Sierra Ferrell Wins BIG at 2025 Grammy Awards



From a homeless and train hopping busker, to one of the fastest-rising stars in independent roots music, to now a four-time Grammy-winning artist, the hopeful and inspiring story of singer and songwriter Sierra Ferrell only continues to get sweeter.

On Sunday (2-2) during the Grammy’s “Premier Ceremony” that precedes the big telecast on CBS, Sierra Ferrell nearly swept the American Roots categories where she was nominated four times. Ferrell won all four categories, walking away with trophies for Best Americana Album (Trail of Flowers), Best American Roots Song (“American Dreaming” with co-writer Melody Walker), Best Americana Performance (“American Dreaming”), and Best American Roots Performance for “Lighthouse.”

These wins will not just make Sierra Ferrell one of the biggest winners in country and roots music. It will make her one of the biggest Grammy getters in 2025, if not the biggest before the night is over.

Sierra showed up in a white dress with a scepter where she had her speech stashed for her first win.

“Wow, wow, thank you so much,” Sierra said, accepting the first award, Best Americana Performance. “I want to say thank you to my mom for one. I love my mother. And to my little dog Baker, and to my production crew Eddie Spear and Gary Paczosa, and to my gals out on the road with me that keep the wheels rolling. I obviously wasn’t expecting this, and I want to thank everyone in the category, because everyone’s so beautiful in their own way, and they have their own essence.”

Melody Walker also accepted the award for American Roots Songs with Sierra.

Sierra Ferrell with Melody Walker


See full list of country and roots winners from the 2024 Grammy Awards below.

Best American Roots Performance was handed out later in the presentation with the country awards. When returning to the stage for her fourth acceptance speech, Ferrell said, “I got so caught up earlier from the anxiety of winning something that I forgot to thank the most important thing, which is GodThe power of prayer is so powerful, so don’t forget to say your prayers.

The writing was on the wall that Sierra Ferrell could have a big Grammy week at the end of 2024 when her most recent album Trail of Flowers ended up at the top of many 2024 end-of-year lists, including becoming Saving Country Music’s 2024 Album of the Year.

Ferrell was also selected to perform at MusiCares Person of the Year gala the night before the Grammys honoring The Grateful Dead. Sierra dressed like the Dead’s “Skull and Roses” character with a crown of roses in her hair, and appropriately performed The Dead’s “It Must Have Been the Roses” with Lukas Nelson.

For some music artists, a Grammy Award is icing on the cake. For a performer like Sierra Ferrell, it’s not just validating, it can be career-changing. Already selling out theaters across the United States and set to open stadium shows for Post Malone in 2025, the wins could significantly bolster Sierra even more, finally putting a woman on par with other top independent performers such as Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, and Billy Strings.

Though to some, all music awards are silly. For others, they seem especially sweet from the hard work and perseverance that led up to them. That certainly feels like the case for Sierra Ferrell.

Also winning in American Roots categories were Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, who took the trophy for Best Folk Album for Woodland, and Billy Strings who won Best Bluegrass Album for Live Vol. 1. Early country winners include Chris Stapleton for Best Country Solo Performance (“It Takes a Woman”), Kacey Musgraves for Best Country Song (“The Architect”), and Beyoncé for Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Miley Cyrus for “II Most Wanted.”

Beyoncé was nominated in all four country categories, but has only walked away with one so far. She was also nominated for Americana Performance, but lost to Sierra Ferrell. Best Country Album will be handed out during Sunday evening’s primetime telecast.



AMERICAN ROOTS WINNERS:


Americana Album:
The Other Side – T Bone Burnett
$10 Cowboy – Charley Crockett
Trail Of Flowers – Sierra Ferrell – WINNER
Polaroid Lovers – Sarah Jarosz
No One Gets Out Alive – Maggie Rose
Tigers Blood – Waxahatchee

American Roots Performance:
“Blame It On Eve” — Shemekia Copeland
“Nothing In Rambling” — The Fabulous Thunderbirds Featuring Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal & Mick Fleetwood
“Lighthouse” — Sierra Ferrell – WINNER
“The Ballad Of Sally Anne” — Rhiannon Giddens

Americana Performance:
“YA YA” — Beyoncé
“Subtitles” — Madison Cunningham
“Don’t Do Me Good” — Madi Diaz Featuring Kacey Musgraves
“American Dreaming” — Sierra Ferrell – WINNER
“Runaway Train” — Sarah Jarosz
“Empty Trainload Of Sky” — Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

American Roots Song:
“Ahead Of The Game” — Mark Knopfler, songwriter (Mark Knopfler)
“All In Good Time” — Sam Beam, songwriter (Iron & Wine Featuring Fiona Apple)
“All My Friends” — Aoife O’Donovan, songwriter (Aoife O’Donovan)
“American Dreaming” — Sierra Ferrell & Melody Walker, songwriters (Sierra Ferrell) – WINNER
“Blame It On Eve” — John Hahn & Will Kimbrough, songwriters (Shemekia Copeland)

Best Bluegrass Album:
I Built a World, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Songs of Love and Life, The Del McCoury Band
No Fear, Sister Sadie
Live Vol. 1, Billy Strings – WINNER
Earl Jam, Tony Trischka
Dan Tyminski: Live From The Ryman, Dan Tyminski

Best Folk Album:
American Patchwork Quartet, American Patchwork Quartet
Weird Faith, Madi Diaz
Bright Future, Adrianne Lenker
All My Friends, Aoife O’Donovan
Woodland, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – WINNER

COUNTRY WINNERS:

Country Solo Performance:
“16 Carriages” — Beyoncé
“I Am Not Okay” —Jelly Roll
“The Architect” — Kacey Musgraves
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — Shaboozey
“It Takes A Woman” — Chris Stapleton – WINNER

Country Song:
“The Architect” — Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves) – WINNER
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — Sean Cook, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Chibueze Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry & Mark Williams, songwriters (Shaboozey)
“I Am Not Okay” — Casey Brown, Jason DeFord, Ashley Gorley & Taylor Phillips, songwriters (Jelly Roll)
“I Had Some Help” — Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Smith, Ryan Vojtesak, Morgan Wallen & Chandler Paul Walters, songwriters (Post Malone Featuring Morgan Wallen)
“Texas Hold ‘Em” — Brian Bates, Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)

Country Duo/Group Performance:
“Cowboys Cry Too” — Kelsea Ballerini With Noah Kahan
“II MOST WANTED” — Beyoncé Featuring Miley Cyrus – WINNER
“Break Mine” — Brothers Osborne
“Bigger Houses” — Dan + Shay
“I Had Some Help” — Post Malone Featuring Morgan Wallen

YET TO BE HANDED OUT:

Country Album:
Cowboy Carter – Beyoncé
F-1 Trillion – Post Malone
Deeper Well – Kacey Musgraves
Higher – Chris Stapleton
Whirlwind – Lainey Wilson

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