Taylor Swift, despite earning an impressive six nominations at the 2025 Grammy Awards, went home empty-handed. The pop icon’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, was a strong contender, but she found herself falling short in each of the categories she was nominated for.
Swift’s first setback of the night came in the Best Music Video category, where her visually captivating video for The Tortured Poets Department lost to Kendrick Lamar’s politically charged video for Not Like Us. She also faced tough competition in the Best Pop Vocal Album category, ultimately losing to Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet. Swift’s other nominations included Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year, but in each instance, she was bested by other talented artists.
For Album of the Year, Swift was up against some heavy hitters, including André 3000, Charli XCX, Jacob Collier, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Beyoncé. The coveted trophy was claimed by Beyoncé for her album Renaissance, marking her first-ever win in this prestigious category. During her acceptance speech, Beyoncé took a moment to thank Los Angeles County firefighters for their service, acknowledging their role in keeping the community safe. “I’d like to thank and acknowledge and praise all the firefighters for keeping us safe,” Beyoncé said.
Earlier in the evening, Swift had the honor of presenting the Country Album of the Year award to Beyoncé for Cowboy Carter. The two shared a heartfelt moment when Beyoncé expressed her gratitude, saying, “I was not expecting this. I want to thank God – oh my God – that I’m able to still do what I still love after so many years. I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists and I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about. Stay persistent.”
Despite leaving the event without any trophies, Swift appeared in high spirits. The Shake It Off singer was seen dancing along to various performances and enthusiastically supporting the other winners, including Lamar and Carpenter. Swift even shared a joyous moment with Sabrina Carpenter, 25, after the Espresso singer won her first-ever Grammy for Pop Solo Performance.
While the night may not have brought home any new awards for Swift, it highlighted her continued influence and presence in the music industry, and her positive attitude was a testament to her love for the art form.