Beyoncé, dubbed “Cowboy Carter,” reigns supreme in the 2025 Grammy nominations with a leading 11 nods, bringing her career total to a record-breaking 99. This achievement cements her as the most nominated artist in Grammy history. Among her nominations, Beyoncé is up for Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year, while her track “Texas Hold ’Em” has received nods for Record, Song, and Country Song of the Year. Her entries span multiple genres this year, including pop, country, Americana, and melodic rap, marking her debut in the country and Americana categories.
Notably, Beyoncé’s recent total surpasses her previous record tie with husband Jay-Z at 88 nominations. A win for Album of the Year would make her the first Black woman to claim the award this century, with Lauryn Hill last taking the honor in 1999 for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
Following Beyoncé, Post Malone is a top contender with seven nominations, his first-ever in country music. His debut country album, F-1 Trillion, is nominated for Best Country Album, while his collaboration with Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help,” is up for Country Song and Country Duo/Group Performance, marking Wallen’s Grammy debut. Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, and Charli XCX also received seven nominations each, with Charli securing her first solo nods.
Lamar’s hit “Not Like Us,” a diss track rumored to be directed at Drake, received nominations for Record, Song, and Rap Song of the Year, Best Music Video, and Best Rap Performance. Additionally, he secured two nominations in the Best Rap Performance category, including one for Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” marking his third time earning dual nominations in Best Rap Song.
Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan followed with six nominations each. Swift’s album Midnights won Album of the Year last year, marking her fourth win and breaking the record in that category. This year, her album The Tortured Poets Department joins the nominees for Album of the Year, making her the first woman with seven career nominations in this category.
The 2025 Album of the Year lineup showcases genre diversity, with Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, André 3000’s New Blue Sun (a new age, alt-jazz work), Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 4, and rising stars Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan with Short n’ Sweet and The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, respectively. Swift, Eilish, and Charli XCX’s albums also compete for the honor.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. celebrated the range in genres this year, crediting an evolving voting body that aims to balance representation across gender, race, and genre. “Our goal is to represent all types of music from all regions,” he stated. Eligible recordings for this year’s Grammys were released in the U.S. between September 16, 2023, and August 30, 2024, with the final voting round set for December 12 through January 3.
This year’s Best New Artist category pits Carpenter and Roan against newcomers like Benson Boone, Doechii, Khruangbin, RAYE, Shaboozey, and Teddy Swims. Shaboozey, a first-time nominee, has the year’s most successful song with “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” a track that dominated the Billboard Hot 100, and also received a nomination for Remixed Recording.
In Record of the Year, Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ’Em” faces stiff competition from Swift and Post Malone’s “Fortnight,” Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” and others, including The Beatles’ AI-assisted track, “Now and Then.” Mason Jr. explained the eligibility of AI-assisted records, emphasizing the Academy’s efforts to keep up with technological shifts.
Country icon Dolly Parton earned her 55th Grammy nomination in the Audiobook, Narration, and Storytelling category for Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones. Upon hearing the news, she expressed surprise and gratitude, noting that while her rock album wasn’t nominated, any recognition of her work is an honor. In this category, she joins nominees like producer Guy Oldfield, George Clinton, Barbra Streisand, and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who at 100 could become the oldest Grammy winner.
However, some genres remain underrepresented, such as Latin music and K-pop, despite their soaring popularity. There are just four entries in Best Música Mexicana Album, and no nominations for BTS members’ solo projects. Mason Jr. acknowledged these gaps, reaffirming the Academy’s commitment to enhancing representation across the music industry. “To truly reflect today’s music landscape, we need broader representation,” he noted, underscoring the Academy’s ongoing outreach and inclusivity efforts.
SOURCE: AP
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