Gojira Wins 2025 Grammy Award For 'Best Metal Performance'
Gojira won their inaugural Grammy award at this year’s ceremony in the Best Metal Performance category for their Olympic anthem ‘Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)’. The song, performed with vocalist Marina Viotti and composed by Victor Le Masne, was a standout.
The Recording Academy is now streaming the acceptance speech delivered by frontman Joe Duplantier, where he urges metal artists to continue challenging boundaries: “Thank you very much. It took us a long time [to walk up to the stage], we were sitting back there. We're extremely excited to receive this award. We had the privilege to perform at the Olympic ceremony with Marina and Victor, so this is a great day for us, obviously. We want to dedicate this award to all the bands that are pushing the boundaries. Support your local artists, support your local bands because that's where it's at. They're inspiring us to continue. So thank you very much for this.”
Gojira is a French heavy metal band from Ondres, Landes, France. The band was originally formed in 1996 under the name Godzilla, but they changed their name to Gojira (the Japanese translation of Godzilla) in 2001. The band's lineup consists of Joe Duplantier (vocals, rhythm guitar), Mario Duplantier (drums), Christian Andreu (lead guitar) and Jean-Michel Labadie (bass).
Gojira is known for its progressive and technical death metal styles, as well as its spiritual, philosophical and environmentally themed lyrics. Their first two albums, ‘Terra Incognita’ (2001) and ‘The Link’ (2003), helped establish their reputation as a leading French metal band. Their third album, ‘From Mars to Sirius’ (2005), received critical acclaim and brought them international recognition.
Over the years, Gojira has released several successful albums, including ‘The Way of All Flesh’ (2008), ‘L'Enfant Sauvage’ (2012), and ‘Magma’ (2016). Their 2021 album, ‘Fortitude’, became their first Billboard chart-topper in the US.
With their powerful live performances and unique sound, Gojira has become one of the most respected and influential metal bands in the world, recognized as one of France's most successful bands, holding the distinction of being the only French band to achieve a #1 spot on the Billboard Hard Rock chart. Beyond their musical achievements, Gojira is also a passionate advocate for environmental rights. Over their career, they have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for organizations such as Brazilian Indigenous Rights, which combats forced labor and deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Despite their superstar status, they remain largely independent in their music production, handling recording and producing in-house at their New York studio, Silver Cord.
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