Editor’s Note: This article includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.

The 67th Annual Grammy Awards took place last Sunday and — like most everything else these days — remain shrouded in controversy. The internet had a lot to say about the award show, which, for the past few years, has been more or less been a snooze fest.

Before we get into the winners and losers of the night, I have to address the (naked) elephant in the room. Bianca Censori, Australian architect, model and (more prominently) Kanye West’s newest wife, walked the red carpet in an outfit — if you could even call it that — so bizarre that the press and just about everyone else are still left reeling. 

Censori arrived arm in arm with Ye draped in an extravagant black fur coat, successfully evading any suspicion. After a strangely drawn-out conversation, Censori faced her back to the cameras, slid off the covering and revealed her skin-tight, skin-colored, mesh dress. Mesh, in this case, is not an exaggeration — Censori might as well have not worn anything. Every inch of Censori’s body was on display, and Ye took up a strange, excessively masculine power pose next to her, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place.

The world was (predictably) stunned. Online discourse took a more serious turn when social media users began to suspect that she was forced to pull the stunt. Since Censori and West have begun their public relationship, there have been many cases of Censori wearing revealing clothing, which she always seemed to wear with a twinge of embarrassment and regret on her face.

Aside from red carpet controversies, the ceremony itself was a real treat. There were 94 categories, with about 10 of them televised. Over 20 musicians took the stage, but ultimately, the women of Hollywood were the story of the night. From Cynthia Erivo’s always-classic vocals to Charli XCX’s experimental performance of her summer hits, the show was overtaken with powerful female energy.

One of the most special performances of the night came from Doechii, who also became the third woman ever to win Best Rap Album after Lauryn Hill and Cardi B. Doechii captured the public’s attention during 2024 with her willingness to innovate — her music often takes on a comedic, conversational tone that is both fun and new. If there was any doubt she deserved the award for “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” her performance quickly silenced the critics. Her phenomenal set encapsulated the extravagance of a Broadway number with bright lights, meticulous choreography and a quick change, as two of her dancers ripped off her grey suit to reveal a tastefully raunchy matching white set. 

Chappell Roan has also had an incredible year. The artist’s meteoric rise has come with its highs and lows, but two things are for certain: Roan’s music is incredible, and she’s a natural born performer. She also left the Grammys a winner, receiving the title of Best New Artist. Genuinely, it would have been an absolute failure to choose anyone else. From the global sensation of “HOT TO GO” to her sets at countrywide music festivals, Roan’s career is vastly different from just a year ago, when “Casual” was beginning to blow up on queer TikTok.

Roan also performed at the Grammys, singing “Pink Pony Club,” a heartfelt song about moving to Los Angeles as a queer Midwestern girl and living the campy, extravagant life she’s always yearned for. The significance of this song did not go unnoticed. With diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and trans rights being rolled back, Roan’s message was needed and heard loud and clear. I hope we find the strength to “keep on dancing” through these next four years, as well as for the rest of our lives.

Sabrina Carpenter left with Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance that were, in my opinion, well deserved. As a lifelong Ariana Grande stan, I was initially disappointed that “eternal sunshine” did not receive a nod for the Pop Vocal Album category, but realistically, Carpenter left her mark on 2024 with viral songs like “Espresso.” As a longtime fan — I’ve been a listener since 2015 — I’m excited to see Carpenter come into her role as Hollywood’s main pop girl.

For me, the biggest story of the night was Beyoncé’s “COWBOY CARTER” winning both Best Country Album and Album of the Year. For those unfamiliar with Beyoncé’s career, it might be shocking to hear that in her more than 25 years in the industry, she had never before won the award for Album of the Year. Of course, she’s had the best album of the year basically every year she’s released an album — even Adele, who won the award over her in 2017, agreed — but at least now she can say it officially. 

“COWBOY CARTER” was the second act of her current era, and it was a complete departure from what the world had heard from Beyoncé previously. She took it back to her Southern roots, taking inspiration from the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit to create a modern country album that transcended genre itself. In the beginning of “SPAGHETTI,” Linda Martenelli says that while, “… in theory, [genres] have a simple definition… in practice, some may feel confined.” Beyonce was able to break out and create a beautiful album that speaks to not only Black Southerners, but Black audiences as a whole.

Since the award show, online critics have denied that Beyoncé’s album was country, completely ignoring the project’s clear Texan inspirations. Anticipating this backlash, Beyoncé said on “AMERICAN REQUIEM,” the album’s opening song:” “Used to say I spoke too country / And the rejection came, said I wasn’t country ‘nough… If that ain’t country, tell me what is?”

These criticisms are clearly fueled by her existence as a Black woman in country — a sad reminder that the music industry and society as a whole has a long way to go in terms of respecting Black contributions to culture, country music included.

Another corner of the internet was furious that Beyoncé won Album of the Year over Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and the other nominated artists. To them, I simply have to say, “Too bad.” “COWBOY CARTER” was the best album in the category. I say this as a Chappell Roan lover, a regular Eilish and Carpenter listener and an avid “BRAT” fan. No album in the past few years — except “RENAISSANCE” — did as much as “COWBOY CARTER” to break free from norms and advance Black sound. I mean, the woman sang classic Italian opera. On the same album that she covered Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” There’s not really much else to say.

A member of the academy revealed on TikTok that the unofficial theme for many of this year’s voters was “innovation.” Taking that into account, it should be no surprise that Kendrick Lamar, Doechii, Roan and Beyoncé were some of the night’s biggest winners. 

2024 was a special year for music — one in which a diss track was the song of the summer (and year, for that matter), a Black woman brought country to an audience it had never seen and women took over the rap game. Hopefully 2025 is equally special.