In recent years, public interest in award shows has significantly declined with many viewers questioning their relevance and fairness. Regardless, Grammys 2025 appeared to be the first award show everyone generally enjoyed in a while.
So, what made this year’s Grammys so different? For the most part, many have seen Grammys 2025 as a true celebration of the music industry. Unfortunately, the past few years have seen the public’s perception of awards shows sour due to many perceiving them as not genuine.
Instead of celebrating the diversity within the music industry, the public has only seen the same artists win the same award categories year after year. The growing divide between critics and the mainstream audience’s perceptions of award winners has also played a major part.
An example of this can be found in the controversial Best picture award won at the 2025 Oscars by the film Emilia Perez. The 2025 Grammys, unlike this year’s Oscars, seemed to satisfy the expectations of both the audience and Hollywood’s elites.
The show delivered great performances from its guest artists and gives its new award-winning artists and nominees time slots to promote themselves to potential fans. It reminded everyone of why we love these events and how important they are to their respective industries.
The Grammys and other entertainment awards shows have a perfect opportunity to take what was learned at this year’s show and implement it in future events that follow.
According to the National Research Group, while Gen Z still holds interest in award show events, they aren’t tuning in to their cable broadcasts. Instead, awards show participation from Gen Z tends to stick towards social media sites like YouTube, Twitter/X, and TikTok.
This will likely lead to these events incorporating ideas that audiences have longed for years, such as more international representation, audience picks, and more. These awards shows will likely have to grapple with the widening audience reception split between Gen Z and older generations.
