With the 68th annual Grammy Awards just three days away, it’s time to reflect on the wins that made us jump out of our seats in celebration or scream in disapproval at our screens. While the Recording Academy is no stranger to making divisive choices, with #Scammys trending online each year after the show, there are a handful of awards that feel utterly deserved and appreciated in music history. From long-awaited recognition to worldwide beloved anthems, here are five of the best Grammy wins in recent years.

“Golden Hour” winning album of the year in 2019

Kacey Musgraves’ monumental album of the year award for her 2018 record “Golden Hour” feels like one of those rare moments where the best album really did win. The country-pop record was universally praised for its poignantly relatable lyrics and reflections on family and transitional periods in life, conveyed through ballads like “Rainbow,” in which Musgraves resiliently reminds her audience, “That there’s always been a rainbow / Hanging over your head.” Although the competition in this category was weaker than in other years, “Golden Hour” beat commercial successes from Drake and Cardi B in a significant win for women in country music.

Silk Sonic’s clean sweep in 2022

It’s hard to concoct a duo as perfect a storm as Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak in 2021 with their collaborative album, “An Evening with Silk Sonic.” Churning out timeless pop and R&B hits like “Leave The Door Open” and “Smokin Out The Window,” the pair effortlessly swept the main awards in 2022, winning song of the year, record of the year, best R&B performance and best R&B song for “Leave The Door Open.” One can only hope the pair will reunite to perform on Mars’ 2026 tour, which features Paak as an opener. Their unmatched chemistry — personified by the pair’s viral suave reaction to their academy win — begs for more time in the spotlight.

“Cowboy Carter” winning album of the year in 2025

To those who have disappointedly watched Beyoncé lose album of the year awards for the past 15 years, her historic “Cowboy Carter” win felt less like an unexpected surprise and more like recognition begrudgingly overdue. The award was far from unanimously praised, with a wave of unbearable discourse following, as critics claimed other nominees were more worthy of the title or debated “Cowboy Carter’s” legitimacy as a country album. Still, anyone who earnestly listens to the record recognizes that its content is not defined by a single genre, but rather by its interwoven, diverse storytelling of cultural reclamation amidst racial discrimination. Even though her album of the year win was arguably deserved over a decade ago for “Beyoncé” or “Lemonade,” it still felt all the more justified to finally see her wield the trophy on stage.

Michael Jackson’s record-setting night for “Thriller” in 1984

Maybe it’s low-hanging fruit to mention Michael Jackson on this list, but it feels irresponsible to dismiss his historic night in 1984, when he took home eight Grammys during his “Thriller” period. The array of accolades, ranging from album of the year to best recording for children for the audiobook “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” cemented Jackson as a ubiquitous, inescapable force in the industry — a status that seems to have no expiration. Although the band Santana would later tie the record in 2000, Jackson remains the only solo artist to ever reach this feat, and it’s hard to imagine a future where someone could join him in this achievement.

Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories” sweep in 2014

Though Daft Punk is unfortunately a band of the past as of 2021, the duo’s robotic fusion of French house and funk lives on as a cultural milestone of club music in the 2000s and 2010s. In 2014, the pair took home four awards for their “Random Access Memories” album, including album of the year, best dance/electronica album and and both record of the year and best pop duo/group performance for the song “Get Lucky.” In a year of decade-defining pop music like Bruno Mars’s “Locked Out of Heaven” and Lorde’s “Royals,” “Random Access Memories” shined as a succinct, kaleidoscopic soundscape that simultaneously captures nostalgia and futurism. Thankfully, the academy awarded the band’s unique vision.

Contact Amelia Knust at [email protected].