Female artists dominated the 2024 Grammys, just as they dominated pop music – and pop culture in general – last year. The 66th Annual Grammy Awards were presented at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday (February 4).
Female artists swept the Big Four awards for the third time in the past five years. By Taylor Swift Midnight won album of the year. Miley Cyrus' “Flowers” took the record of the year. “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish (which she co-wrote with her brother Phineas) won song of the year. Victoria Monét won best new artist.
Swift became the first four-time winner for album of the year. Previously won for Fearless, 1989 and Folklore. Swift was tied with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon with three wins each in this category.
Serban Ghenea won as an engineer/mixer on Swift's album. He is the first person (not an artist, mind you) to win album of the year five times. The Canadian engineer/mixer previously won in the category as an engineer/mixer at Swift's 1989 and Folkloreby Adele 25 and Bruno Mars 24K Magic.
“Flowers” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks — Cyrus' longest run by far. “Flowers” represented a breakthrough for Cyrus: If anyone still thinks of her as the first Hannah Montana star who then went a little overboard in trying to shatter that image, it's time to get over it. “Flowers” proved that she is a thoroughly credible mainstream pop star.
Eilish and Finneas first won song of the year four years ago for 'Bad Guy'. This year's win for “What Was I Made For?” puts the brother pair in a tie for most wins in this category with (take a deep breath) Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer, James Horner, Will Jennings, U2, Adele, Bruno Mars & Christopher Brody Brown and Dernst Emile II (D ' Mile).
“Why was I made?” is likely to win the Oscar for Best Original Song on March 10. If it does, it will be the first song to win a Grammy for song of the year before won the Oscar from “You Light Up My Life” 46 years ago.
Monét's win for Best New Artist marks the seventh year in a row that a female solo artist has won in this category, following wins by Alessia Cara, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Olivia Rodrigo and Samara Joy. This is tied for the longest consecutive winning streak by a female artist in the history of the category. From 1997-2003, the award went, in turn, to LeAnn Rimes, Paula Cole, Lauryn Hill, Christina Aguilera, Shelby Lynn, Alicia Keys and Norah Jones.
Female artists or female-led groups also won top album awards in most major genres, including pop (Taylor Swift's Midnight), alternative music (boygenius' The Record), rock (Paramore's This is the reason), progressive R&B (SZA's warning sign), R&B (Victoria Monét's Jaguar II) and country (Lainey Wilson's Bell Bottom Country).
Boygenius, SZA, Victoria Monét and Killer Mike were the top winners of the night in terms of the number of awards won, with three awards each.
Trevor Noah hosted the Grammys for the fourth year in a row. Songwriter Justin Tranter hosted the Premiere Ceremony, where more than 80 of the 94 awards were presented live from the Peacock Theatre, located next door to Crypto. Both hosts were nominated for Grammys this year. Noah was nominated for Best Comedy album. Tranter for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical. Alas, they both perished.
Killer Mike swept the rap categories, winning best rap album for Michael and Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for “Scientists & Engineers.” Killer Mike, 48, accepted the awards with gusto, saying they proved you're never too old to rap.
Boygenius' The Record won Best Alternative Music album. This is the fourth year in a row that a female solo artist or all-female or all-female band has won in this category. By Fiona Apple Take the bolt cutters won three years ago. Saint Vincent dad's house won two years ago. Wet Leg's self-titled debut album won last year.
Jack Antonoff became only the second producer to win producer of the year, not the classic three years in a row. The first was Babyface, who managed to threepeat in 1995-97. In his acceptance speech, Antonoff thanked Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey, praising Swift for staying true to him when she wasn't such a big name.
Theron Thomas won songwriter of the year, non-classical, a new category now in its second year. Thomas' credits for the year include Lil Durk featuring J. Cole's “All My Life,” which won Best Rap Melodic Performance.
Lainey Wilson's Bell Bottom Country won best country album, having already won album of the year at both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Awards. It is the ninth album to complete the “triple crown” of country music by winning all three of these shows. Here is a list with full details.
SZA's “Ghost in the Machine” featuring Phoebe Bridgers won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. This was the third time in four years that an all-female partnership had won in this category. Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande's “Rain on Me” won three years ago. Doja Cat with SZA's “Kiss Me More” won two years ago.
Chris Stapleton took home Best Country Solo Performance for the fourth straight time. Carrie Underwood and Willie Nelson have each won twice in the category. Stapleton won this year for 'White Horse'. The song, which Stapleton co-wrote with Dan Wilson, was also voted best country song. A different song with the exact same title (by Taylor Swift and Liz Rose) won the category 14 years ago.
Joni Mitchell Joni Mitchell in Newport (Live) won best folk album, 54 years after winning her first Grammy – best folk performance for clouds. This is Mitchell's 10th Grammy won in a contest.
Metallica won best metal performance for a record-breaking seventh time. They won this year for “72 Seasons.”
Karol G's Mañana Será Bonito, which made history as the first all-Spanish-language album by a woman to reach No. 1 Advertising sign 200, won Best Urbana Music album. The Colombian singer is the first woman to win in this category. Karol G's album won album of the Year at the 2023 Latin Grammys, held on November 16 in Seville, Spain.
Samara Joy, last year's surprise Best New Artist winner, won Best Jazz Performance for “Tight.”
Ludwig Göransson won Best Soundtrack for Visual Media for Oppenheimer. The Swedish composer first won the category five years ago for the first time Black panther.
John Williams won Best Instrumental Composition for “Helena's Theme” from his score for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. It makes him just the seventh person in Grammy history to win 26 or more Grammys. Beyoncé leads with 32 awards, followed by classical conductor Sir Georg Solti (31), Quincy Jones (28), Alison Krauss (27), Chick Corea (27) and classical conductor Pierre Boulez (also 26).
Williams, who turns 92 on Thursday (February 8), is the fifth-oldest Grammy winner in history. He trails only blues artist Pinetop Perkins, who was 97 when he won in 2011. Tony Bennett, who was 95 when he won in 2022. Comedian George Burns, who was 95 when he won in 1991. and former President Jimmy Carter, who was 94 when he won in 2019.
The Beatles' “I'm Only Sleeping” won best music video, though the Fab Four (or what's left of it) didn't win personally. The award went to the video's director, Em Cooper, and his four producers. The Beatles were credited as winning the category 27 years ago for “Free as a Bird.”
Michelle Obama became the first or former first lady to win twice for best audiobook, narrative and narration. He won this year for The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Timeshaving won four years ago for Fetching. Plus, by winning a second Grammy, Obama is pulling even with her husband, who won twice while a U.S. senator. The Obamas are the first couple in Grammy history to each have multiple Grammy winners.
Elaine Martone won producer of the year, classical, for the second time. She previously won in 2007. In her acceptance speech, Martone thanked her husband, Robert Woods, who has won the class seven times. They are the only husband and wife team to each win this category. Martone is one of three women to have won in this category, along with Joanna Nickrenz (two-time winner) and Judith Sherman (seven-time winner). No woman has ever won non-classical producer of the year.
Julian Marley & Antaeus' Royal colors won Best Reggae album. Julian is the fourth member of the Marley family to win in this category, following Ziggy, Damian and Stephen. The patriarch of the family, Bob Marley, died in 1981, three years before the charge was established.
Dave Chappelle won best comedy album for the fifth time in seven years. He won this time for What's in a Name? He is one of only four artists to win as many as five times in the category. Bill Cosby leads with seven. George Carlin and Richard Pryor also won five.
The Count Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart won Best Jazz Large Ensemble album for Basie Swings the Blues. Basie was a double winner at the first Grammy Awards in May 1959. The jazz legend died in 1984, so he won't be personally credited with this year's win.
Some prefer it hot won Best Musical Theater album, beating, among others, Kimberly Akimbo. This helps offset the fact that, at the Tony Awards last June, Kimberly Akimbo Rhythm Some prefer it hot in three main categories – Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score Written for the Theatre.
Three current Recording Academy trustees have won Grammys. Michael Romanowski won Best Immersive Audio album for a deluxe edition of Alicia Keys' 2004 album The Diary of Alicia Keys. J. Ivy won Best Spoken Word Poetry album The light within. PJ Morton won Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Good Morning” (featuring Susan Carol). All three had previously won in these categories. Some have questioned whether their high-profile involvement with the Academy gives them an unfair advantage in voting.
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