Despite <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/beyonce">Beyoncé</a>’s fans being overjoyed about her winning her first ever <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/grammy-awards">Grammy Award</a> for Album of the Year, plenty of other award show winners were confused. They failed to recognize how the 43-year-old pop singer nabbed the night’s biggest prize for “Cowboy Carter,” a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/country-music">country album</a>, especially against such stiff competition.
Country artist John Rich weighed in with his thoughts on awards shows and how they picked winners. The former Big &amp; Rich member said the whole thing is rigged and has nothing to do with actual talent.
“Folks are asking me ‘how do music award shows work?’” Rich posted on X.
He continued, “Labels/publishers all have blocks of votes. They make deals with each other &#8216;you vote for mine, we&#8217;ll vote for yours&#8217; type thing. It has ZERO to do with who made the best music, thus, Beyonce with &#8216;Country album of the year.&#8217; Nice, right? The same thing is true with the CMA&#8217;s, ACM&#8217;s, Billboard, etc&#8230;all work exactly the same. Last night, the Grammy&#8217;s outed themselves in a big way.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Folks are asking me &quot;how do music award shows work?&quot; Labels/publishers all have blocks of votes. They make deals with each other &quot;you vote for mine, we&#39;ll vote for yours&quot; type thing. It has ZERO to do with who made the best music, thus, Beyonce with &quot;Country album of the year.&quot;…
&mdash; John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) <a href="https://twitter.com/johnrich/status/1886402683055014144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The replies were full of people saying they weren’t even slightly surprised.
“The Grammys just proved what we already knew—it&#8217;s all about backroom deals, not real talent. Meanwhile, actual country artists are out here making real music and getting ignored. Absolute joke,” one person <a href="https://x.com/basterecords/status/1886413467269107987">wrote</a>.
“Yes, sadly, it&#8217;s not about the music anymore. Also performance spots are paid. That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s the same people performing over and over again. Like a vanity show of the richest,” another comment <a href="https://x.com/CariCole/status/1886414842963062790">said</a>. “&#8230;For lifelong musicians, who really care about the music—it is soul-crushing. Unbearable to watch.”
Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly also weighed in on Beyoncé’s big win in a clip that was then <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@megynkellyshow/video/7467316522902506783?lang=en">posted</a> to TikTok.
“Beyoncé, she’s won 33 Grammys, including for Best Country album last night. Frank Sinatra got 11 Grammys. The Beatles won 7. Judy Garland, 2. Beyoncé: 33. The most overrated artist of all time.”
“We’re not buying it,” Kelly added after reading Rich’s tweet out loud. “We know what happened and how she got this award.”
Other nominees for the highly coveted Album of the Year Award included Andre 3000, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli xcx, Jacob Collier, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Taylor Swift.
Beyoncé is the most nominated person in Grammys history, with 99 total nominations.

John Rich and Beyonce

John Rich Explains How Beyoncé Nabbed Album Of The Year, Says It’s ‘ZERO’ To Do With ‘Best Music’

John Rich Explains How Beyoncé Nabbed Album Of The Year, Says It's 'ZERO' To Do With 'Best Music'

Beyonce

Country Music

Entertainment

Grammy Awards

John Rich

Music

U.S.

During Sunday&#8217;s 2025 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/grammys">Grammy Awards</a> ceremony, several artists promoted woke ideology, including winner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">Alicia Keys</a>, who claimed diversity, equity, and inclusion (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-dei">DEI</a>) is actually a good thing. 
The 44-year-old singer took to the stage after winning the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. 
“This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices we&#8217;ve seen on this stage,” Keys said during her acceptance speech. “We’ve seen on this stage talented, hardworking people from different backgrounds with different points of view, and it changes the game.”
The singer added, “DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift.”
“And the more voices, the more powerful the sound. When destructive forces try to burn us down, we rise from the ashes like a phoenix, and as you see tonight, music is the unstoppable language that connects us all,” Keys continued, urging viewers to have “empathy” and “compassion.”
Keys’ comments appeared to be directed at President Donald Trump, who has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-wages-all-out-war-on-dei">speaking out against DEI</a> initiatives that ignore qualifications or aptitude while emphasizing factors like race and gender. 
Many X users shot back against Keys, saying DEI is unfair. 
“She is correct; [DEI] is a gift to people who did not earn it,” one reply <a href="https://x.com/jscottb32/status/1886403109385048260">said</a>.
“Keyword ‘gift.’ No job should be a gift. Should be earned,” another person <a href="https://x.com/racingdc9/status/1886384323441402247">echoed</a>.
“Meritocracy built the West, not DEI,” a third person <a href="https://x.com/ArchangelMihai/status/1886390367626362986">wrote</a>. “When people are chosen based on race and identity rather than skill and talent, society collapses. ‘Diversity’ isn’t the problem &#8211; forced diversity at the expense of excellence is.”
She wasn’t the only one who got political during the Grammy Awards. 
Lady Gaga won for best pop duo/group performance and used her acceptance speech to advocate for “trans people.”
“It’s such an honor to sing for all of you. I just want to say tonight that trans people are not invisible,” Gaga <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlkYa3-wmTg">said</a> as the crowd gave her a standing ovation.  “Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love. Thank you.”
Pop singer Shakira seemed to reference President Trump’s recent crackdown on illegal immigration, <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/02/shakira-dedicates-grammys-win-immigrant-brothers-sisters-1236276197/">shouting out</a> her “immigrant brothers and sisters” during her acceptance speech for best Latin pop album. The Colombian singer continued, &#8220;You&#8217;re loved and worth it, and I&#8217;ll fight with you.&#8221;
Chappell Roan performed her song “Pink Pony Club” at the event, and her dancers waved the pink, white, and blue transgender flag. Before entering the venue, she spoke with GLAAD about Trump&#8217;s executive order proclaiming that the government would only recognize two biological sexes.
Roan, who identifies as “demisexual,” <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2025/02/02/chappell-roan-grammys-speech/78169854007/">told</a> the outlet: &#8220;It&#8217;s brutal right now, but trans people have always existed, and they will forever exist, and they will never no matter what happens take trans joy away, and that has to be protected more than anything.&#8221;
“I would not be here without trans girls,” Roan continued. “So just know that pop music is thinking about you and cares about you and I’m trying my best to stand up for you in every way that I can.”

Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys Mocked For Saying ‘DEI Is Not A Threat, It’s A Gift’ During Grammys Speech

Alicia Keys Mocked For Saying 'DEI Is Not A Threat, It's A Gift' During Grammys Speech

Celebrities

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Wokeness

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/beyonce">Beyoncé</a> won for the first time ever in the highly lauded Album of the Year category at Sunday night’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/grammys">Grammy Awards</a> and became the first black artist to win Best Country Album with &#8220;Cowboy Carter.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;d like to thank all of the incredible country artists that accepted this album. We worked so hard on it,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I think sometimes genre is a cold word to keep us in a place as artists.&#8221;
The 43-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">pop star</a> took home top honors for her country album. Other nominees for Album of the Year included Andre 3000, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli xcx, Jacob Collier, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Taylor Swift.
Beyoncé began her acceptance speech by saying she’d “like to thank and acknowledge and praise all the firefighters for keeping us safe.” Members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department were still on the stage after presenting her with the award.
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&nbsp;
“Cowboy Carter,” a multi-genre album, was released in March and received mostly positive reviews. However, it was not nominated for any Country Music Association Awards last year.
Beyoncé was also nominated for nine other Grammy awards, making her the most-nominated artist in Grammy history.
Cowboy Carter was in no way a shoo-in as fans speculated that Swift, Eilish, Charlie xcx and hot new star Chappell Roan would offer tough competition for Album of the Year. 
Despite Swift&#8217;s massive popularity and the success of her Eras tour, which wrapped up this year, she did not win any Grammys last night.

Beyoncé Wins Album Of The Year And Best Country Album For ‘Cowboy Carter’

Beyoncé Wins Album Of The Year And Best Country Album For 'Cowboy Carter' 

Music Industry

The biggest applause and longest standing ovation at the 67th Grammy Awards on Sunday went to the members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
<a href="https://x.com/RecordingAcad/status/1886275764162580710" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nearly two dozen firefighters</a> stepped on stage to present the Album of the Year award as the stars in attendance cheered loudly for them for the incredible work they did while they battled the multiple <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wildfires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wildfires</a> that raged in Southern California last month.
Before naming the artists nominated for the night’s biggest honor, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGXJOd4l3NQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles County Fire Chief</a> Anthony Marrone thanked everyone for their support. The first responders appeared overwhelmed by the reception.
“Wow, thank you,” Marrone told the audience. “Thank you for supporting all of us and recognizing the heroes that are standing behind me and the sheroes.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT | 2025 GRAMMYs" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aGXJOd4l3NQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“On behalf of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department, I would like to thank the recording academy for having us here this evening,&#8221; he added. “This is a tremendous honor and privilege to be in the company of such talented music industry professionals.”
“As fire chief, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank first responders who came from near and far to battle this wildfire siege,” Marrone continued. “In the midst of unprecedented fire conditions, their selfless acts of courage and commitment were nothing short of inspiring. Our heartfelt condolences and prayers remain with all the families who have lost loved ones, friends, and neighbors, along with everyone who has lost homes, businesses, and been displaced.”
“I am confident that we will recover and rebuild together because we are LA Strong.”
Captain Sheila Kelliher Berkoh then listed off the names of the nominees for Album of the Year: André 3000, Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli xcx, Jacob Collier, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Taylor Swift. She then pulled the name out of the envelope and announced that Beyonce had won for her “Cowboy Carter” album.
During the ceremony, the fires and communities destroyed in the fires were top of mind as host Trevor Noah announced the academy would accept donations throughout the evening to help with recovery efforts. 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/female-rapper-praises-god-for-sobriety-after-winning-first-ever-grammy-award" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Female Rapper Praises God For Sobriety After Winning First Ever Grammy Award</a>

Grammy Awards 2025

Biggest Applause, Longest Standing Ovation At Grammys Goes To LA Firefighters

Biggest Applause, Longest Standing Ovation At Grammy Awards Goes To LA Firefighters

Awards

California

Firefighters

Los Angeles

Los Angeles County

Wildfires

Peter Yarrow of the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary has died at the age of 86 following a four-year battle with bladder cancer, his publicist Ken Sunshine confirmed.
The singer-songwriter — best known for writing hit songs for the musical group like “Puff the Magic Dragon” and “Light One Candle” — passed away at his home in New York City on Tuesday, <a href="https://people.com/peter-yarrow-dead-age-86-bladder-cancer-8770615?hid=4f90b78dc31e627328d98338e1fa49d03b364abc&amp;did=16052752-20250107&amp;utm_campaign=ppl_relationship-builder&amp;utm_source=ppl&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=010725&amp;lctg=4f90b78dc31e627328d98338e1fa49d03b364abc&amp;lr_input=a08f4ce0dc67f7e22d138c82b9ce538ad294bfaca0b145e2f563962e58e05ef7&amp;utm_term=news-alert">People magazine</a> reported.
“Our fearless dragon is tired and has entered the last chapter of his magnificent life,” Yarrow’s daughter Bethany said in a statement to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/peter-yarrow-dies-paul-mary-767c223e40c243199b0d0875e29a5efc">Associated Press</a>. &#8220;The world knows Peter Yarrow the iconic folk activist, but the human being behind the legend is every bit as generous, creative, passionate, playful, and wise as his lyrics suggest.&#8221;
In a recent post on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DDQahI_RWM5/?hl=en">Instagram</a> from both Yarrow’s kids, Christopher and Bethany, the two noted that the end of his life was near.
“He has kept his doctors in awe at his resilience as he has continued to perform and live life in his own generous and cause-driven way,” the statement in December read.
“It has been a long road and he has been a strong dragon, but right now he is very weak, and, at 86, his dragon days are numbered,” it added. “There is Peter Yarrow the folk activist legend, and then there is the man, a deeply compassionate man, who changed the lives of so many people in very personal ways.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Peter Yarrow, legendary Peter, Paul and Mary singer, dead at 86 <a href="https://t.co/zv64Qk1yDy">https://t.co/zv64Qk1yDy</a> <a href="https://t.co/tYv6yXz6Z0">pic.twitter.com/tYv6yXz6Z0</a>
— New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1876686732260704598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
In the 1960s Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers formed the trio band and over the next decade had numerous top ten hits, like their cover of John Denver’s “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” that hit number one, two number one albums and took home five Grammy Awards, the AP noted.
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/arts/music/peter-yarrow-dead.html">Born in Manhattan</a>, <a href="https://www.peteryarrow.net/bio">Yarrow</a> recalled first hearing purpose-driven music in high school which would eventually lead him to New York City where he met the Stookey and Travers.
“When I was in high school,” he wrote. “I heard The Weavers at Carnegie Hall singing songs like ‘If I Had a Hammer’ ‘Follow The Drinking Gourd’ and ‘Wasn’t That a Time.’ I was stunned by the extraordinary effect that music of conscience can have on people, particularly when they sing songs of conscience together.&#8221;
The trio formed their group in 1961 and a year later their self-titled debut album topped the charts with hits like “Lemon Tree” and “If I Had a Hammer,” People magazine noted.
That music of conscience would lead the group to perform during such civil rights movements as the March on Washington in 1963 led by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Selma-Montgomery March two years later. 
In 1970, the group split after a 14-year-old girl accused Yarrow of making sexual advances towards her, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/arts/music/peter-yarrow-dead.html">New York Times</a> reported. He pleaded guilty to taking “indecent liberties” with the girl who had come to his dressing room to get an autograph. He ended up serving 3 months of his one-to-three-year prison sentence. The band would later reunite and continue performing together.
He is survived by his wife Marybeth McCarthy along with his two kids and a granddaughter.

Peter, Paul and Mary

Peter Yarrow, Of Folk Trio Peter, Paul and Mary Dead At 86

dead

singer