- Judith Akatugba
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With an increase in female representation on mainstream music charts and record-breaking performances at stadium concerts and movie theaters, women are expected to win big at the Grammy awards on Sunday.
The songs from the Oscar-nominated “Barbie” movie, Taylor Swift, and SZA are leading the fight for the biggest awards in the music business. Among the eight nominees for album of the year, the highest Grammy award, Jon Batiste is the lone guy.
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With nine nominations, SZA, the female vocalist of the vengeance fantasy “Kill Bill,” is the artist with the most going into the event.
The impressive performance came at the start of a year filled with achievements and firsts for women in the mostly male music industry.
At the same time that Beyonce performed to sold-out stadiums, Swift’s Eras Tour shattered records for ticket sales, surpassing even that of Elton John. “Barbie” became a pink-fueled frenzy in theaters, and Swift’s concert DVD went on to become a huge hit as well.
According to Billboard awards editor Paul Grein, “women had a phenomenal year, not just in music, but with ‘Barbie’ being the biggest-grossing movie.” “Women dominated pop culture.”
Swift, SZA, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey, Olivia Rodrigo, Janelle Monae, and boygenius—a band made up of indie rock performers Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus—are among the other women competing for this year’s record award.
According to Grein, this is only the 12th time in the 66-year history of the Grammy Awards that the majority of album of the year nominees have been women.
Twelve Grammy nominations were received by hits from the “Barbie” film in other categories. Billie Eilish’s ballad “What Was I Made For?” was nominated for song of the year.
Women Are Hired by Recording Academy
The transition was probably brought about by shifting demographics within the Recording Academy, which is the body of artists, producers, engineers, and other professionals that vote on the candidates and winners of the Grammy Awards. The proportion of female members has increased from 26% to 30% since 2019.
“They have been aggressively recruiting new members, especially members of color and women,” Grein stated. “They are infusing the membership with a lot of members who will probably see things differently.”
There was inter-album competition among the men. Past Grammy winners Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, and others did not release any new music between October 20, 2022, and September 15, 2023, when they were eligible.
Nevertheless, a research conducted by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and professor Stacy L. Smith at the end of 2023 found that the proportion of female musicians on the Billboard Hot 100 had reached 35%, a 12-year high.
Behind the scenes, women also achieved success; women of color led the first increase in female songwriting credits in a decade. Women made up nearly 20% of songwriters, compared to 14% the previous year.
Though they are still far from parity, female artists have come a long way in a short period of time, according to Smith.
“When you look at the data, you see that the collective action across the music industry is moving toward women,” she stated. “That we haven’t seen before.”
The number of manufacturers increased, but they were still mostly men. Women were given 6.5% of producer credits in 2023. There were no female nominees for producer of the year at the Grammy Awards.
In addition, women performed less well in the rock, dance, and hip-hop Grammy categories, according to Tatiana Cirisano, senior MIDiA Research music industry analyst.
“What we have here is a year in which several female superstars had extraordinary hits,” said Cirisano. “Yet overall, gender imbalances have not shifted as much as we would hope.”
A number of women could create history at the Grammy Awards on Sunday.
If Swift wins album of the year four times for “Midnights,” she will become the only artist to do it.
Should SZA win album of the year with “SOS,” she would become the first Black woman to do it as a lead artist since Lauryn Hill did so 25 years prior.
The winners will be revealed during an event that is live-broadcast on CBS from downtown Los Angeles and available to stream on Paramount+.
