The 66th annual Grammys did not disappoint. The female representation empowered me, as many of the large awards were won by strong females. Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, and Billie Eilish were among many young female artists to be nominated in several different categories. Victoria Monet became the first female to win ‘Best New Artist’ since 2002, with previously male-dominated categories such as rock and alternative categories being won by females.
Hayley Williams, lead singer of Paramore won ‘Best Rock Album for their newest album This is Why, a category featuring rock giants like Metallica and Foo Fighters, proving that rock is not solely a male category. The title track of This Is Why also won ‘Best Alternative Music Performance’. Boygenius continued the female achievements in the testosterone-heavy categories, with “Not Strong Enough” winning ‘Best Rock Song.’ As is prevalent on my Spotify Wrapped this year, I am a huge boygenius and Phoebe Bridgers fan. Their many nominations for The Record and their three Grammy wins was a pivotal moment for females and the LGBTQ+ community. Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker saw their album The Record win ‘Best Alternative Album’, with the sixth song on the album, “Not Strong Enough”, winning ‘Best Rock Song’, and ‘Best Rock Performance.’ For all three members, this was their first Grammy in both their solo careers and for their supergroup project. However, Phoebe Bridgers went on to win her first Grammy aside from those won for boygenius, in the ‘Best Pop Duo/Group Performance’ category for her feature on “Ghost in the Machine” in SZA’s album SOS, which also won ‘Best Progressive R&B Album.’
It was no surprise that Taylor Swift won her fourth ‘Album of The Year’ with Midnights, especially after the announcement of The Tortured Poets Department due to release in April. Although, Midnights is one of her lesser-rated albums compared to folklore, 1989, and Fearless, all of which have won Grammys previously and have continued to be fan favourites, making her the underdog in the category beside SZA and boygenius.
Billie Eilish added to the many awards that the film Barbie has won after its release during the summer. Her song “What Was I Made For?” won ‘Song of The Year, a true shock to Billie, especially as the category featured pop icons like Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift. The song won Billie another Grammy, alongside her brother Finneas O’Connell, for the best song written for visual media. Billie Eilish has been in the spotlight since her teens, winning her first Grammy in 2020 for best new artist, followed by four more Grammys at the awards. Her music career began early in life, much like Miley Cyrus, who won her first ever Grammy when “Flowers” won record of the year.
Billy Joel performed his first single in nearly two decades, “Turn the Lights Back On”, after admitting to being lonely during his hiatus. His return was controversial after his performance at the 1994 Grammys where he cut his highly-anticipated live performance short to stand aside for Frank Sinatra, after his own speech had been interrupted.
Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, and Billie Eilish were among many young female artists to be nominated in several different categories.
In the smaller categories of musical theatre’ and country, Chris Stapleton won two Grammys, ‘Best country Solo Performance’, and ‘Best Country Song’, for “White Horse”, a surprising win with “The Last Thing on My Mind”, written by country icon Dolly Parton, and Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” both nominated for ‘Best Country Solo Performance’. Chapman and Combs performed their beautiful duet of “Fast Car” at the awards after the track reached number one in iTunes.
As a woman in STEM, an industry with a greater gender gap than others, it was so lovely to see the music industry being led by powerful women. The alternative and rock categories featured many of my favourite female artists who continue to make bold steps to decrease gender gaps in all areas of society.
