Watch highlights from the 2025 GRAMMYs on live.GRAMMY.com.

The 2025 GRAMMYs telecast has been reimagined to raise funds for MusiCares Fire Relief, a dedicated campaign to support the people affected by the recent wildfires in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Donate now.

Beyoncé made history at the 2025 GRAMMY, by becoming the first Black woman in GRAMMYs history to take home the award for Best Country Album.

Accepting the award from Taylor Swift, Queen Bey appeared genuinely dumbfounded when her fellow superstar read out her name as the Category’s winner for her 2024 album, COWBOY CARTER.

"Wow, I really was not expecting this," the "TEXAS HOLD ‘EM" singer said in her acceptance speech, before going on to thank both God and the many country artists she collaborated with on the album.

"I think sometimes 'genre' is a code word to keep us in our place as artists," she continued. "And I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about, and to stay persistent."

Read more: How Beyoncé Is Honoring Black Music History With 'Cowboy Carter,' "Texas Hold Em," 'Renaissance' & More

Beyoncé slapped down the concept of genre as a musical limitation with help from pioneering country artist Linda Martell on COWBOY CARTER’s panoramic 27 tracks. "Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they? Yes, they are," the trailblazing Martell, who was the first Black woman to ever play the Grand Ole Opry in 1969, said on the GRAMMY-nominated album cut "SPAGHETTII." "In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand/ But in practice, well, some may feel confined."

The five-time Album Of The Year nominee also took aim at doubters questioning whether she "belonged" in country music at all on the studio set’s powerful opening thesis "AMERIICAN REQUIEM."

"The grandbaby of a moonshine man/ Gadsden, Alabama/ Got folk down in Galveston, rooted in Louisiana/ Used to say I spoke ‘Too country’/ And the rejection came, said, ‘I wasn’t country ‘nough’/ Said I wouldn’t saddle up, but/ If that ain’t country, tell me what is?/ Plant my bare feet on solid ground for years/ They don’t, don’t know how hard I had to fight for this/ When I sang my song," she sang on the album opener.

When the 2025 GRAMMY nominations were announced in November 2024, Beyoncé officially became the most-nominated artist in history when COWBOY CARTER’s 11 nods brought her career total to an all-time record of 99 nominations. And ahead of the telecast, she also won her first GRAMMY in the Category for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for COWBOY CARTER fan-favorite cut "II MOST WANTED" featuring Miley Cyrus.

Just 24 hours ahead of the GRAMMYs, Beyoncé also sent the BeyHive into a frenzy by teasing her forthcoming COWBOY CARTER Tour 2025 on social media. Tour dates are expected to be announced soon.

Imagine cementing your place among icons before releasing your debut project. Ink doesn't have to.

Born Atia Boggs, the Atlanta-raised singer/songwriter has become a go-to collaborator for the likes of Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Justin Bieber, Kacey Musgraves, Lil Nas X, and Jennifer Lopez. And now, she's stepping into the spotlight with BIG BUSKIN'. Out Oct. 3, the new EP will see Ink display her own star power, blending elements of country with hip-hop to create her unique genre-blending sound. 

BIG BUSKIN' — the title a tribute to her early days busking around her hometown — comes on the heels of a remarkable couple of years for Ink. After writing on Beyoncé's GRAMMY-nominated RENAISSANCE, Ink returned for Bey's Album Of The Year-winning COWBOY CARTER, co-writing its historic crossover hit "TEXAS HOLD 'EM." While that marked her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Ink soon landed another thanks to "Luther," Lamar's latest smash with SZA that stayed at the top for a whopping 13 weeks.

"It's just a different level of craftsmanship that they have," Ink told Rolling Stone of Lamar and Beyoncé. "It alters my process and how I look at music."

When it comes to her own project, Ink declares that it's "definitely something special." "[BIG BUSKIN'] showcases a lot of different parts of myself," the three-time GRAMMY nominee shared in a statement. "Each chapter you're going to get something new, and each story you're going to get something true."

As Ink releases her debut EP with Big Loud Records, learn more about the inspiration behind her genre-defying sound and why she's earned Beyoncé's praise as an "artist's artist."

She Has Always Known She'd Be A Star

Ink's musical journey began when she taught herself guitar at a young age. Soon after, she began hitting the streets of Georgia to perform for anyone who'd be willing to listen. "I was playing for change, selling CDs, going straight to the people," she shared in press materials for BIG BUSKIN'.

As she recalled to Rolling Stone, Ink busked outside of Jay-Z and Beyoncé's show at the Georgia Dome in 2014 — not only a fateful situation, but one that displayed her confidence. "I wanted to go in there so bad, but [I thought,] 'I hope they have fun, because when I go in there, it's going to be my time.'"

Five years later, Ink doubled down on that manifestation upon seeing Beyoncé at the Roc Nation GRAMMY Week brunch in 2019. "I went up to her and said, 'Hey, I just wanted to let you know, I'm going to be writing your next album,'" she told Billboard, "And she giggled and said, 'What's your name?' We just hit it off."

Her Genre-Blending Sound Is No Coincidence

Ink's musical style is a melting pot shaped by her upbringing, deeply rooted in both her ethnic and social background. On BIG BUSKIN', she weaves together elements of country, rock and hip-hop — genres that can be described as the soundtracks of her life.

The Germany-born, Georgia-raised artist is influenced by singer/songwriters like Babyface, Tony Henry, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Lauryn Hill, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. And with roots in the Cherokee and Blackfoot indigenous tribes, Ink's diverse background has helped a unique identity all her own.

It was her deep connection to the South — specifically, through Houston rapper Trae Tha Truth — that truly shaped her musical identity. "He's one of the reasons that I'm how I am today," she shared in a press statement.

She also counts GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter/producer James Fauntleroy — who has worked with the likes of Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, and Rihanna — as a mentor, noting that he's shown support since they became Facebook friends in the late 2000s. "[He gave me the confidence to say, 'I can do this,'" she said to Billboard.

Now in her stride, Ink has even managed to blow Beyoncé's mind with her wide-spanning talent. "[Beyoncé] told me that she didn't understand how I was so consistent, because I'd always make different genres of music," Ink recalled in a press statement. "She said, 'You're an artist's artist,' and that gave me a boost of confidence to stay on my path and stay true to my authentic self."

This Isn't Her First Rodeo

BIG BUSKIN' will mark Ink's official debut with Big Loud Records, but it won't be the first time she's released a project. The singer/songwriter previously released three albums independently: 2018's Highlight Real, 2019's Backstreets and 2021's Imagine Not Knowing.

On Highlight Real, Ink tapped into more of her R&B sensibilities. With Backstreets, she incorporated her rock influences with acoustic and electric guitars. And on Imagine Not Knowing, she intertwined R&B stylings with hip-hop beats. Though none of the projects explored her country side, they each helped mold the innovative sound that has pushed her to the forefront today.

She's Become A Secret Weapon For Superstars…

Ink has become one of the music industry's trusty wordsmiths, co-writing songs for some of today's leading artists. Things first took off for her in 2015, landing credits on tracks by Monica, Tamar Braxton, Rick Ross and Mary J. Blige, and Plies and Jacquees. From there, she scored cuts with several more R&B and rap stars, including Yo Gotti, Remy Ma, Chris Brown, Leon Bridges, and Paloma Mami.

While her biggest moments as a songwriter have come with Beyoncé's "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" and Kendrick Lamar's "Luther," she landed more cuts with each of them, including Beyoncé's "16 CARRIAGES" and Lamar's other SZA collab on GNX, "Gloria." But those two are far from the only major stars she's written for in recent years: along with tracks by Lil Nas X, 21 Savage and Mariah the Scientist, Lay Bankz, and Latto, Ink co-wrote over 80 percent of Jennifer Lopez's ninth studio album, This Is Me…Now.

…And A Sought-After Collaborator

As Ink became more renowned as a songwriter, more and more artists recognized her talents as a singer. Her first big feature came in 2019 with Chris Brown and Justin Bieber's "Don't Check on Me," a song she co-wrote and co-produced; as she asserts, being asked to join as a featured artist was a major turning point in her career.

"It gave me so much exposure and another boost of confidence to have a superstar say, 'Hey, we're going to introduce you to the world,'" she told Billboard, adding, "that was one of the moments that led to the unstoppable train I'm on now."

She's also noted that her feature on Childish Gambino's funky 2020 single "Psilocybae (Millennial Love)" was another moment that transcended her artistry in another light. And since then, she's offered her vocal chops to NLE Choppa's "Hear Me," Leon Bridges' "Don't Worry," Zerb and The Chainsmokers' "Addicted," Lamar's "Dodger Blue," and BigXthaPlug's "24/7," among several others.

She's Ready To Get The Party Started

As Ink began her countrified new chapter earlier this year, the multi-faceted artist released "Turquoise Cowboy." While she has dubbed the anthemic track "a theme song for myself," the singer/songwriter sees its toe-tapping follow-up, "Hoedown," as a perfect depiction of the vibe she's channeling with this new music.

"[Hoedown is] a good way to introduce me to the world," she said in a press statement. "I like to dance, I like to get the party going, I like to keep the energy up."

With a desire to make timeless music and a larger-than-life personality, Ink is ready to show the world her true self with BIG BUSKIN' — and she's excited to take listeners along for the ride. "I do music so that I can interact with humans and turn up the frequency of the universe," she explains in a statement, "while showing people that this classic American music never left."

The 2026 GRAMMYs will air live on CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday, Feb. 1, live at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Nominations for the 2026 GRAMMYs will be announced Friday, Nov. 7, 2025.

Voting in the GRAMMY Awards is a unique opportunity to recognize excellence across all facets of the music industry. As the 2026 GRAMMYs draw closer, First Round Voting is open Friday, Oct. 3 through Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 6 p.m. PT/9p.m. ET. To help Voting Members navigate the process, we've outlined some helpful GRAMMY voting tips and resources.

The 2026 GRAMMYs will recognize the best in music, and First Round Voting is where the annual GRAMMY Awards voting process begins. During First Round Voting, Recording Academy Voting Members will cast their ballots through their member dashboard to determine the GRAMMY nominees across all 95 Categories for the upcoming 2026 GRAMMYs. Final Round Voting for the 2026 GRAMMYs, which opens Dec. 12, 2025, and closes Jan. 5, 2026, will determine the final GRAMMY winners across all Categories to be revealed on GRAMMY night. Each year, GRAMMY winners and GRAMMY nominees are determined as voted by the Recording Academy's Voting membership, which is composed of music creators, including artists, producers, songwriters, and engineers.

Nominations for the 2026 GRAMMYs will be announced Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. The 2026 GRAMMY Awards, when all final GRAMMY Award winners will be announced, take place Sunday, Feb. 1, live at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and broadcasts live on the CBS Television Network and streams live and on demand on Paramount+.

"During this time, I reflect on the power of our collective voice as Voting Members of the Recording Academy, and the unique light our awards shine on music's ability to shape the world and connect people across the globe," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said about the importance of GRAMMY Voting in a message sent to Recording Academy Voting Members. "Every vote can shape the future of music, empower creators, and ignite innovation. It’s a 67-year legacy that lasts well beyond Music’s Biggest Night."

As a member of the Academy, you may be asked questions about GRAMMY Voting. Equip yourself with the knowledge to explain the complete GRAMMY Awards process by reviewing the tips below and visiting our interactive online resource. Whether you’re a new voter or returning for another GRAMMY season, following these tips can ensure your vote reflects the best in music. 

Vote now!

Essential Tips For First-Time GRAMMY Voters

Take Your Time

GRAMMY voting isn’t a race. While the ballot is extensive, it’s crucial to consider each entry thoughtfully. Give every submission the same level of attention to ensure a fair and well-rounded outcome.

Break Voting Into Manageable Chunks

To avoid feeling overwhelmed, tackle the GRAMMY voting ballot in sections. For example, set goals to finish certain Categories each day. Taking short breaks between sections can help maintain focus and avoid fatigue.

Utilize The Save & Return Feature

When you start feeling tired, the Save button can be a lifesaver. Don't rush it. Save your progress and return to the GRAMMY voting ballot when you’re refreshed to ensure you’re voting with a clear mind and fair judgment.

Consider Reviewing From Z To A

The GRAMMY voting ballot is presented alphabetically, which can sometimes lead to fatigue near the end. Try reviewing the entries in reverse order or splitting the alphabet into smaller groups. This approach can help maintain objectivity across all entries.

Review The Voter Code Of Conduct

Before voting, familiarize yourself with the Voter Code of Conduct to maintain the integrity of the GRAMMY Awards. Voting within your areas of expertise helps honor each submission fairly.

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The GRAMMY One app allows Voting Members to vote from their phones, making it easy to complete GRAMMY Voting ballots from anywhere. The app is available on both iOS and Android.

Make Use Of Resources

The Recording Academy offers an interactive guide explaining the GRAMMY Awards process in full to help members fully understand the GRAMMY journey from entry to award. This resource is invaluable for first-time GRAMMY voters and provides context for the entire awards cycle.

Encourage Your Peers

Our Voting membership class is the most diverse it’s ever been. As a fellow member and respected industry professional, your encouragement to your Voting Member peers during the voting process can make an impact on voter participation and turnout.

When your peers sit down to cast their GRAMMY vote, their voices will reflect the diversity and excellence of the greater music community. If you manage or represent an Academy Voter, please remind them that their First Round Voting ballot is available via their member dashboard. 

Explore The "GRAMMY Effect"

Winning or even just being nominated for a GRAMMY can dramatically boost an artist's career by increasing resources, visibility and industry standing. GRAMMY nominees often receive greater production support, see higher Billboard chart rankings, and gain recognition that opens doors to further opportunities. This is know as the “GRAMMY Effect,” an industry phenomenon in which a GRAMMY accolade directly influences the music biz and the wider popular culture. Your GRAMMY vote highlights deserving talent and also contributes to elevating careers across the music landscape.

Ask For Help If Needed

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Cam admits she's been in survival mode for the past five years. But it resulted in one of her most authentic projects to date.

All Things Light, her reflective new album out now via RCA Records, sees the country singer/songwriter embracing life's highs and lows. Cam started crafting All Things Light by herself during a period she describes as "insane"; as a new mom in the midst of a pandemic, she found creativity on her own.

"I went into the studio by myself a lot, because obviously nobody was sharing spaces," she tells GRAMMY.com of the early album process. "I tapped into something while I was by myself. I love collaborating, but to only be listening from my own gut and coming up with stuff, I had a whole new body of work coming to me."

All Things Light further displays Cam's songwriting depth while embracing a wider sonic landscape. While still rooted in country music, the album experiments with new sounds and genres taken from her life journey; elements of folk, rock and pop weave seamlessly throughout the 12-track project. She sings about life's unanswerable questions, trusting the universe, and ultimately finding her way.

As a result, All Things Light finds Cam surer of herself as a songwriter, a creative and a woman. "If I fall, I still sing and I know why," she confidently sings on the triumphant "Turns Out That I Am God"; elsewhere, she fully embraces her pop and dance side on tracks like "Wherever You Are" and "Pretty Girls." While topics of heartbreak and death ("Half Broke Heart," "Village" on 2015 debut Untamed) and deeply personal songs ("Redwood Tree," "Girl Like Me," on 2020 The Otherside) have been prevalent throughout her catalog, Cam sings them on All Things Light as a woman who has grown from life's obstacles — and throughout every track, her positive light shines through.

While working on the album, Cam got the opportunity to work on Beyoncé's COWBOY CARTER. Co-writing five tracks — "AMERIICAN REQUIEM," "PROTECTOR," "DAUGHTER," "TYRANT," and "AMEN" — her contributions not only earned Cam her first GRAMMY, but also further inspired her own project.

"It all came from the same wellspring," she says of the songs on All Things Light and COWBOY CARTER. "Creatively, it was an amazing time. You can tell from this subject matter on the album that it's a very heavy time. I definitely felt the weight of being a mom, and as a mom, you're the guide, and the protector, and the world builder. You're the one who explains what this whole thing is to your kid."

Cam's experiences with her 5-year-old daughter, Lucy, heavily inspired All Things Light. Living life fully is also at the heart of the project, as she witnessed loss within her immediate family, which she touches on in lead single "Alchemy": "From dust to flesh to bones to dust/ We are golden/ Call it a miracle/ I call it alchemy," she sings on the surprisingly upbeat track. Meanwhile, the old-timey "Slow Down" serves as a reminder to trust her gut when chasing a dream: "If you get a funny feeling/ That it's not your dream you're dreamin/ Slow down."

"A lot of these songs are facing the abyss and exploring deeper questions, and maybe not even having an answer, but guideposts for myself and her," Cam explains. "It's a deep, heavy meaning, and then some fun little dance-y vibes — it's everything I wanted in an album."

Below, Cam discusses All Things Light, her creative process, and how motherhood inspires her songwriting.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

All Things Light came from dealing with loss and motherhood during the pandemic. Did the songs help you get through the other side of that loss?

It's been a tough time, personally. In my immediate family, we've had a lot of loss and health stuff, and as difficult as it was, it was a wake-up call about what makes life worth living. It's spending time with people you love. All these songs and raising a kid needing these answers about [life's] big questions, it all showed up [while writing All Things Light]. I have to address things like that.

Even though you think motherhood is a happy creation time, the other side of the coin is, What does it all mean in the big picture? To me, singing is incredibly calming, and writing is super therapeutic and cathartic. These are things that I need to hear.

"Turns Out That I Am God," when I say, "I was busy waiting for someone to live my life," [it] is me being on autopilot and not examining this stuff. "Dreamt myself to the center of all things light" is when I first meditated. I've turned this constantly talking mind off, and inside my belly there's this peace. You get filled with this joy. It's there in me, it's there in the trees, it's there in everything. There's some sort of energy to the universe, and to me, I call that God, and that's realizing that that's in me.

Has your songwriting changed at all being a mother?

I'm really intentional. I don't have time to do anything that isn't important to me. I have to feel really drawn to or inspired by a concept that I commit to, because it's like, Okay, this is important to me. I want this to be out. Then I'll commit all the time that's necessary to make it great.

Obviously when Beyoncé calls, you show up.

It was such incredible divine timing, because I feel like this is something that was coming out of me, this type of music. I obviously love being experimental and pushing boundaries.

Getting a GRAMMY for being a part of that album that was very experimental and pushed a lot of boundaries and still was incredibly meaningful. I think people are going to be discovering the layers of what she did for years. It was so inspiring to see somebody commit and do that at such a high level. 

I think it's really easy to feel scared that if you do something outside of the norm or outside of the box, that it's gonna cost you — and maybe it will. But the point is, what are you doing this for? What matters is you're making great art. If anything, it made me feel super free and emboldened to just stick with it.

You'll forever be introduced as "GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter Cam" for working on Beyoncé's COWBOY CARTER. Have you fully processed that?

Honestly, it hasn't fully processed yet. It's pretty cool to have this statue that says my name, and COWBOY CARTER, and Beyoncé on it. 12-year-old me is like, No way! I get to go see the tour in Vegas, and I'm ready to bawl my eyes out, dance and cry, because it's so incredible.

Years ago, you mentioned that you write songs based on colors. Did you do that for All Things Light?

Definitely, yeah. I think that's one of the easiest ways to describe [songs], when you're trying to take something from a collective subconscious, then you have to try and communicate it with anyone else you're working with. I think that colors usually help me the most — or temperature, sometimes — of describing what it is.

"Alchemy" was your first solo release in four years. What color or temperature were you feeling when you wrote that song?

I started it with my longtime co-writer, Anders Mouridsen, and we were trying really hard to focus on melody. I was like, "Wow, this album is heavy. What if I try and not be heavy?" It still ended up being a death mantra. "From dust to flesh to bones to dust." It's a Buddhist meditation on death.

To me, that song, even though it's talking about death, and the single art is flowers growing out of me, in my mind your body decomposes and becomes something else, transformative. "We are golden" is the assurance. That whole process is beautiful, and can we see that in a positive light? So, to me, that one's this orangey, yellowy, golden-ish color.

I noticed Joni Mitchell has a writing credit on "Alchemy."

It's similar enough to "Woodstock," that song of hers, that I was like, "I want to reach out and make sure that this is good with them, because it's such an important thing to say." It was definitely insane to get approval from her and that team.

It's very Joni Mitchell inspired. She's such an inspiration to me. My mom always loved Joni Mitchell growing up, so we listened to a lot of that. She's one in a million.

How have you transformed in the past five years?

I think I went from a bit shellshocked with motherhood, to then trying to find my feet, and feeling a little bit underwater. At this point, I'm trying really hard to own that life is messy and it doesn't look how you think it's gonna look. That doesn't mean it isn't fantastic, and something that you get lessons out of, and you have heartache, and you have joy. The acceptance of it all and the surrender to it all. I don't think I've mastered it, but I think I'm trying to get better at reminding myself that that's why we're here.

Is there one song that best describes where you are in life right now?

Probably "Turns Out That I'm God." That and "Slow Down," I think those are my core thesis statements. This is my life happening, and it's my experience to enjoy or not enjoy, and it's up to me. That is a heavy and freeing thing at the same time.

The first lyric of the album is, "I was busy waiting for someone to live my life," and then the last lyric is from "We Always Do": "We'll think of something we always do." It's like radical optimism, in a relationship, or just humanity. I think we're gonna figure it out. The last lyric on the whole album is "try," and I like that a lot.

Tell me about writing "Turns Out That I'm God."

I listened to Alan Watts give a lecture. He's a philosopher, entertainer, from the '60s/'70s, and he brought a bunch of Eastern ideas to Westerners. Generally speaking, Westerners feel so separate from the world, like humans are alone and isolated. In general, a lot of Eastern philosophies and religions are integrated, and you're all part of one.

He did a thought experiment: We're all God, we've just forgotten. We could do anything we wanted and dream these beautiful dreams, and they would last for 75 years.

After so many nights, you're like, "Well, maybe I should throw in a little surprise, a little risk." After you try that, you're like, "Wow, that was something. I think I want to try more." You add more and more risk until you get to where you are now, and that's you living your life — where you don't know what's going to happen, and what a gift that is, and what a gift you've chosen to live like that. 

It's about how that makes you feel, when you hear that, [you think], "Maybe I've chosen to be here doing it this way." That was a relief for me when I heard that.

What has this album taught you about yourself and your career?

I got in really late to professional music, because I switched my career when I was 25. I was 29 and 30 and "Burning House" happened so fast. I want to keep meeting what my dream version of music can be, and I think I keep getting closer. I feel like I've landed on something this time. 

I love every single thing that's in this album. Every single piece, nothing was a compromise. Nothing was a decision made out of fear. It all was 100 percent what I wanted it to be. It feels very pure in that way. 

I feel really lucky that I get to keep making music and keep journeying forward to do it like this. It's always something new. It's never the same thing over and over again.

It was definitely a heavy, heavy run around. But then, having the COWBOY CARTER stuff happen… and 070 Shake, who I love, getting to sing and feature on her stuff [2024's "Never Let Us Fade"], I'm so proud of where [my career] is at. 

I know it's not culturally accepted to take your time making art, but I do, and I appreciate that people still want to hear what I've got to say. I'm proud of this album, and I think it's going to be a healing balm for a lot of people.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on June 21, 2023, and was updated on June 11, 2025 with the additions of Chappell Roan and Lady Gaga.

"I want to shout out every single person in this community. You guys, we're the f—in' lifeline of the world, I'm not even kidding. Happy Pride, everybody," Troye Sivan declared on stage on June 6.

Along with Jennifer Lopez, the pop star was headlining the World Pride Music Festival, where artists like Kim Petras, RAYE, RuPaul, Betty Who, Paris Hilton, and MARINA all descended on Washington D.C. to mark 50 years of Pride celebrations in the nation's capital. 

Music has always been a safe haven for gay and trans people of all kinds — from the closeted kids in Middle America finding sanctuary in the songs of their favorite pop stars, to the out-and-proud artists forming the soundtrack for the next generation of LGBTQIA+ fans. And Pride has always been a special time of the year to celebrate visibility and inclusion in the music industry — a place where everyone deserves to show up and be seen (and heard!) as their authentic self, and where every proverbial note, melody and harmony make up a beautiful and unique soundtrack that can only be yours.

Recently, queer musicians and allies who use their platforms to stand up for the LGBTQIA+ community have felt more important than ever. Blatant anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment continues to sweep the country, from hundreds of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills being introduced in state legislatures across the nation, to the Department of Defense purposely stripping legendary gay rights advocate Harvey Milk's name from a Navy ship during Pride, to states like Utah starting to ban Pride flags in schools and government buildings. But those who stand for the community are fighting even harder.

As Pride month carries on, GRAMMY.com has rounded up a list of eleven LGBTQIA+ artists, allies and bonafide gay icons who've made advocating for the community a central tenet of their music, their words and their actions. Of course, there are dozens to highlight, but take a look at how queer artists like Sivan and Lady Gaga and allies like Taylor Swift and Madonna have helped fans shine as their authentic selves.

Read More: Pride Month 2025 Playlist: Listen To Unabashedly Queer Songs By Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish & More

ARTISTS

Betty Who

In June 2023, the indie pop star received an invitation directly from Joe Biden to perform at the White House's official Pride Celebration, where the then-President formally announced his administration's plan titled New Actions to Protect the LGBTQIA+ Community.

"Today was the biggest pride celebration ever held at the white house and i got to be a part of it!!!!!!!!" Betty, who identifies as both queer and bisexual, wrote afterwards on social media. "What an honour it is, how proud i am to be part of the lgbtqia+ [community]...queer joy spouting everywhere!!!"

A staple on the roster of Pride events across the country every year, Who shared an empowering message ahead of hitting the stage at World Pride in Washington D.C. two years later. 

"To my LGBTQIA+ sisters, brothers, everyone in between, in the community: don't give too much of your time and energy to the people who don't get it," she said in a May 2025 interview with PRIDE. "Try and save it all for the people who do, and celebrate you for who you are. Because those are the people who reflect back to you what a special and amazing person you really are… You can't let other people hold you back from living your life and feeling the joy that you absolutely deserve to feel." 

Big Freedia

In 2023, Big Freedia was honored by PFLAG — the nation's longest-running LGBTQIA+ organization — with its first-ever National Breaking Barriers Award. The honor is meant to shine the spotlight on "an individual who uses their platform to help remove obstacles to LGBTQIA+ and intersectional equality in pursuit of a more just, equitable and inclusive world."

Upon receiving the award, the bounce music trailblazer took to Instagram with a determined message, writing, "There's still so much work to do to fight discrimination and I will continue to work on behalf of our whole community to spread love, acceptance, inclusion and everyone's right TO BE FREE."

In May 2025, Freedia suffered a devastating loss when her partner of 20 years, Devon Hurst, passed away from complications with diabetes. "Happy pride month from me and my guardian angel," the GRAMMY nominee wrote on June 1, captioning a bittersweet photo with her late love to mark the start of another Pride season.

Chappell Roan

"I think throughout the year, I'm like, 'What can I get away with?' Because right now it's pretty tame for what it is like to be a gay artist," Chappell Roan told GRAMMY.com last year. "But I just want to push it to see how far can I go — with the most controversial outfits or things to rile people up. I'm not really afraid to do that."

That mantra has helped Roan become one of pop's current queens and the Best New Artist winner at the 2025 GRAMMYs. The outspoken star, who identifies as a lesbian, has unabashedly weaved her sexuality into her music, whether she's pining for a "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl," calling out compulsory heterosexuality in "Good Luck, Babe!," or celebrating the place where she can express her true self in "Pink Pony Club." Her recent single "The Giver" continues that trend: "only a woman knows how to treat a woman right," she declares on the bridge.

She's also championed women's rights and trans rights during performances, using her platform to promote change and to uplift oppressed communities. And as she continues to stake her claim as a household name, Roan is ensuring that queer women are both seen and heard.

Read More: From Dusty To Chappell: A Timeline Of Lesbian & Queer Girl Pop Icons

Lady Gaga

Since the very beginning of her career, Lady Gaga has been a fearless and unwavering champion of her LGBTQIA+ fans and the community at large. After all, there's a reason the superstar, who publicly came out as bisexual in a 2009 interview with Barbara Walters, is called Mother Monster.

As she rocketed up the charts with early hits like "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance," the pop star was unequivocal about her connection to the queer community, whether that meant telling an interviewer on the red carpet that her inspiration came from "God and the gays" or famously dismissing transphobic questions about her own anatomy in a 2011 sit down with Anderson Cooper. (Years later, she admitted her now-famous response to the offensive line of questioning was a conscious and purposeful effort to support any trans or intersex fans who'd found a safe space in her music.)

At nearly every turn, Gaga has used her platform to uplift her queer fans, giving them some of the greatest gay anthems of a generation, from "Born This Way" to "Abracadabra." She launched the Born This Way Foundation with her own mother in 2011, and has been a constant, outspoken advocate for gay rights on the political front — including at the 2025 GRAMMYs, where she declared that "Trans people deserve love" and "The Queer community deserves to be lifted up."

Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X has never been shy when it comes to sticking up for the queer community — and he usually does so with a healthy dose of snarky humor on social media. He's cheerfully clapped back about everything from the explicit queerness of his music videos and his place in the modern pantheon of hip-hop to conservative outrage over Pride-themed merchandise at retailers like Target.

"Can't believe target is supporting this nonsense, im never shopping there again, my son is not 'too cool for school' these shirts are ridiculous. He is going to school and he WILL learn," the GRAMMY winner wrote in a since-deleted tweet in 2023, mockingly referencing the anti-LGBTQIA+ crusaders upset with inclusive and trans-friendly apparel being sold at the popular retailer.

With anti-trans sentiments reaching dangerous new levels in the years since, Lil Nas is giving his fans a momentary escape with flamboyant and fun new singles like "HOT BOX" and "DREAMBOY" while choosing to remain optimistic about the future of the LGBTQIA+ community.

"Everything with the young males being taught these super conservative ways, at least in America: everything is shifting with this rebellious hyper-masculine thing," he told PAPER in April. "I think it's going to work itself out. I think things are going to be fine. 

"I'm not trying to minimize what's happening," he continued. "I just think s— is going to work itself out, especially in the generation where everything is a trend. The second the next thing comes along, it will be like, 'Hey, we don't hate women and gay people anymore. Let's do something else now.'"

Read More: Black Sounds Beautiful: How Lil Nas X Turned The Industry On Its Head With "Old Town Road" And Beyond

Kim Petras

Petras cemented her place as a rising star in the pop music echelon in February 2023, when she became the first trans woman to win the GRAMMY for Best Pop Duo/Group collaboration with Sam Smith for their subversive collaboration "Unholy." (Smith, who identifies as non-binary, also made history with the win, though they graciously ceded the floor for Petras to give her awestruck acceptance speech on the GRAMMYs stage.)

The German pop princess opened up about her experience growing up trans and the vulnerable state of trans youth in the ongoing political climate in the cover story of Out's 2023 Pride issue. "I literally was very suicidal as a kid, and I just wouldn't still be here had my parents not believed me," she told the magazine. "I hate that another generation is going through this, and I hate that young kids are going through the same s— I was going through, and that apparently just isn't changing. I think it's sad. I just never understood why people were so obsessed with what people do to be happy. Just focus on what you can do to be happy."

Petras was booked and busier than ever in 2025, criss-crossing the country to headline major Pride celebrations like Outloud Music Festival at WeHo Pride; World Pride Music Festival in Washington, D.C.; Nashville Pride Festival; Drag Me to Cowboys in Calgary, Alberta; San Diego Pride and more.

Read More: A Legacy Of Pride: Queer Artists Who Changed The GRAMMYs Forever

Troye Sivan

Years before releasing his debut album Blue Neighborhood in 2015, Troye Sivan came out publicly via YouTube. Since then, he's been consistently outspoken about his experiences as a gay artist in the music industry.

The Australia native has made an intentional point in his career of turning his visuals into unapologetic examples of queer art — from the lusty defiance of 2018's "My My My!" and to the "gushy juicy doting adoring power b^tt^m gay ballad" perfection that was 2021's "Angel Baby."

Perhaps most powerful of all, though, was his video for early single "Heaven" featuring Betty Who, which depicted historic moments in the LGBTQIA+ rights movement including some of the earliest Pride parades on record. "We have always been here. we will always be here. this video is dedicated to all those who've come before me and fought for our cause and those who now continue the fight," he wrote in the video's description. "in dark and light times, let's love forever. love, troye x."

Meanwhile, in the last two years, Sivan has established his place as at the very center of gay culture thanks to his 2023 album, Something to Give Each Other, and the headline-making SWEAT Tour with Charli xcx, who also tapped him to collaborate on the 2024 remix of Brat single "Talk Talk."

ALLIES

Beyoncé

Long considered a gay icon in her own right, Beyoncé paid reverential honor to the LGBTQIA+ community and her late uncle Johnny with 2022's RENAISSANCE, an undulating magnum opus inspired by the underground ballroom scene sparked by Black, trans and gay pioneers of the 1970s, '80s, '90s, and beyond.

Queen Bey also held space for queer artists throughout RENAISSANCE's sprawling, hour-long track list, collaborating with TS Madison and Big Freedia, sampling Kevin Aviance and late drag star Moi Renee, working with Honey Dijon behind the boards and more. "Thank you to all of the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized for far too long," the living legend wrote in a note posted to her personal website upon the album's release. "This is a celebration for you."

The most-awarded artist in GRAMMY history revived the spirit of RENAISSANCE during her 2025 COWBOY CARTER TOUR as well, performing fan favorite cuts from the era like "CUFF IT," "THIQUE," "I'M THAT GIRL" and "COZY" during the tour's final two acts. 

Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons

Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds has emerged as a powerful advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community through his nonprofit organization Loveloud and its popular Utah festival, which he launched in 2017 to support LGBTQIA+ teens in the state's overwhelmingly conservative (and outspokenly anti-LGBTQIA+) Mormon community.  

Since then, Reynolds and the Loveloud board — which includes out and proud musicians like Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees, Tegan Quin of Tegan & Sara, VINCINT, Greyson Chance, and Parson James — have expanded Loveloud's mission beyond the Mormonism of the Wasatch front. In 2023, Loveloud morphed into a traveling festival with stops in Austin, Texas (where dozens of anti-LGBTQIA+ laws have been pursued by the state legislature and Gov. Greg Abbott) and Washington D.C., and in 2024, held its first-ever events in New York City, Chicago and Miami after being named to the Out100.

Madonna

What hasn't Madonna done in her iconic career to lift up the LGBTQIA+ community? In fact, there's an entire Wikipedia page dedicated solely to her status as a living gay icon.

Famously, Her Madgesty's love for the gay community started with her early mentor and dance teacher Christopher Flynn. Early in her career, she became one of the first artists to speak out about the HIV/AIDS crisis and decry the stigmatization of gay people at the time.

She's been recognized by the GLAAD Media Awards multiple times, including in 1991 with the Raising Gay Awareness award and in 2019 with the Advocate for Change award. (At the latter ceremony, GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis stated, "Madonna always has and always will be the LGBTQ community's greatest ally.")

Naturally, the icon's Celebration Tour throughout 2023 and 2024 felt like one massive tribute to the queer community, whether the icon was paying emotional tribute to the lives lost to the HIV/AIDS crisis with "Live to Tell" or hosting an impromptu ballroom competition every night during "Vogue."

While that global tour has since concluded (with a record-setting concert at Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, no less), Madonna has continued to celebrate her LGBTQIA+ fans by sharing messages about Trans Day of Visibility and Pride — and promoting the Trans Justice Funding Project — in the lead-up to the release of her long-rumored remix project Veronica Electronica.

Taylor Swift

While she'd slyly referenced her support for the LGBTQIA+ community in the past on songs like "Welcome to New York," Taylor Swift took a public stand in 2019 with her Lover era single "You Need to Calm Down." The gay anthem's celebratory music video issued a call to action for her fans to support the as-yet-unpassed Equality Act with her very own Change.org petition.

During her Eras Tour stop in Chicago in June 2023, the superstar spoke specifically to her LGBTQIA+ fans, promising them that her concerts would always be a "safe space" for them to celebrate who they are. 

"I wish that every place was safe and beautiful for people in the LGBTQ community, I really wish that. We can't talk about Pride Month without talking about pain," she told the sold-out crowd of Swifties at Soldier Field. "There have been so many harmful pieces of legislation that have put people in the LGBTQ and queer community at risk. It's painful for everyone — every ally, every loved one, every person in these communities. And that's why I'm always posting, 'This is when the midterms are. This is when these important, key primaries are.'

"'Cause we can support as much as we want during Pride Month," the 12-time GRAMMY winner continued. "But if we're not doing our research on these elected officials — Are they advocates? Are they allies? Are they protectors of equality? Do I want to vote for them? — I love you guys so much, and happy Pride Month."