
All Hail the Grammy Winners of 2025!
A Royal Recap from Casino Kings
The 2025 Grammy Awards have come and gone, leaving a trail of glittering gowns, surprising wins, and the usual dose of red carpet royalty. Here at Casino Kings, we’ve been glued to the screen, and now we’re ready to give you our regal rundown of the night’s biggest moments, from the coveted Album of the Year and the Grammys’ Big Four, to the most talked-about snubs and controversies.

Album of the Year 2025
A Coronation for Beyoncé

The biggest prize of the night, the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, went to Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter. Did the academy make the right choice? The buzz has been deafening, with some hailing it as a masterstroke, while others whisper of a royal faux pas. This year’s competition was fierce, with Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Charli xcx all vying for the crown. But in the end, there could be only one.
Cowboy Carter was met with universal acclaim from its debut, with critics praising Beyonce’s genre experimentation and spotlighting of the overlooked contributions of Black pioneers to American musical and cultural history. In terms of numbers, the album debuted at number one in several countries and broke numerous charting and streaming records.
Presented by members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Beyonce was joined by her 13-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter to accept Album of the Year 2025. It was a truly momentous occasion for Beyonce, making her the third woman of colour to ever take home AOTY. And, of course, it was her first ever AOTY award!
Record vs Song of the Year: A Right Royal Rumble
The age-old debate of Record of the Year versus Song of the Year reared its head once again. When it comes to Record of the Year, the Grammy award recognises the performing artist, producers, recording engineers and mixers for any given song. Song of the Year, on the other hand, is a recognition for the songwriters. It’s not unheard of for a song to scoop up the Grammys for SOTY and ROTY, and that’s exactly what happened for Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Not Like Us made history as the first ever diss track to win a Grammy (sorry, Drake), also securing Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video. Lamar was certainly one of the biggest winners at the 2025 Grammy Awards, sweeping all five categories he was nominated for and dedicating his wins to Los Angeles – the host city, and a central victim of the Palisades Fire.
Best New Artist
The Grammy for Best New Artist is awarded to an artist that releases something during the Eligibility Year that ‘establishes the public identity of that artist’, and this year’s nominations featured some strong contenders. Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone and Doechii were amongst the competition, but I don’t think anyone was surprised to see Chappell Roan take home the award.
Despite the recognition, Chappell Roan is far from new to the music industry. She was signed to Atlanta Records as a teen, but dropped when her work didn’t immediately resonate with an audience. Her bittersweet relationship with fame and artistry was in the forefront of her mind as she accepted the award, with her speech ending on a powerful note regarding the treatment of artists by record labels.

Grammy Snubs!
Which Royals Were Left Out in the Cold?

Every year, there are always a few artists who leave the ceremony feeling a little less than regal. Controversies surround the reasoning, and as well all know, fan wars are rife around the Grammys.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s 2024 was unmatched in the music industry. The Eras Tour put her name on everybody’s lips and broke an unparalleled number of records – including the title of Highest-Grossing Tour of all time. Taylor Swift had 6 Grammy nominations in 2025: two nominations for The Tortured Poets Department, three nominations for 'Fortnight' featuring Post Malone and one nomination for her duet with Gracie Abrams. After The Tortured Poets Department was Swift’s 12th consecutive number one album, and the first album in history to reach 1 billion Spotify streams in a week, many people thought she was a shoo-in for AOTY.
Taylor left the 2025 Grammys empty-handed, which none of us would have bet on! Mind you, seeing her present Beyonce with Country Album of the Year for Cowboy Carter was a beautiful full-circle moment, and Taylor’s mere attendance at any award show is always sure to bring entertainment (and views, right, Recording Academy?)
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish was up for seven awards at the 2025 Grammys, including AOTY and Best Pop Vocal Album for HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, Record and Song of the Year for Birds of a Feather, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for Guess with Charli xcx, and Best Dance/Pop Recording for L'Amour De Ma Vie. However, just like Taylor, Billie left the 67th Grammy Awards ceremony empty-handed.
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT was a sure favourite for Album of the Year 2025 after receiving critical acclaim across the board and achieving numerous appearances on publications' rankings of the best albums of 2024. Seeing Billie leave empty-handed was as harsh a blow as you’d imagine, and it’s left many fans raging, especially after the camera’s gave us a shot of Billie looking pretty gutted after not winning AOTY.
This year’s Grammy nominations showcased an exceptionally talented pool of artists, making it perhaps a little less surprising that Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish didn’t dominate as they have in the past. However, this hasn’t stopped devoted fans from expressing their disappointment. Many are scrutinizing the Recording Academy’s voting system, which relies on its members – a diverse group of music professionals including songwriters, producers, instrumentalists, and engineers – to select the winners.
The 2025 Grammy Winners
Overall, the 2025 Grammy Awards delivered a night of music, glamour, and a touch of royal intrigue. From the winners to the snubs, the red carpet to the stage performances, there was plenty to talk about.
We were buzzing to see Beyonce finally take home AOTY, but gutted to see Taylor and Billie so robbed after such massive years of success. We expected more wins for BRAT, but after Charli xcx’s recent drug-related controversies, we’re not massively surprised. And as for Kanye West and wife Bianca Censori’s shocking red-carpet nudity – let’s leave that there.
Here at Casino Kings, we’re already looking forward to next year’s coronation of musical talent!