I’ve never really been invested in awards ceremonies to be perfectly honest but the GRAMMYs are just that mythical enough for me to keep an eye on it every year, and the nominations for 2025 appealed to my feelings in a way I just can’t resist.
I was obviously waiting for Billie Eilish to snatch it all, her new album being such an acclaimed masterpiece already – and of course she did. But also really hoping to see the recognition our girl Chappel Roan deserves, and the GRAMMYs didn’t disappoint.
That was all I was waiting for really – and catching a sweet 30 seconds of Hayley Williams rocking her Debbie Harry’s jacket and being the witty bitch we know she can be – ‘It was the first time a female-fronted band won for Best Rock Album which is an insane fact ’ Smooth H. Smooooth and score.
That always needed reminder that rock music is a space opened for everyone was enough to make my day.
But this year the GRAMMYs had more in store than what I asked for. It’s like the universe decided to align all my rockstars for one promising epic ceremony. And if Ms Williams – yeah I’m forever nasty, drop it already – is confirmed as host for it I’ll definitely have to book one sleepless night and a gallon of coffee to watch it live.
What an absolute delight to see not one, nor two but three of my favorite albums of the year getting their well deserved nominations for one of the few awards I actually (slightly) give a fuck about. That was until I realized some of those overlapped in the same category – obviously – and triggered the nervous giggling forewarning of a panic attack (Yes I’m overdoing it, that’s why you love me).
Well, that’s a me problem – or more like a them problem because there’s no way in hell you can make me choose between those guys.
Green Day: The Legends That Keep On Giving AKA my Punk Rock Daddies
I still remember the first time I heard Green Day’s Dookie— the jolt of adrenaline that made my 12yo heart feel truly alive minus the risk of breaking my neck biking down a steep hill. Even though both combined were probably my recklessness peak and an elated state of bliss I sometimes miss – and makes me shivers.
Fast forward to 2025, and my punk rock daddies are still redefining what it means to be punk rock royalty. And in the crazy days we’re currently living in, it only makes sense that their latest album Saviors snagged nominations for Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance – they’re part of the reason I’m not breaking my neck right now to be fair. Saviors indeed.
From the days of American Idiot to The American Dream is Killing me – we definitely have that classic Green Day energy but with a maturity that only comes from decades of shaking up the industry. Ha. Never stop guys, but shake harder next time please.
Seeing their name among the nominees felt like a proud daughter moment really, realizing your dads only got cooler with age. Their power chords will always be my comfy place when I need my heart to beat just a little faster and make sure I’m still very much alive. I can only hope a new generation hungry for authentic rock will too.
St. Vincent: The OG Sonic sorceress
Then there’s St. Vincent, the avant-garde goddess who’s been bending genres and minds with every release. Her album All Born Screaming might well be my favorite of the year so far, and next time you wonder if I have taste, keep in mind that it’s been nominated for Best Alternative Album, Best Alternative Music Performance, Best Rock Performance AND Best Rock Song – god that’s a mouthful (we can handle it, give us more) and yet another clue that she can truly do it all. That album is a true kaleidoscope of sound that’s as unpredictable as it is mesmerizing. Broken man is a labyrinth of beats and riffs that I’d be well happy to get lost in forever, even though each step brings pure fire and that crescendo will burn you down – that’s the kind of purgatory I enjoy.
The other song nominated brings another kind of trial due to the fact that you can actually FEEL that song on your skin. And unironically called Flea, it’s not in a creepy bug way, more like a sensual tingling crawling on your hide all encapsulated in those big guitars and most of all St Vincent’s voice. I swear to god people, if those songs don’t bring you LEGIT eargasms, you might need to redefine your taste in music. Maybe even people.
Listening to St. Vincent has always been like entering a dreamscape I’ve never visited before. Nothing sounds just like it. Those nominations feels like a recognition not just of her talent but of her fearless innovation. She’s not just pushing boundaries; she’s obliterating them, and we can’t help but follow her into the unknown and crave for more. God. If she’s the OG Sonic sorceress, I’d be her Rio in a heartbeat for I love her to death.
Fontaines D.C.: The lads Invasion Continues
Last but not least let’s talk about Fontaines D.C., the Irish lads who’ve taken the world (and our hearts) by storm with their raw, unfiltered sound. For those who know me, you know Ireland and I have a little long distance love affair and I can’t help but fall for their artists every single time.
I first heard about them in the playlist of another well known (for stealing my heart too) Irish dude which feels like a thousand years ago – the pandemic itself counts for 500 years I swear – and their sound which made me stop on my tracks in the middle of traffic never stopped having the same hold on me. I fell deeply and utterly in love with their post punk brilliance in Dogrel first, and watched these Boys In The Better Land grow and become their own Hero’s death. Their music grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. Grian’s vocals are hauntingly sincere, part singer, part poet but with that unique Dublin flair that’s both gritty and beautiful. Also worth noting, he’s probably the most charismatic frontman I’ve seen on stage in recent years. If you don’t fall for his voice, you have no chance of escaping the man.
Even the GRAMMYs couldn’t resist the lads and their album Romance has earned them nominations for Best Rock Album and Best Alternative Music Performance.
Their rise feels meteoric but also so well-deserved. It’s like they’ve tapped into something primal that we’ve all been craving for —a return to the roots of rock. Refreshing ones. And if you feel like getting a taste of what it’s all about, I can only invite you to watch a live performance of Starburster – that will be more than enough to get why.
Ooft.
And that’s only the categories I actually cared to look at. You see now how I’m well happy to not be part of the GRAMMYs committee because that’s just an impossible choice to make.
It’s comforting though to to see all these artists proving that rock music remains a driving force these days and that there is nothing to stop that incessant rebirth of creativity.
From daddies to babies – and even more so all the mothers of rock in between – the passing of the torch is well and truly alive. Reigniting that flame that for many of us never really went out, and hopefully turning for the generations to come the legacy of rock music into the roaring fire it can be.
Crank up the volume, feel the vibes, and get ready to hurtle down this slope —because if the nominations are any indication, the GRAMMYs 2025 is going to be one hell of a ride.
