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The 5 Best Performances At The 2025 Grammys — And 3 That Fell Flat
Doechii and Teddy Swims.
Michael Tran/AFP/Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images
- The 67th annual Grammy Awards took place in Los Angeles on Sunday.
- Nominees like Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Doechii delivered standout performances.
- Others, including Billie Eilish, Benson Boone, and Teddy Swims, were underwhelming.
The 67th annual Grammy Awards proved to be a landmark evening for music industry veterans like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar, who swept the three biggest categories, as well as rising stars like Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Doechii, each of whom took the stage to perform before taking home a prize.
The standout moments at Sunday's ceremony shone a spotlight on fresh talent and big personalities in the industry. However, they were somewhat offset by a handful of uninspired sets.
Keep reading for a rundown of the best and worst performances, according to Business Insider's senior music reporter.
Sabrina Carpenter showcased her hits, humor, and charm.Sabrina Carpenter performed a "Short n' Sweet" medley at the 2025 Grammys.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Sabrina Carpenter was nominated for each of the "Big Four" awards for her masterful pop album "Short n' Sweet," plus best pop vocal album and best pop solo performance for "Espresso," both of which she won.
Thankfully, the Grammys gave Carpenter enough time onstage to honor her breakthrough into pop royalty after years of cutting her teeth at Disney Channel, training for Broadway, and perfecting her goofy-yet-sexy onstage persona.
Carpenter showcased the full range of her skillset with a Lucille Ball-esque performance, complete with comedic bits and costumes, a jazzy blend of "Espresso" and "Please Please Please," and even a tap-dance break.
Chappell Roan proved why she deserved to win best new artist.Chappell Roan performed "Pink Pony Club" at the 2025 Grammys.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Chappell Roan made headlines throughout 2024 for drawing massive crowds at festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. As she proved once again on the Grammy stage, Roan is a born entertainer with the creative vision, showmanship, and soaring falsetto to match.
Rather than sticking with the obvious choice and singing her breakout hit "Good Luck, Babe!" — nominated for both record and song of the year — Roan smartly opted to perform her gay-awakening anthem "Pink Pony Club" to honor her love of Los Angeles.
Shortly after, Roan returned to the stage to accept the award for best new artist, where she boldly took the music industry to task; Roan dedicated her speech to demanding higher wages and better worker protections for herself and her peers. You just can't teach stage presence like hers.
Doechii is quickly becoming one of the industry's buzziest performers.Doechii performed a mashup of "Catfish" and "Denial Is a River" at the 2025 Grammys.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Delivering eccentric choreography in head-to-toe Thom Browne, Doechii had the Grammy crowd buzzing with her medley of "Catfish" and "Denial Is a River," both standout tracks from her latest mixtape "Alligator Bites Never Heal."
The self-described "Swamp Princess" also became the third woman in Grammy history to win best rap album, following Lauryn Hill and Cardi B.
Raye boasted the most impressive vocal performance of the night.Raye performed "Oscar-Winning Tears" at the 2025 Grammys.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Raye, who was nominated for best new artist and songwriter of the year, non-classical, executed a show-stopping rendition of her single "Oscar-Winning Tears" — hitting high notes and nailing vocal runs with a poise that brought to mind early Adele.
As the ceremony dragged on, Charli XCX delivered a much-needed energy boost.Charli XCX performed a "Brat" medley at the 2025 Grammys.
John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Charli XCX was one of the most-nominated artists at the Grammys this year and one of the evening's final performers. Thankfully, the old cliché of "saving the best for last" applies here.
Charli kickstarted her "Brat" medley with "Von Dutch," strutting around the arena's parking garage while flanked by a crowd of partygoers and hot girls, including supermodel Alex Consani and internet "It Girl" Gabbriette Bechtel.
By the time Charli and her entourage arrived onstage, it felt like the whole crowd was on their feet. Even Taylor Swift, the apparent source of envy that Charli sings about in "Sympathy Is a Knife," was jumping around with a champagne bottle in her hand.
Charli capped the performance with "Guess," her hit collaboration with Billie Eilish, while panties and undergarments rained from the ceiling. It was hard not to feel jealous of the cool kids on that stage — which was, of course, exactly what Charli was going for.
On the other hand, Billie Eilish was uncharacteristically boring.Billie Eilish performed "Birds of a Feather" at the 2025 Grammys.
John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Ever since Billie Eilish's landmark year in 2020, when she swept all four general-field categories, she has been a reliable highlight at the Grammys. But on Sunday, her static rendition of "Birds of a Feather" was surprisingly forgettable.
In contrast with her previous Grammy performances of "When the Party's Over" and "Happier Than Ever," Eilish supplied muddled vocals and subdued energy levels that failed to do the fan-favorite song justice.
Benson Boone didn't offer anything fresh.Benson Boone performed "Beautiful Things" at the 2025 Grammys.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
How many times do we need to watch Benson Boone follow this exact blueprint?
"Beautiful Things" may have been his breakout hit, but it's a cookie-cutter pop song that doesn't need yet another televised performance — especially not if Boone insists on recycling every detail for every one, from the all-too-faithful instrumentation to the onstage backflip and the sparkly jumpsuits stolen directly from Harry Styles' playbook.
Teddy Swims also performed the same old song in the same old way.Teddy Swims performed "Lose Control" at the 2025 Grammys.
Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images
Teddy Swims had one of the biggest hits of 2024 with "Lose Control," a soulful ballad that spent months climbing the charts. Based on his live performances over the past year, it might be fair to assume that Swims doesn't know any other songs.
Swims delivered exactly what was expected of him and nothing more, a strategy that felt especially dull immediately following Doechii's dynamic performance.
To paraphrase the Recording Academy's former president, maybe the male nominees need to step up their game next year.
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