The night before Chappell Roan won Best New Artist at the 2025 Grammys, I was at my high-school best friend Heather’s wedding. Already moved to tears by how beautiful she looked walking down the aisle, later in the evening I was hit by a second emotional cricket bat: I asked the DJ if he could play ‘Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl’ by Chappell Roan, and he replied, “Who?”
To any DJ reading, I realize it’s annoying to field requests, but this one came directly from the bride, who delegated the asking to me because she didn’t want to seem too demanding. And anyway, it was a humbling way to be yanked out of my echo chamber, and realize the artist who dominated the brain space of almost everyone I currently know might not have reached as far as the suburbs of New Zealand I grew up in.
When I trawled through your Chappell Roan-related lists this week, I was reminded that actually, there are no losers in a situation like that. (Except me and Heather for four minutes last Saturday, unable to dance to Chappell.) What I mean is: anyone who hasn’t heard of your favorite artist’s favorite artist only has a transcendent experience awaiting them. Equally, it may be a hard truth to learn that people have never heard of your favorite film of the year, but that’s why we’re here on , and that’s what awards are for—to make sure people find out.
So without further ado, let’s jump into this week in awards, starting with the Grammys, before taking stock of the Emilia Pérez controversy ahead of the Critics Choice Awards on Friday, then welcoming a dispatch from Marianne Jean-Baptiste on how to recover from a breakdown.
