Watch highlights from the 2025 GRAMMYs on live.GRAMMY.com.
The 2025 GRAMMYs telecast was reimagined to raise funds to support those impacted by the wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area. The Recording Academy and MusiCares launched a dedicated campaign to support affected music professionals, and we need your help. Donate now.
Ahead of the 2025 GRAMMYs, a trio of special evenings were convened to honor the year's nominees and celebrate the achievements of the Recording Academy's wider musical community.
Held in San Francisco, New York City and Nashville by those Chapters of the Recording Academy, each event provided local music industry peers a unique chance to unite for dual common causes: supporting those impacted by a confluence of wildfires in Los Angeles and celebrating an exceptional class of nominees.
The San Francisco Chapter kicked off the series of celebrations on Jan. 16 at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley. The evening began with a performance by Bay Area singer/songwriter La Doña, who dedicated one of her songs to the migrants who "created the Bay Area I know and love," and continued with music by DJ D-Sharp, Official DJ of the Golden State Warriors. In subsequent opening remarks, Chapter President Kev Choice acknowledged the challenge of having a party in the wake of the devastation now facing the greater Los Angeles community.
"It may feel difficult to celebrate with what’s happening in L.A.," Choice said, "especially because up here in NorCal, we are all too familiar with that reality."
But as SF Chapter Executive Director Christen McFarland noted in her comments to the crowd, the best way to help is simply to give.
Noting that GRAMMY-affiliated fundraising organization MusiCares had already dispersed $2 million worth of funds to those in need — by the conclusion of Sunday’s telecast, MusiCares and the Academy had raised over $24 million for charitable activities — McFarland spoke of the GRAMMY Awards' renewed sense of purpose: Recognizing the bravery and dedication of the first responders and raising funds to support the recovery of the Southern California music industry.
Among the nominees in attendance in San Francisco were Nicolas de Porcel (mastering engineer for Record Of The Year winner "Not Like Us"), Nicholas Phan (nominated for both Best Classical Solo Vocal Album and the winning Best Opera Recording entry),and Michael Romanowski (with this 10th nomination, this year for Best Immersive Audio Album. Acclaimed local acts such as Green Day, 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Taj Mahal, and MusiCares Persons Of The Year the Grateful Dead were acknowledged in absentia.
Performing artist La Doña┃Courtesy of the San Francisco Chapter
Several days later in Nashville, Chapter members similarly encouraged support for musicians reeling from the wildfire fallout. "Our family right now in California — both in the music community and the community at large — have unfortunately been through so much," Nashville Chapter Executive Director Alicia Warwick said in her opening remarks.
Warwick encouraged the crowd to "be intentional" with their efforts to support Southern California's music community. "Let us use the power of music to help rebuild, uplift and support those in need," she continued.
QR codes found on tables around the room reduced the challenge of making donations to MusiCares’ Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to three-chord simplicity, while Warwick also made sure to encourage any professionals affected to apply for said relief.
Music City had a significant presence among 2025 GRAMMYs nominees. Nashville Chapter President Armand Hutton emphasized that over 110 Chapter professionals were nominated across 45 Categories, including nominees for Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Best New Artist, Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical, and two nominees in Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical.
The New York City Chapter closed out the series of festivities on Jan. 27. Presented in collaboration with platinum partner Tavern on the Green and 2025 partners — including the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment, Amazon Music, Concord, Sound Royalties, and the Orchard — the festivities included remarks from NY Chapter President Lee Dannay, who shared with GRAMMY.com that coast-to-coast efforts are required to properly support those in the industry affected by the Los Angeles wildfires.
"[We are] harnessing the power of music to help rebuild, uplift, and support our L.A. family and community," Dannay said. "At our nominee celebration, we reinforced the importance of service and support to our music family, and we will continue to donate, volunteer and spread the word about the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to support those impacted by the crisis throughout the long road to recovery ahead."
The full house present for the evening included Charlie Rosen, a nominee in the Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals Category. "This is my fourth time being recognized by the GRAMMY Awards, which is, of course, an insanely huge honor," Rosen told GRAMMY.com.
"But the GRAMMYS isn’t some floating entity made of pure magic that lives in the sky — it’s an organization of like-minded artists. It’s a community! I would be nowhere without the community of incredible artists the Recording Academy has assembled through the years to support what we do," he continued. "Having a strong community of both collaborators and listeners is the backbone of our industry, and without that support system I wouldn’t be where I am today. Full stop."
Rosen’s full-throated support of the Recording Academy is reflected in the generosity of those who have gathered quickly and eagerly to support their ailing Los Angeles comrades. Just as Sunday’s Ceremony managed to meld the severity of that situation with a celebration worthy of a gloriously historic evening on numerous fronts, these nominee dinners continue to confirm that the members of the Recording Academy are committed to never leaving their own behind.