“If Taylor Swift wins she could be the first artist ever to win Album of the Year FIVE times. Yeah. Which means that she would break the record of FOUR wins, set all the way back in 2024 by… uh Taylor Swift,” host Trevor Noah quipped in the beginning monologue of the 2025 Grammy’s, last weekend. “I’m just gonna say, Taylor, if you break Taylor’s record you know the Swifties are gonna come for you. You don’t want to mess with them! They’re like an army of Kendrick Lamars.”
Noah put his finger on the pulse of our sometimes volatile online culture and the word of the day, following the Grammys, was “snubbed.” Apparently now, if you don’t win—never mind that you were already nominated in one of the most prestigious awards ceremonies in the world—something was “stolen” from you.
The Grammys and its aftermath this year, however, was one example after another of how the best artists in the country are supportive of each other and celebrate the many differences within the music community.
As fierce as the competition was, many artists celebrated each other's Grammy wins
Doecii, an artist who was nominated for Best New Artist, won the Best Rap Album category this year, and she gave an emotional acceptance speech to a partial standing ovation about the win it was for “Black girls everywhere,” highlighting her achievement as only one of three female artists to win the category, along with Lauryn Hill and Nicky Minaj.
Alecia Keys, who won the Global Impact Award, started her acceptance speech, “Tonight is a beautiful, powerful thing that we are cultivating.” She continued, “I’ve been blessed to create with some of the most superpower, groundbreaking, risk-takers... This is not a time to shut down the diversity of voices… and the more voices, the more powerful the sound.”
It was a unifying message, that talked about the power of compassion and acceptance and being who you are, of “opening doors” for other people in the industry and cultivating what she calls “soul care.”
The competitive nature of this year’s Grammys is not all bad, to be sure. It is a testament to the power of the “super fan” base and people’s love and passion for their artists of choice. But it is notable that following the awards ceremony, Billy Eillish’s musical partner and brother, Finneas, felt compelled to go online to post that he didn’t want to see their fans ripping down other artists, just because Eilish didn’t win.
That is a testament to the power of artists like Finneas to unite in the face of fierce competition.
There was a wide display of artistic excellence, and there were many surprising wins, especially in Beyonce’s taking home both the Best Country Album (as the first Black woman in the history of the awards) and Album of the Year. Thankfully, something that could become chaotic and divisive was celebrated by each of the artists present: an illustration of the good nature of the many nominees.
As online culture becomes more and more a place where you can vent your frustrations and give in to your prejudices, a live, in-person gathering, like this year’s Grammys, is even more of a gift as well as a necessity. It shows that we can be competitive and supportive at the same time and that the character of not just the artists but their fan bases is crucial to the health and success of the music industry and the world. Another good Grammys ceremony under our collective belt.