The 68th annual Grammys were hosted on Feb. 1 and honored the best of music from Aug. 31, 2024 to Aug. 30, 2025. These awards are unique as they are the only peer-voted music award and are decided by industry professionals rather than commercial success. For the most part, we were satisfied with the winners, as they reflected both talent, innovation and meaningful contributions to music

Starting off with a record breaker, Kendrick Lamar took home five Grammys, bringing his career total to 27 and becoming the rapper with the most awards in Grammy history. His most important wins this year include Record of the Year (“Luther”) , Best Rap Album (“GNX”), Best Melodic Rap Performance and Best Rap Song  (“TV Off”). Even though we don’t listen to rap or hip-hop often, we find ourselves always coming back to his music due to his ability to tell stories through lyrics. His ability to blend powerful messages into creative beats has rightfully cemented him into music history.

Following Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny won three Grammy awards and also made Grammy history. He won Best Global Music Performance (“EoO”), Best Musica Urbana Album (“DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS”) and Album of the Year (“DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS”). His Album of the Year award marked the first time a Spanish-speaking album has won in this category. In his first televised win, Best Musica Urbana Album, he made a speech that garnered significant media attention. His speech highlighted the importance of diversity in America, while also addressing issues related to immigration. Bad Bunny’s Grammy win not only marked a milestone for Latin music, but also reinforced his role as a prominent voice for social and political change.

The most anticipated category of the ceremony is Song of the Year. The contenders included Billie Eilish for “Wildflower,” Lady Gaga for “Abracadabra,” Doechii for “Anxiety,”  ROSE and Bruno Mars for “APT.,” Bad Bunny for “DtMF,”  HUNTR/X for “Golden,” Kendrik Lamar and SZA for “Luther,” and Sabrina Carpenter for “Manchild.” The song “Wildflower” won, which is a mix of folk-pop and dream-pop with meaningful lyrics and soothing melodies. The song is about feeling anxious, guilty and breaking girl code after dating a friend’s ex. During her speech, Billie said that “no one is illegal on stolen land,” targeting the current ICE raids and calling out her position on the issue. Although we think Sabrina Carpenter was a close competitor with the song “Manchild,” we believe that Billie Eilish deserved the Grammy. 

Best New Artist was a category filled with strong contenders including Katseye, The Marias, Sombr, Addison Rae, Lola Young and the winner, Olivia Dean. We feel as if Olivia Dean is incredibly deserving of this award due to her increasing popularity and extremely catchy songs. During her speech, she combined her personal gratitude for the award with a tribute to her immigrant heritage, also acknowledging current immigration issues. Earlier in the night, she performed her hit song “Man I Need,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard hot 100 in 2025. Her performance was breathtaking and we believed that this award belonged to Olivia Dean even before this year’s Grammy’s.

The only major snub we saw was in the category Pop Solo Performance. Lola Young’s song “Messy” won, however we believe Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” deserved the award. While “Messy” had important messages about self-acceptance, we found “Manchild” to be more captivating to listen to. The raw emotion and storytelling in the song resonated more deeply with us and it felt more polished and engaging. Her song reminds us that our teenage and young adult years are meant to be filled with laughter and fun. 

The next category was Traditional pop vocal album which honors albums with 51% or more vocal tracks, focusing on Great American Songbook standards, classic jazz and timeless, traditional vocal styling. The winner was Laufey for A Matter Of Time, with Lady Gaga (Harlequin) as our close second. We think that Laufey deserved to win as she successfully blended jazz, pop and classical influences in her album “A Matter of Time,” resonating with both Gen Z audiences and established traditional pop standards, triumphing over the other contenders like Lady Gaga.

The most deserved awards in our opinions went out to the movie Sinners, which received the awards for Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media and Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (film and television). The movie follows two twin brothers in 1930s Mississippi as they are trying to escape their past, but get stuck battling vampires threatening to destroy their community. Behind the supernatural aspect lies a message that explores the resilience of Black life and culture and uses vampires to demonstrate racism. The soundtrack further conveys these messages, in a way dialogue simply could not. The music is inspired by Blues, folk and gospel and serves as a narrative force. Ultimately the recognition this film received for its outstanding soundtrack is deserved, as it turned “Sinners” into an immersive experience.

One of the categories we were most excited for was Song Written for Visual Media. The winner was “Golden,” composed for the movie “K-Pop Demon Hunters.” As their first Grammy, “K-Pop Demon Hunters” saw a historical win for the K-Pop genre. This movie was a widespread phenomenon around the world with its global pop appeal, breaking through cultural and genre barriers. We admit that although this is a “children’s song” for a “children’s movie,” it is extremely catchy with meaningful lyrics about heavy feelings. As much as we enjoyed the songs from “Sinners,” which were the other contenders in this category, we hold our opinion on “Golden” winning the title of Best Song Written for Visual Media this year.

In addition to winning his first ever Grammy in the category Best Music Film, for producing the documentary “Music by John Williams,” Stephen Spielberg achieved EGOT status. To achieve EGOT status, one must win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony. Stephen Spielberg is one of the most well known directors and we believe it was time for him to reach the status that only 27 total people have. His vast filmography includes some of our favorites such as “The Goonies,” “The Pacific,” “Back to the Future,” “Schindler’s List,” and “Band of Brothers.” His EGOT achievement cements his legacy as one of the most influential figures in the entertainment industry, demonstrating his ability to showcase movies and music that can impact generations.

The Grammy’s allow people to come together and watch an annual celebration of phenomenal music. This opportunity of looking back on a new year of music that includes diverse genres and different artists is something we could never miss. For the first time, we feel happy with the Grammys awarded and there were no major snubs. Through stage performances to emotional acceptance speeches, we think the Grammys are worth a watch every year.