The Cambridge-born performer won for Best Dance/Electronic Album for her acclaimed club album Brat, Best Dance/Pop Song for the album’s lead single ‘Von Dutch’ and Best Recording Album Package. The prizes were amongst the first awards handed out at the Grammy’s Premiere Ceremony which precedes the main event of the night.

Charli’s collaborator Finn Keane took to the stage to thank the singer for being “an amazing collaborator” and how thankful they all are that the world is finally catching up to what the Cambridgeshire-songwriter can do.

The ‘Apple’ performer took the celebration to her Instagram to thank her fans, stating she hopes she made them proud as she shared a carousel of pictures from the ceremony including her red carpet look, snapshots alongside fiancé George Daniels and close friend Troye Sivan and most importantly, her reaction to winning Best Dance/Pop Song for ‘Von Dutch’.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Charli (@charli_xcx)

Having been nominated seven times, the 32-year-old songstress became the Recording Academy’s second-most nominated artist as well as a member of the seven-nods club this year, alongside artists such as Post Malone, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish. In conversation with W Magazine, the artist opened up about how the Academy’s recognition of her work came as a surprise. Charli said: “My vibe is just wanting to have a good time. Let’s be real, I wasn’t even on the Grammys’ radar last year, so it’s not something I ever expected. The thing is, wherever I am becomes fun anyway, so I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”  

@varietymagazine Charli xcx performs “Guess” at the #GRAMMYs ♬ original sound – Variety

The now Grammy-winning singer delivered the final performance of the night with ‘Von Dutch’ and ‘Guess’. She threw a very fitting party on stage accompanied by friends The Dare, Alex Consani, Gabriette and Julia Fox. Her performance started outside of the Crypto.com Arena and followed XCX strutting inside the venue joined by an entourage of partygoers recreating a club scene. In the back, a note on-screen read: “All unworn garments featured in Charli XCX’s #GRAMMYs performance will be donated to domestic violence survivors.”. The performance was praised by many and fans were amazed by the number thrown by Charli.

Venues, tour dates and ticket prices are yet to be confirmed. The last time she performed in the UK was in 2023 as part of the ‘Renaissance‘ World Tour.

SHE COMING. pic.twitter.com/PZYtIOtcYi

— BEYONCÉ (@Beyonce) February 3, 2025

The announcement came after she won big at the Grammy’s last night. She managed to secure the coveted ‘Album Of The Year’ award for her 2024 album, ‘Cowboy Carter’. An accolade she’s pursued for years, the superstar had been nominated four times before and lost out.

The award was presented to her by members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Beyoncé respectfully thanked the firefighters, acknowledging their hard work during the recent LA fires. She continued, saying “I just feel full and very honoured,” and alluding to coming close to winning ‘Album Of The Year’ before, she said “It’s been many, many years. I just want to thank the Grammys, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, all of the hard work.”

It was a night of significant achievements for Beyoncé – she’s now the most nominated artist in Grammy history (99) and has broken the record for the most Grammy wins, with 35 trophies. She’s the first Black woman of the current century to win the ‘Album Of The Year’ award as a solo act. Later that night, she also won the ‘Best Country Album’ award, which was delivered to her by Taylor Swift. Another historical feat, as she is now the first Black woman to win the award. Bey and Miley Cyrus also grabbed the Grammy for ‘Best Country Duo/Group Performers’ for their collaboration ‘II MOST WANTED’.

Her 8^th studio album, ‘Cowboy Carter’, dropped on March 29 of last year. The record took inspiration from music and culture in the American south, with a range of influences from southern sounds like folk, blues and rock ‘n’ roll. As her previous album ‘Renaissance‘ highlighted the Black history behind house music, ‘Cowboy Carter’ pays tribute to the often-overlooked Black contributions to country music. In the build-up to its release, Beyoncé gave a look into its inspiration and how the album came to be. She wrote on Instagram that the album was “over five years in the making” and “born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce)

Curious fans speculated that the uncomfortable experience she had may have been at the 2016 Country Music Awards. Beyoncé performed her song “Daddy Lessons” with the Dixie Chicks, which faced a storm of criticism and racist detractors online.

Even after releasing one of the biggest country hits of the year, ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’, and one of the most successful country albums, she was unfortunately snubbed by the CMA’s this year, left without a single nomination.

Beyonce’s last public performance was for the halftime concert at the NFL Christmas Gameday in December 2024. Met with positive reviews from fans and critics, Ms Knowles-Carter brought her Southern experience to life, riding in on horseback with a cowboy hat, and performing with a marching band. Fans excited for her 2025 tour dates can watch that below.

TRAINING SEASON IS OVER!!!!!! UGH OUT NOW EVERYWHERE!!!! FINALLY!!!!
THANK YOU TO THE DREAM TEAM https://t.co/fAMM6SsQE7 pic.twitter.com/08CCkjgjR8

— DUA LIPA (@DUALIPA) February 15, 2024

In a press release, Lipa discussed the backstory behind the single, stating: “I had been on a string of bad dates, and the last one was the final straw. The next morning I arrived to the studio to Caroline and Tobias asking me how it all went and I immediately declared “TRAINING SEASON IS OVER,” and like the best “day after” debriefs with your mates, we had a lot of laughs and it all quickly came together from there.”

She continues: “And while it is obviously about that feeling when you are just absolutely done telling people… men specifically in this case, how to date you right; it is also about my training season being over and me growing with every experience. I have never felt more confident, clear or empowered. And while it may be that training season is never over for any of us, you start to see the beauty in finding that person to experience it with. You stop looking for the trainees and become more interested in having someone where you are and someone to grow with.”

Lipa’s last album was 2020’s ‘Future Nostalgia’, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and earned her more than 10 billion streams on Spotify, as well as the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal in 2021. The singer is yet to share any news of her upcoming third album, but there appears to be plenty on the cards for her this year. Directed by Vincent Haylock, you can watch the full ‘Training Season‘ music video below:

The ceremony, which took place yesterday evening February 4th at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles, California, saw the trio fight off competition from Aphex Twin’s ‘Blackbox Life Recorder 21F’, James Blake’s ‘Loading‘, Disclosure’s ‘Higher Than Ever Before‘, and Romy, with Fred Again… even competing against himself for their single ‘Strong‘. Cementing his first ever Grammy wins, it was a huge moment for the London-based fusionist, who was also nominated on the night for Best New Artist as a solo producer. Fellow UK musician Flowdan also joined in on the celebration, with it marking not only his first Grammy, but making musical history as the first ever UK MC to win one.

For Best Dance/Electronic Music Album, ‘Actual Life 3‘ was selected amongst a highly talented pool of nominees, including James Blake’s ‘Playing Robots Into Space’, The Chemical Brothers’ ‘Beautiful Feeing‘, Skrillex’s ‘Quest for Fire‘ and ‘Kx5′ by Kaskade and deadmau5 producing under their collaborative project Kx5. Fred Again… was not in attendance to accept either of the awards, but Skrillex and the ceremony’s host Justin Tranter accepted on his behalf.

In Skrillex’s acceptance speech, he said: “The first thing I want to say to anybody young out there who wants to make music or be an artist, the best advice I ever got was ‘success is something that you attract, not something that you try to chase or catch’. The other thing I want to say is for all the young people and everyone out here I know the world is crazy right now, I really hope that we can actually start listening to each other and that everyone on the other side of the aisle or everyone on a different perspective we realize that they’re not enemies and I really hope we can start listening to each other and having conversations.”

“The last thing I want to say is of course big love to Fred again, love to Flowdan. Flowdan’s one of the biggest inspirations in underground music in my life…and to have a Grammy with those guys, my best friends, making music that we just love, not trying to make a hit, not trying to do anything but push culture forward. This is for those guys. Thank you everybody and congratulations to everyone being here.” he added.

Since the news about his wins broke overseas, Fred has posted a simple behind-the-scenes reel on Instagram of himself and Flowdan jamming to a stripped back piano version of ‘Rumble‘. The clip shows the duo smiling and enjoying the collaborative process as the song begins to take shape:

Following a whirlwind 2023 packed with touring and sold-out shows around the globe, Fred Again… is currently set for another exciting, landmark year ahead, including his headline spot at Bonnaroo 2024 in Manchester, Tennessee this June. Tickets to the festival are available for purchase here. His latest hotly-anticipated single ‘leavemealone’ featuring rapper and producer Baby Keem is out now.

However, fans of the “Speed Drive” star were left displeased with the decision to include Smith on the record. In a TikTok that was posted a few days ago by XCX, which confirmed the duo’s collaboration, many expressed that the “Unholy” singer should not be featured in the song. One user wrote: “Charli I want the version just yours”, whilst another person commented: “In The City ft Charli XCX and Charli XCX only please.”

@charlixcx this one is really cute and fun and i’m so lucky to have @Sam Smith ♬ In The City – Charli XCX & Sam Smith

Despite the negativity, XCX has hit back against those who were unimpressed with the choice to include Smith. The 35-year-old musician has now defended Smith in a new TikTok post. She said: “I’m about to release a song with Sam Smith and the experience so far has been really interesting because never in my life have, I seen somebody receive so many hateful comments. It’s been really disheartening, but at the same time I’m so proud of Sam’s ability to withstand that – because I know I certainly couldn’t.”  

@charlixcx♬ original sound – Charli XCX

The star continued: “So I just want to say Sam, I love you. I love our song together and I’m in awe of your strength.”  

The sweet message to Smith, who featured in XCX’s “Speed Drive” video in the summer, led to an array of fans to also leave kind words. One person wrote: “I love Sam Smith more than I can express. Their existence and persistence in this world is a guiding light for my own”. Meanwhile another person said: “The hate is so unnecessary, so excited for this new track from you guys!” 

Listen to “Speed Drive.”

“In The City” will mark the first collaboration between the two artists. Smith, who released his fourth studio album Gloria earlier this year, has been at the centere of public scrutiny over the past year. This has come because of a change in Smith’s evolution as an artist and performer. At the 2023 Brit Awards, the star received backlash over his performance of his smash hit “Unholy”, which featured singer Kim Petras. The performance, which received over 100 Ofcom complaints, faced a similar reception when the duo performed at the Grammys a week prior. The Grammy performance has led to many conservative US politicians branding the two as “satanic” and “evil”.  

Watch the “Unholy” performance at the Grammys.

However, this outrage did not affect the song’s commercial success. The track has gone on to receive multiple Platinum certifications across the world and was certified Diamond in France.

Styles, who won the prestigious Album of the Year award for Harry’s House, performed his hit single “As It Was” during the show but was faced with technical difficulties.

The performance had Harry and his backup dancers moving around a spinning turntable, reminiscent of that seen in the “As It Was” music video.

However, the stage unfortunately began to spin in the wrong direction when the performance started. Styles and his dancers were forced to adapt their routine on the spot, resulting in a clumsier performance than had been meticulously rehearsed.

Grammys set designer Julio Himede has opened up about the incident on the BBC’s Eurovision podcast, revealing that Styles “called the team in charge to make sure they were OK.” Himede said the incident was “heartbreaking.“

He continued, “In rehearsals his performance was so polished. I was sitting there admiring how amazing Harry and his dancers were to just run with it and cope with it. To continue the performance live and all of a sudden think, ‘I have to just go in reverse now’, is quite incredible.“

Himede will be designing the sets for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest and is keen to avoid any similar mishaps. The stage will have to be reset in 60 seconds after performances, with Himede calling it “organised chaos.“

Fans were quick to jump to Harry’s defence after his performance didn’t quite reach the standards he has set for himself as a performer. Fans responded to Brandon Mathis, one of the backup dancers, who revealed that the performance had to be reworked on the spot.

Do you guys know how big of a deal the stage spinning the wrong way is? The dancers and Harry had to do the performance backwards. They were all on the opposite of their marks etc no wonder Harry’s voice was shaking right away, he was freaking out
pic.twitter.com/f6171aqARZ

— Erin ×͜× LTdefenseless28 (@tdefenseless28) February 6, 2023

One fan tweeted that they “would’ve just started to cry” had they been in Harry’s position.

Harry’s better than me because if my stage started spinning backwards I would’ve just started to cry — Julia (@WORLDLWT2) February 6, 2023

This was not the only problematic aspect of Harry’s Grammy attendance this year. Despite winning the most prized Grammy Award for Album of the Year, Harry faced backlash following his acceptance speech.

Controversially, Styles said “this doesn’t happen to people like me very often” and faced immediate criticism for his tone deaf comment. Twitter users were quick to fire back.

harry styles saying “this doesn’t happen to people like me very often” as a white, british man who has a history of dating only the most categorically stunning women in hollywood and whose biggest act of rebellion is wearing sequins and nail polish is extremely rich

— Emily (@emilybernay) February 6, 2023

Despite a bumpy evening, Styles has held onto his reputation as the friendliest man in pop, staying true to his “Treat People With Kindness” message by ensuring those around him were fine following the show’s mishaps.

Buy tickets for Love on Tour here.

Stream Harry’s House here.

In addition to being the live European debut of material from Daddy’s Home, this will be her first UK outing with The Down And Out Downtown Band.

Since the beginning of her career, Annie Clarke (more popularly known by her stage name St Vincent) has made a habit out of the unpredictable; and while many would argue that this is pretty much the point of art pop, St Vincent has maintained a standard and level of relevance that not many others can boast. 15 years have passed since the release of her incredible debut Marry Me, and 6 albums later (as well as a fab collab with David Byrne) we are still being taken down a winding path that picked up 2 GRAMMY wins for Best Alternative Album along the way. This June, Clarke is set to begin her “Daddy’s Home Tour”.

Until the tour kicks off in June however, you’ll have to make do with some of the teaser material that Clarke has been releasing. Her appearance on Saturday Night Live way back in April 2021 (which makes a little more sense when you remember that this album actually came out the following May – yes it has been that long) was received particularly positively. Entertainment Weekly had this to say regarding her performance, “… this performance, with its retro ’70s rock aesthetic, truly rules… this is top-notch.” Whilst AC Club drew similarities to rock legend David Bowie and other music stars. “St. Vincent brought some old school art-rock theatrical glamor… I got some Bowie, some Talking Heads, maybe a touch of Gaga and (dare I say) Madonna—a potently bracing combination.” You can see the full performance below.

See below the full dates for the Daddy’s Home Tour:

22/6/22 – O2 Oxford Academy – Oxford
25/6 – Academy – Manchester
28/6 – Fairview Park – Dublin
29/6 – Eventim Apollo – London
30/6 – De La Warr Pavillion – Bexhill-on-sea

It’s been over 4 years since Fleet Foxes completed the last touring endeavour, their last appearance in the UK, on November 29^th 2017, saw an eclectic setlist spanning all 3 of their albums at the time, as well as a few covers of Robin Pecknold, and Jackson C. Frank tracks thrown in for good measure. Shore was released to critical acclaim, maintaining the high standard the group seem to have imposed on themselves for the last 14 years, but even though the album came out at the end of 2020, circumstances (COVID-19 obviously) have led to there only being 2 performances of the new tunes.

If you’re after a glimpse of what the new songs sound like in a live context, then look no further than A Very Lonely Solstice, the band’s most recent live album featuring a mixture of tracks new and old. Recorded at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn, New York, the show may give you a taste of the newer tracks, but the stripped-back take of it all may still leave some surprises for avid fans who are after some new experiences when the August tour comes around. The band posted the whole show on their YouTube account, so you can check out that below. You can also look into one of the various physical release formats, including limited edition Opaque Tan vinyl colour variant, pre-order details can be found here.

Shore also received a nod in the Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammys alongside Japanese Breakfast, St. Vincent, Halsey, and Arlo Parks. That makes this only the groups 2^nd nomination after their 2011 output Helplessness Blues was acknowledged for best Folk Album, but beaten out by Civil Wars and their incredible album Barton Hollow.

UK Tour dates:

26/8/22 – All Points East Festival – London
28/8 – National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks – Dublin
30/8 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh
31/8 – O2 Academy – Glasgow
2/9 – End of the Road Festival – Wiltshire
3/9 – O2 Apollo – Manchester

wtf is wrong with the grammys

— blonde don (@machinegunkelly) November 23, 2021

This year’s more prestigious categories in the general field (best album, best new artist, record of the year and song of the year) see a lot of big names, none of which crop up more regularly than Olivia Rodrigo, who has been nominated for each with her viral sensation ‘drivers license’ from here 2021 album Sour. The usual suspects of Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, H.E.R., Taylor Swift, and Kanye West also receive nods throughout the categories. Mercury Prize winner Arlo Parks and recent record breakers Glass Animals also get fitting mentions in the Best New Artist bracket.

The Album of The Year, and Best Rap Song categories also bring their fair share of controversy. Kanye West has been nominated for his effort on DONDA, released earlier this year. These days it’s seemingly impossible for Kanye to go through an album cycle without something landing in the headlines. This time, the spotlight has been placed on his expansive feature list. Specifically, the appearance of recently cancelled Marilyn Manson, who also has a nod for Best Rap Song on West’s track “Jail”. His position on the album has led to many questioning whether or not he should be involved in the award ceremony after being accused of sexual assault by multiple women. The academy’s CEO Mason Harvey Jr. said this about his inclusion, “We won’t look back at people’s history, we won’t look at their criminal record, we won’t look at anything other than the legality within our rules of, is this recording for this work-eligible based on date and other criteria,” he added. “If it is, they can submit for consideration.”.

Jay-Z makes history with this announcement, picking up 2 separate nominations in the Best Rap Song category. Featuring on “Jail” with Kanye West, and “Bath Salts” alongside DMX and Nas, takes the rappers total Grammy nominations up to a record-breaking 83. He surpassed Beatles legend Paul McCartney to take the title after he has only gained 81 nominations so far, renowned producer Quincy Jones sits in 3^rd place with a meagre 80 Grammy nominations. Of the 83 nominations Jay-Z has bagged so far, he has won 23.

Many other oddities come from this year’s nominees. ABBA was nominated for the first time in their 48 year careers, BTS fans are shocked at the group’s singular mention despite the group themselves seeming incredibly grateful, and notice a distinct lack of British music on the list. Arlo Parks, Major Lazer, and Paul McCartney are basically the only Brits to land in any major categories. See all the nominations here.

This is a huge honor Thanks to everyone who supports our music journey! @RecordingAcad #GRAMMYs #BTS #방탄소년단 pic.twitter.com/l10x0LrDMq

— BTS_official (@bts_bighit) November 24, 2021