scale. Outrage was tangible at the ‘robbery’ of her awards, considering the dedicated work Eilish shared on social media and her worldwide tour.
As the public continues to question the fairness of the Grammy Awards' decision-making process, the controversy surrounding Eilish's snub highlights the ongoing debate over whether the committee truly honors artistic merit. While some argue she deserved the win, others are left wondering if the system is broken, casting a shadow over the future of music’s most prestigious night.