Stars studded the red carpet in Los Angeles in anticipation of the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, as nominees hoped to take home a coveted Gramophone award by the end of the evening. 

Tensions were high as the ceremony pulsed with possibilities for the nominees on music’s biggest night. 

Beyoncé extended her all-time record of 33 Grammy awards, while breakout artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Shaboozey, Clairo, Doechii and Chappell Roan entered the ceremony with their first-ever recognitions from the Recording Academy. 

The award ceremony opened with a recognition of the devastation caused by the Los Angeles wildfires, launching the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to Support Music Professionals, raising over $7 million for those in the music industry affected by the wildfires. 

The ceremony also featured a touching tribute dedicated to the spirit of Los Angeles with a rendition of Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” performed by Dawes, featuring Brad Paisley, St. Vincent, Brittany Howard, John Legend, and Sheryl Crow.

Throughout the night, the Grammys launched a live fundraiser to MusiCares Fire Relief, encouraging audiences to provide support to first responders and local house centers. Advertisements also aired in support of local businesses in Los Angeles that were impacted by the wildfires.

Seven-time nominee Billie Eilish performed her triple-nominated “BIRDS OF A FEATHER.”

Six-time nominee Sabrina Carpenter performed a showgirl sensation as she sang a medley of her nominated songs, “Please, Please, Please” and “Espresso.” 

Doechii received her first ever Grammy for Best Rap Album for her mixtape “ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL,” becoming the third woman of all time to do so.

“I know there is some black woman out there watching me and I want to tell you, ‘You can do it. Anything is possible,’” Doechii said. “Don’t let anyone project any stereotypes on you [or] tell anyone that you can’t be here … You are exactly who you need to be.”

Following her first-ever win, Doechii performed songs from her freshly-awarded mixtape, including “DENIAL IS A RIVER” and “CATFISH.” Shaboozey performed his nominated track “Bar Song (Tipsy).” 

One of the most nail-biting moments of the evening was the announcement of the Best Pop Vocal Album, where the breakout artists of the pop industry clashed. Among Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet,” Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” Ariana Grande’s “Eternal Sunshine,” and Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department,” “Short n’ Sweet” came out on top, earning Carpenter her first  Grammy award.

Olivia Rodrigo introduced six-time nominee and Midwest princess Chappell Roan for her debut performance at the ceremony. She delivered a rhinestone-studded midwestern-themed performance, performing her breakout hit “Pink Pony Club” as she danced with the rodeo clowns of her hometown.

This was the perfect segue into announcing the Best Country Album, which went to Beyonce’s genre-bending “Cowboy Carter.” “Genre is a word that is used to keep us in our places, and I just want to encourage people to continue to do what they are passionate about,” the songstress said. 

Chappell Roan won in the Best New Artist category, taking home her first-ever gramophone, but not before demanding music labels to provide livable wages and healthcare to new artists in her acceptance speech.

“If my label had prioritized it, I could have been provided care for a company I was giving everything to,” the “Good Luck Babe!” singer said. “Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection.”

Later in the night, Stevie Wonder, Janelle Monae and Harry Hancock performed a tribute to renowned producer and composer Quincy Jones. The tribute was accompanied by a choir of students whose high schools were lost to the Los Angeles wildfires.

At this year’s awards, Beyoncé became the most nominated artist with 11 nominations (99 total) for her album “Cowboy Carter,” breaking a tie with her husband, Jay-Z. Beyoncé attended the event with 18-time nominee Post Malone, nominated for his features on Beyonce’s “Levii’s Jeans” and on Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight.” Unfortunately, a feature was not enough for Posty to earn a gramophone this year.

The Record of the Year award became a battle of the genres, from Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” Charli XCX’s “360” from her electronic sensation “Brat,” to Sabrina Carpenter’s song of the summer “Espresso.” “Not Like Us” received the award, becoming the 19th Grammy in Lamar’s collection. His 20th Grammy followed shortly after as Lamar earned the award for Song of the Year.

Sixteen-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys was awarded the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award and shone a light on female producers in her acceptance speech, calling for more diverse voices to receive platforms to succeed in lieu of President Trump’s executive order to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts at the federal level.

“We’ve seen on this stage talented, hardworking people from different backgrounds from different points of view, and it changes the game,” Keys said. “DEI is not a threat; it’s a gift.”

The coveted Album of the Year award, with nine nominees, went to Beyoncé for her album “Cowboy Carter.” Upon doing so, Beyoncé became the first Black woman to win the award since Lauryn Hill in 1999, marking another historic moment in music’s biggest night.

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