Grammys 2025: The winner is… the speeches!

In the first ceremony since Trump’s re-election, the music world showed solidarity with marginalized groups and demanded concrete changes.

February 03, 2025
Grammys 2025: The winner is… the speeches! Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

While the tone of the 2025 Grammys was understandably subdued, with a focus on those affected by the wildfires, the ceremony also provided a platform for resistance and a timely message of defiance. Chappell Roan, nervously reading from a notebook after collecting the prize for Best New Artist, brought the room at the Crypto.com arena together when she called for record labels to provide healthcare for artists. It’s a relatively small ask but something Roan said left her feeling “dehumanized” after she was dropped by her record label during the pandemic and struggled to find employment. It was a speech that neatly displayed both her rapid rise and the legwork that went into making it happen, all while showing up for the next generation at the same time. Clearly striking a chord with those in the room, her speech ended with a standing ovation.

That same sense of looking to the powers above and demanding more echoed throughout the speeches on Sunday night which, while as earnest as they ever are, felt alive and engaged in the current moment. Maybe it feels a little “Pokémon Go to the polls” to praise some of the biggest artists on the planet for speaking out a little but this year's Grammys was notable for showing steeliness in the face of a world that’s increasingly harsh to navigate for anyone who falls remotely outside of the margins.

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Shakira and Alicia Keys made two of the most overtly political statements of the evening that celebrated the fruits of an open and accepting cultural environment. Shakira dedicated her win for Best Latin Pop Album to “all my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country.” She continued: “You’re loved, you’re worth it, and I will always fight with you. To all of those women who work really hard everyday to provide for their families, you are the true she-wolfs.”

While not directly referencing Trump and the wave of immigration raids that have ushered in the early stages of his second term in office, Shakira ended her speech with a show of solidarity as she signed off by saying: "Latinos, we are an unstoppable force. I will not tire of fighting with them and for them."

Keys, meanwhile, was more direct in her rebuttal of a Trump administration that is coming down hard on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives with new White House orders banning DEI policies in programs that receive federal money. "This is not the time to shut down a diversity of voices," Keys said on stage at the Grammys. "DEI is not a threat, it's a gift. The more voices, the more powerful the sound." She closed her speech with a rousing message: "This room is unstoppable, powerful—it's uniqueness at its finest."

Doechii, who became only the third woman to win the Best Rap Album prize, also championed those who are often the first to be silenced. “I know there’s some black girl, so many black women watching me right now,” she said. “And I wanna tell you, you can do it. Anything is possible. Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you.”

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The erasure of diversity was also on Lady Gaga’s mind as she stood on stage alongside Bruno Mars while accepting their Best Pop Duo/Group Performance award for “Die With a Smile.” She used her speech to offer a heartfelt and timely reminder that “trans people are not invisible” just days after Trump signed an executive order stating there would only be two recognized genders. The Recording Academy would also do well to listen to Gaga; it took until 2023 for a trans artist (Kim Petras) to win a Grammy, and this year’s slate of nominees was notably absent of any trans representation.

Chappell Roan echoed Gaga’s sentiment on the red carpet, telling a reporter: "Trans people have always existed and they will forever exist. I would not be here without trans girls, so just know that pop music is thinking about you and cares about you, and I'm trying my best to really stand up for you."

At a time when it would be easy to lay low and hide behind platitudes (perhaps Taylor Swift should have won something, if only to see what she would’ve chosen to say into the mic) this year’s Grammy winners showed up for their people and proved themselves to be valuable allies. The Los Angeles firefighters deservedly earned a huge amount of praise but the message across the board was impossible to ignore: We’re all in this together.

Grammys 2025: The winner is… the speeches!