Welcome to Beyonc茅 country.
When it comes to the 2025 Grammy Award nominations, 鈥淐owboy Carter鈥� rules the nation. She leads the nods with 11, bringing her career total to 99 nominations. That makes her the most nominated artist in Grammy history.
鈥淐owboy Carter鈥� is up for album and country album of the year, and 鈥淭exas Hold 鈥橢m鈥� is nominated for record, song and country song of the year. She also received nominations in a wide swath of genres, including pop, country, Americana and melodic rap performance categories.
This is her first time receiving nominations in the country and Americana categories. Previously, she and her husband Jay-Z were tied for most career nominations, at 88.
If Beyonc茅 wins the album of the year, she鈥檒l become the first Black woman to do so in the 21st century. Lauryn Hill last won in 1999 for 鈥淭he Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,鈥� joining Natalie Cole and Whitney Houston as the only Black women to take home the Grammys鈥� top prize.
Post Malone also received his first ever nominations in the country categories this year, having released his debut country album 鈥淔-1 Trillion鈥� in August. That one is up for country album and 鈥淚 Had Some Help,鈥� his collaboration with Morgan Wallen, is nominated for country song and country duo/group performance. They are Wallen鈥檚 first ever Grammy nominations.
Malone is just behind Beyonc茅, with seven nominations, tied with Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Charli XCX, who earned her first nominations as a solo artist.
Lamar鈥檚 ubiquitous diss track released during his feud with Drake, 鈥淣ot Like Us,鈥� is nominated for record and song of the year, rap song, music video as well as best rap performance. He has two simultaneous entries in the latter category, a career first: Future & Metro Boomin featuring Lamar, 鈥淟ike That鈥� is up for best rap performance and best rap song.
This is his third time receiving two simultaneous nominations for best rap song.
Taylor Swift and first-time nominees Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan boast of six nominations each.
Last year, women artists dominated the major categories. This year, that continues somewhat, but the main trend seems to be a variance of genre. In the album of the year category, alongside 鈥淐owboy Carter鈥� is Andr茅 3000鈥檚 new age, alt-jazz 鈥淣ew Blue Sun鈥� and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier鈥檚 鈥淒jesse Vol. 4.鈥� Rising pop stars Carpenter and Roan round it out, with 鈥淪hort n鈥� Sweet鈥� and 鈥淭he Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess鈥� respectively, as well as Swift鈥檚 鈥淭he Tortured Poets Department,鈥� Eilish鈥檚 鈥淗it Me Hard and Soft,鈥� and Charli XCX鈥檚 rave-ready 鈥淏RAT.鈥�
Eilish is the only artist to have her first three albums become nominated for album of the year.
Last year, Swift won album of the year for 鈥淢idnights,鈥� breaking the record for most wins in the category with four. This year, she becomes the first ever woman to seven career nominations in the category.
鈥淭he breadth and the variety of genres represented in the general field feels new and really exciting,鈥� says the Recording Academy CEO and President Harvey Mason jr. He credits an active and evolving voting body for its success. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been very intentional in how we looked at and tried to rebalance our membership. So not just gender or people of color, different racial makeup, but also genre equity and trying to make sure that all different types of music in different regions and different locations are being represented in every way possible.鈥�
Only recordings commercially released in the U.S. between Sept. 16, 2023 through Aug. 30, 2024 were eligible for nominations. The final round of Grammy voting, which determines its winners, will take place Dec. 12 through January 3.
In the best new artist category, Carpenter and Roan will go head-to-head, alongside Benson Boone, Doechii, Khruangbin, RAYE, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims.
In the song of the year category, Beyonc茅 is joined by Eilish with 鈥淏irds of a Feather,鈥� Swift and Post Malone with 鈥淔ortnight,鈥� Roan鈥檚 鈥淕ood Luck, Babe!鈥�, Carpenter鈥檚 鈥淧lease Please Please,鈥� Lamar鈥檚 鈥淣ot Like Us,鈥� Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars鈥� 鈥淒ie With A Smile,鈥� and Shaboozey鈥檚 鈥淎 Bar Song (Tipsy).鈥�
Shaboozey is also a first-time nominee. His 鈥淎 Bar Song (Tipsy)鈥� is the biggest song of the year, having spent more weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 than any other 鈥� it is so popular, a remix of the track is also up for remixed recording.
Elsewhere, Shaboozey is nominated in the melodic rap performance category for his feature on Beyonc茅鈥檚 鈥淪PAGHETTII.鈥� Linda Martell, the first commercially-successful Black woman musician in country, is also featured on the song, delivering the 83-year-old artist her first Grammy nomination.
For record of the year, 鈥淭exas Hold 鈥橢m鈥� will compete against Swift and Post Malone鈥檚 鈥淔ortnight,鈥� Eilish鈥檚 鈥淏irds of a Father,鈥� Lamar鈥檚 鈥淣ot Like Us,鈥� Roan鈥檚 鈥淕ood Luck, Babe!鈥�, Carpenter鈥檚 鈥淓spresso,鈥� Charli XCX鈥檚 鈥�360,鈥� and the Beatles last new song, the AI-assisted 鈥淣ow and Then.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to make sure we鈥檙e keeping up with how music creators and our community are using technology. And in this case, AI enhanced the record and allowed it to be eligible in the categories that it was eligible in,鈥� Mason jr explains.
So, what鈥檚 missing? Like last year, there鈥檚 a huge dearth of Latin music 鈥� the fastest growing streaming genre in the United States 鈥� across the board, and no representation in the major categories. There are also only four entries in the best M煤sica Mexicana album category, despite it also being one of the fastest growing genres.
And K-pop, too, seems to be absent. There are no nominations for the BTS members who鈥檝e released solo material this year: RM鈥檚 鈥淩ight Place, Wrong Person,鈥� J-Hope鈥檚 鈥淗ope on the Street, Vol. 1,鈥� and Jimin鈥檚 鈥淢use.鈥� As a boy band, BTS has received five nominations across their career.
鈥淚 definitely see room for improvement across many genres and we are continuing to invite people to be a part of the academy,鈥� Mason jr. says. 鈥淲ithout the right representation we don鈥檛 get the right results. When I say right, I mean reflective and representative of what鈥檚 happening in music today. So, the work continues.鈥�
The 2025 Grammy Awards will air Feb. 2 live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
