The Song Of The Year GRAMMY Award honors the best releases in the music business, and the eight nominees for the golden gramophone at the 2024 GRAMMYs come from a variety of established singer/songwriters. From dance anthems to pop bops, ballads and R&B smashes, the nominees for Song Of The Year showcase the breadth of emotions of the past year.

Before tuning into the 2024 GRAMMYs on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, learn more about this year's Song Of The Year nominees below.

"A&W" - Lana Del Rey

Songwriters: Jack Antonoff, Lana Del Rey & Sam Dew

The second single from her ninth studio album, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, "A&W" is a refreshing addition to Lana Del Rey’s expansive discography.

Another shattered portrait of the American Dream, the seven-minute epic, oscillates from madness to exhaustion, as Del Rey described feeling burned out by being objectified and perceived as an "American whore." What begins as a psychedelic folk ballad erupts into a defiant trap number interpolated with a doo-wop standard by the four-minute mark of the chaotic number.

"I’m a princess, I’m divisive/Ask me why I’m like this/Maybe I just kinda like this," Del Rey anxiously warbles. Later, she expresses her resignation surrounding rape culture: "If I told you that I was raped/ Do you really think that anybody would think/ I didn't ask for it? I didn't ask for it/ I won't testify, I already f—ed up my story."

"Anti-Hero" - Taylor Swift

Songwriters: Jack Antonoff & Taylor Swift

"Anti-Hero" showcased a new side of Taylor Swift — a rare moment where the 33-year-old pop star confronted her flaws in the public eye.

"I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before," Swift said of the track in an Instagram video. "Not to sound too dark, but, like, I just struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person."

The self-loathing synth-pop anthem — with its cheeky chorus — catapulted "Anti Hero" into virality. With its ubiquitous meaning, the song topped charts and became a staple of pop radio. Now, it’s enjoying the highest praise as a contender for Song Of The Year. 

"Butterfly" - Jon Batiste

Songwriters: Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson

Beyond its sound, what makes Jon Batiste’s "Butterfly" so stunning is the story behind it. The touching jazz-soul fusion track is an iteration of the lullabies Batiste penned while his wife Suleika Jaouad was hospitalized during her cancer treatment.

"It’s just such a personal narrative song in relation to my life and what my family has gone through and my wife and all of the things she’s been able to overcome," the 36-year-old GRAMMY winner told PEOPLE.

"Butterfly" is featured on Batiste's latest album, World Music Radio. Like much of his discography, "Butterfly" is inherently uplifting but there’s an underlying yearning for freedom. "Butterfly in the air/ Where you can fly anywhere/ A sight beyond compare," Batiste croons over stripped-down keys.

"Dance The Night" (From Barbie The Album) - Dua Lipa 

Songwriters: Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt

With the release of her pop-funk epic Future Nostalgia during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dua Lipa proved she could master the art of escapism. On "Dance The Night," a thrilling dance-pop number from the star-studded Barbie soundtrack, she channels that same inspiration with a side of glitter and glam.

"Greta said that the whole film was inspired by disco. There’s a lot of very glittery and pop moments in it," the 28-year-old singer said of how the track fits into the movie in an interview with Dazed.

Over a sleek synth, the pop star reflects the unwavering joy Barbie outwardly emanates while she’s crumbling inside: "Even when the tears are flowin' like diamonds on my face/I'll still keep the party goin', not one hair out of place (yes, I can)."

"Flowers" - Miley Cyrus

Songwriters: Miley Cyrus, Gregory Aldae Hein & Michael Pollack

Miley Cyrus has perfected the art of reinventing herself. With the post-breakup number "Flowers," she reclaimed her independence and took a hard turn from gritty rock back into pop music. "I can take myself dancing, yeah/ I can hold my own hand/ Yeah, I can love me better than you can," she belts over a disco-pop beat.

While the 30-year-old musician wouldn’t share if "Flowers" was indeed about her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth, the song became an empowering earworm from a more refined version of the longtime musician.

"The song is a little fake it till you make it," she said of "Flowers" in an interview with British Vogue. "Which I’m a big fan of." It turns out she made it with a nomination for Song Of The Year at the 2024 GRAMMY Awards.

"Kill Bill" - SZA

Songwriters: Rob Bisel, Carter Lang & Solána Rowe

On the psychedelic R&B groove of "Kill Bill," which references the legendary Quentin Tarantino film, SZA dreams up her own unfiltered revenge fantasy. "I might kill my ex / Not the best idea / His new girlfriend's next / How'd I get here?" she ponders over an airy melody.

The song stands out on the R&B singer’s latest album, SOS, for not only its cheeky wordplay but for how visceral she portrayed the devastation of a breakup. 

Despite its popularity, the 34-year-old singer initially thought one of the other songs on her 23-track album would have topped the charts. "It's always a song that I don't give a f— about that's just super easy, not the s— that I put so much heart and energy into. 'Kill Bill' was super easy — one take, one night," the singer told Billboard of "Kill Bill’s" success.

"Vampire" - Olivia Rodrigo

Songwriters: Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo

Like her explosive debut "Drivers License," Olivia Rodrigo opted for a swelling power ballad for the lead single of her sophomore album Guts. On "Vampire," the singer/songwriter recalls a parasitic relationship with a swelling power ballad that erupts into a booming guitar breakdown. "Bloodsucker, famef—er/ Bleedin' me dry, like a goddamn vampire," she sings with a bitter lilt.

While many speculated the song was about a toxic relationship, Rodrigo claimed it’s more nuanced than that. "It’s more about my regret and kind of beating myself up for doing something that I knew wasn’t gonna turn out great and kind of just taking ownership of that and dealing with those feelings," she told Sirius XM Hits 1.

Regardless, the 20-year-old artist turned something bitter into something sweet by landing a Song Of The Year nomination.

"What Was I Made For?" [From The Motion Picture "Barbie"] - Billie Eilish

Songwriters: Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell

Not only was the Barbie movie a massive hit, its soundtrack was, too, thanks to a slew of chart-topping artists including Dua Lipa, HAIM and Sam Smith. So it’s no surprise that Billie Eilish made that list as well, and delivered a gutting ballad that soundtracked one of the most heartbreaking moments of the film.

The wistful single, which arrives at the devastating realization that you’re not real and are instead meant to be consumed, aptly embodies the narrative arc of the box office smash. "Looked so alive, turns out I'm not real/ Just something you paid for/ What was I made for," the 21-year-old musician sings with a heartbreaking lilt. 

While writing the sobering number, Eilish tried to embody the essence of the life-sized doll herself. "I was purely inspired by this movie and this character and the way I thought she would feel, and wrote about that," she told Zane Lowe of Apple Music. 

The 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards, returns to Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, and will broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT.

The Recording Academy and GRAMMY.com do not endorse any particular artist, submission or nominee over another. The results of the GRAMMY Awards, including winners and nominees, are solely dependent on the Recording Academy’s Voting Membership.

2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List

R&B music wouldn't be the genre it is today without the heart and soul of its female stars. Early pioneers like Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack laid the groundwork, while icons like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Janet Jackson brought pop sensibility — but there are countless more who played a pivotal role in the landscape.

While R&B's roots stem all the way back to the 1940s and reinvented itself numerous times, the '90s were arguably the first time it truly flourished. Acts like Aaliyah, Brandy, Monica, TLC, Mary J. Blige, Brownstone, En Vogue, Destiny's Child, Deborah Cox, Erykah Badu, and Toni Braxton helped the genre take over the mainstream like it had never before. Then, in the early 2000s, Alicia Keys and her magic piano added a touch of sophistication to R&B, whereas Ciara's "Crunk&B" hit "Goodies" and Amerie's go-go-influenced "1 Thing" kept the genre fresh and interesting. 

Circa 2011, Beyoncé's 4 album helped bring R&B back into the mainstream at a time when it seemed to be getting drowned out by hip-hop and electronic music. In 2014, Jhené Aiko's quintuple-platinum song "The Worst" hit No. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, making her the first woman to do so since Jazmine Sullivan in 2008. Ella Mai's sleeper hit "Boo'd Up" proved R&B's viability as it cracked the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2018. 

The genre's prominence has continued into the 2020s, with SZA achieving big feats on the all-genre Billboard 200 and Hot 100 and Victoria Monét winning Best New Artist at the 2024 GRAMMYs — the latter marking the first win for an R&B artist since John Legend in 2006. In fact, women are arguably leading the charge for R&B these days, thanks to the likes of Kehlani, Ari Lennox, Muni Long, and plenty more.

In honor of Women's History Month, GRAMMY.com highlights seven women in R&B music who brought their own flair to the genre and helped blaze a trail for its ever-blossoming future.

While Patti LaBelle is heralded as the "Godmother of Soul," Aretha Franklin's expressiveness, mastery of melisma (multiple notes sung over a single syllable), juggernaut singles, and lasting influence on female singers for generations to come made her the undisputed "Queen of Soul."

Born to a prominent preacher and gospel singer in Memphis, Tenn., Franklin grew up singing solos at New Bethel Baptist Church and learned to play piano by ear. She landed her first recording deal with J.V.B. Records at just 12 years old in 1954, before signing with Columbia six years later. Franklin's first nine albums birthed modest hits like "Won't Be Long" and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody," but it wasn't until she joined Atlantic that she found her voice and garnered commercial success.

In 1967, "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" earned a then 25-year-old Franklin her first of 73 entries on the Hot 100 chart. Follow-up single "Respect" became her first No. 1 on the Hot 100, which simultaneously became the backdrop to the Civil Rights and women's rights movements in the 1960s. The feminist anthem also marked the beginning of Franklin's record-setting eight-year winning streak in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category at the GRAMMYs. "Respect" was inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame in 1987 and was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry in 2002 for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

Boasting 100 entries on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Franklin's reign carried over into the '70s and well into the '80s, thanks to timeless tunes like "Spanish Harlem," "Rock Steady," "Freeway of Love," and her "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" collaboration with George Michael, which stayed atop the Hot 100 for two weeks.

In 1991, the Recording Academy bestowed Franklin with a GRAMMY Living Legend Award and Lifetime Achievement Award three years later. She also made history as the first woman Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 1987. 

Throughout her illustrious career, Franklin earned 18 GRAMMYs with "Never Gonna Break My Faith," a duet with Mary J. Blige, marking Franklin's final win in 2008 for Best Gospel Performance. Even 17 years later (and 7 years after her passing), Franklin remains the third most GRAMMY-winning female artist.

Watch: How Aretha Franklin Ascended To Soul Royalty | Black Sounds Beautiful

Anita Baker's soothing and distinctive deep register has paved the way for the likes of Toni Braxton and Coco Jones. In fact, Braxton's debut single "Love Shoulda Brought You Home" and "Give U My Heart" duet with Babyface were both originally penned for "The Songstress." 

Alongside Sade, Baker's breakthrough album Rapture helped usher in the "quiet storm" genre in the mid-80s — R&B music laced with elements of jazz for a romantic, silky smooth sound. Earning Baker one of the first of eight GRAMMY wins, "Sweet Love" remains etched in the hearts of music lovers everywhere; the song peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 chart and even made a splash across the pond in Ireland and the UK. From 1989-1991, Baker held claim on the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Category at the GRAMMYs.

Paired with her rich contralto voice, Baker's soulful catalog — which includes "Caught Up in the Rapture" and "Giving You the Best That I Got" — set her apart at a time when synth-heavy pop, glam metal and hip-hop dominated airwaves, especially during the golden age of MTV. Many of Baker's songs are either covered as a sort of litmus test or sampled by other artists, from Beyoncé to Lil' Wayne and Drake.

A true class act, Baker received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 BET Awards. She's still celebrating her legacy today, even embarking on The Songstress Tour in 2023 to commemorate her debut album's 40th anniversary.

Mary J. Blige's ability to seamlessly marry R&B and hip-hop in early hits like "Real Love" and "You Remind Me" earned her the title of "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" early in her now three-decade career. Since Blige's 1992 debut, her experiences have been displayed front and center in her music, helping her connect with generations of Black women as they navigate life's ups and downs together — from the brokenhearted "Not Gon' Cry" and the resilient "No More Drama," to the self-loving "Just Fine" and "Good Morning Gorgeous."

Blige's 1994 set, My Life, remains the most perfect example of her masterful dichotomy of strength and vulnerability, as the GRAMMY-nominated album chronicled the then 23-year-old's battle with depression, drug addiction, alcoholism, an abusive relationship, childhood traumas, and suicidal thoughts.

"I was just in a vulnerable, horrible state of mind — depressed, ready to die. I just didn't know what to do with this pain; it just all became too big for me and I needed to put it somewhere," the nine-time GRAMMY winner recounted in a 2021 BuzzFeed interview. "So, it wasn't strategically planned that I'd get vulnerable with my fans, I was just trying to help and heal myself. And that's what happened — we created a movement based off of my health and wanting to be free."

In 2024, Blige's musical legacy was cemented with a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

Read More: Songbook: How Mary J. Blige Became The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Through Empathy, Attitude And An Open Heart

TLC: The 'CrazySexyCool' Trio

It's hard to imagine a '90s playlist without several TLC songs. Upon the arrival of their 1992 debut album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes, and Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas introduced a new blueprint for female groups by having two singers and a rapper in its lineup.

Blending R&B, hip-hop and funk to create a sound unlike anything else the music industry had heard before, TLC's Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip spawned three Top 10 hits: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg," "Baby-Baby-Baby," and "What About Your Friends." But their CrazySexyCool and FanMail albums catapulted them to global success — selling a combined total of nearly 35 million copies worldwide and earning all four of their career GRAMMYs, including the twice-won Best R&B Album. And while amassing a long string of platinum hits and accolades, TLC shined a light on important issues like safe sex amid the height of the AIDS epidemic and gang violence ("Waterfalls"), body image ("Unpretty"), and female empowerment ("No Scrubs"). 

In addition to holding it down as America's best-selling female group of all time, the ladies of TLC also proved to be fashion icons with every era. In 1994, they graduated from baggy clothes-wearing newcomers to grown and sexy women who made silk pajamas look chic before transforming again in 1999 as they donned futuristic looks for the turn of the millennium.

T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli's chemistry and cultural impact remains unmatched to this day — inspiring SWV, Total, Blaque, 3LW, 702, and Xscape, just to name a few. As TLC's longtime manager Bill Diggins said in 2023, "I remember LA Reid told me they were the closest thing to Rock-N-Roll that existed in Hip Hop and he was right. They are the definition of Rock-N-Roll." 

Read More: 10 Ways TLC Shaped The Future Of R&B

Rightfully nicknamed the "Vocal Bible," Brandy's distinctive tone, stunning legato and brilliant vocal layering helped define the 1990s' golden era of R&B. 

A 15-year-old Brandy burst onto the music scene in 1994 with her self-titled debut album, which produced Top 10 hits "I Wanna Be Down" and "Baby" before cementing her place in R&B with 1998's Never Say Never. The ballad-heavy album saw Brandy exploring more mature themes subsequent to her and Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris' breakup. "Have You Ever?" and "Almost Doesn't Count" became instant classics; her GRAMMY-winning collaboration with Monica, "The Boy Is Mine," was the second best-selling single of 1998 and is the most successful female duet of all time. (Even the remix of Ariana Grande's reimagined iteration, which featured both Brandy and Monica, earned a GRAMMY nod 27 years later.)

Though her Y2K-era projects Full Moon and Afrodisiac were deemed commercially disappointing, both LPs are credited for helping to pioneer modern R&B à la SZA, Tyler, The Creator, Childish Gambino, and the Weeknd.

"Brandy is a goddess in R&B to a lot of people," Solange told NPR in praise of Afrodisiac. "Brandy is really the foundation of a lot of this very innovative, progressive, experimental R&B. Brandy really influenced a lot of that. Frank Ocean will say it. Miguel will say it."

Dubbed as the "first Black Disney princess" for her portrayal of Cinderella alongside Whitney Houston, Brandy's impact is undeniable in film and television as well. Amid back-to-back platinum hits, her top-rated TV show "Moesha" not only spawned two successful spin-offs "The Parkers" and "Girlfriends," it also opened doors for a cascade of young Black female leads, including Raven-Symoné, Keke Palmer and Zendaya.

In early 2001, a then 20-year-old Alicia Keys' masterpiece "Fallin,'" off her 2001 debut, Songs in A Minor, had music lovers and critics asking themselves, "Who is that?"

No one could forget Keys' name, especially after she swept the 2002 GRAMMYs with five wins, including Best New Artist and Song Of The Year for "Fallin'" — tying Lauryn Hill's record for the most GRAMMYs won in a single ceremony at the time. The next year, Keys followed up Songs in A Minor with The Diary of Alicia Keys, which produced the megahit "If I Ain't Got You" and three more GRAMMYs (including another for Best R&B Album) for the singer.

Throughout the years, Keys has churned out hit after hit, from 2007's "No One" (which stayed atop the Hot 100 chart for five consecutive weeks) to 2012's pulsating female empowerment anthem "Girl on Fire." Bringing an impeccable level of musicianship to the 21st century, Keys' majestic blend of classical piano and R&B has earned her 17 GRAMMYs, as well as respect among her peers and the legends who came before her. 

What's more, Keys' impact extends beyond music as the driving force behind Keep a Child Alive (an HIV/AIDS-focused non-profit organization) and the creator of the GRAMMY- and Tony-winning Broadway musical, "Hell's Kitchen." She also helms She Is The Music, an organization that empowers female songwriters, engineers, producers and other creators in the music industry. Her contributions to music and culture helped her become the first woman to receive the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the 2025 GRAMMYs.

Read More: GRAMMY Rewind: Watch A 'Humbled' Alicia Keys Win Song Of The Year For "Fallin'" In 2002

SZA: The Modern Hitmaker

SZA's commercial success and genre-blurring musicality have flipped R&B on its head and shattered the tired trope that "R&B is dead."

The five-time GRAMMY winner started out as an in-demand songwriter, penning Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé's "Feeling Myself" and Rihanna's "Consideration," which set the stage for SZA's debut album CTRL in 2017. The LP produced five multi-platinum-selling singles, including "Drew Barrymore," "Love Galore" and "The Weekend." 

On a larger scale, CTRL positioned the then 28-year-old as the leading voice of her generation thanks to her no-holds-barred storytelling and relatability. Through chronicling her relationship woes and struggles with insecurity, SZA humanized Black women, whose romantic experiences are often overlooked or presented through a hypersexual lens. That diaristic approach has influenced Summer Walker, Tink, Ari Lennox, and countless others.

"I think R&B is finally becoming loved and appreciated again, and I think SZA kind of pioneered that," Ari Lennox said. "She just blew the doors wide open and now all of us are just catching up."

SZA's career soared to new heights with the release of her sophomore album, 2022's SOS — which became the longest-running No. 1 album on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at 18 weeks, and still remains at No. 4 on the all-genre Billboard 200 after 117 weeks. Megahit "Kill Bill" spent 21 weeks atop the hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while "Snooze" spent every week of 2023 on the Hot 100. What's more, SOS won three GRAMMYs at the 2024 GRAMMYs, where SZA had the most nominations of any artist; its deluxe edition helped SZA earn another golden gramophone at the 2025 GRAMMYs, where "Saturn" was awarded Best R&B Song.

Ahead of SZA's co-headlining stadium tour with Kendrick Lamar kicking off on April 19, she collected her third Hot 100 chart-topper as a featured artist on Lamar's "Luther" — which shows that her reign isn't letting up anytime soon.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on March 14, 2022, and was updated on March 7, 2025 with a new photo and the addition of Karol G.

It would be painful to even imagine the music industry without the contributions of women, many of whom have long been subjected to systemic sexism, double standards, subtle dismissing, and blatant injustices throughout their careers in music. This inequality has been brought to the spotlight in recent years, as movements such as Me Too and Times Up empowered women to tell their stories and make profound changes to protect others.

The sentiment is especially pertinent for International Women's Day in 2025, which is focused on the need to Accelerate Action for gender equality. And while the disparity between men and women in the music industry remains, superstars like Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Karol G are working to shape the music industry into a more inclusive, safe place for all artists to create and thrive.

The following artists stood up for themselves and, in doing so, have set an example and blazed the trail for others to do the same.

Taylor Swift Fought Sexism On Multiple Fronts

Taylor Swift has enjoyed successes that few in the music industry can touch. She was the first woman to win the GRAMMY for Album of the Year three times, and has been nominated in the category once again for evermore at the 64th GRAMMY Awards. Nevertheless, she has often been the target of sexism in her extraordinary career.

While Swift started in the music industry as a teenager, she noticed the sexism as she grew older and more successful. She was mercilessly critiqued for writing about her feelings and relationships, while male musicians who do the same thing were rarely challenged. In her early 20s, Swift said she was "slut shamed" for having a few relationships; others romantically linked Swift to people whom she’d only sat next to at a party. What most upset her was realizing that they were reducing her songwriting to being a trick, rather than a skill and a craft.

Swift has fought back through words, actions and art, and received praise for her efforts from feminist icon Dolly Parton. She has also written open letters for other artists who are experiencing injustice — including publicly demanding that Apple Music pay the artists during the trial period of the platform. Apple Music ultimately did as she asked. Swift has also stood up for individual women in music, and they have done the same ultimately strengthening their collective power.

Taylor Swift’s voice is strong within her music, too. "The Man," a song on her 2019 album Lover, looks at how much differently the music industry and society would have treated her if she was a man. In her 2020 documentary, Miss Americana, Swift discusses the double standards for women in music, pointing out how female artists must reinvent and reimagine their image.

Brandi Carlile Created Space For Women In Country Music

Speaking up for women in music is an important part of life for Brandi Carlile. As she told Billboard, "I wake up every day political. I can’t not be political."

Along with fellow artists Amanda Shires and Maren Morris, Carlile started the Highwomen to mentor and support fellow female musicians, according to Rolling Stone. She also co-founded the Looking Out Foundation, which funds lesser-known causes and organizations to amplify the impact of music by empowering those without a voice."

Carlile has also taken to social media for activism. When Country Music Television announced that it would promote equal play, offering "complete parity between male and female artists" on its channels, she tweeted a challenge for country radio to do the same.

Madonna Broke The Mold And Challenged Expectations Of Older Women

It’s often said that Madonna was ahead of her time, but she changed the times to fit her message and voice (the New York Times tallied 60 times Madonna changed culture). When her career first skyrocketed in the 1980s, Madonna redefined what it meant to be a powerful woman in music in many ways, and has since continued to challenge sexism in the music industry and beyond.

Madonna has repeatedly called out the rampant ageism against women in music, which has impacted how she has been perceived and treated. However, the woman who broke barriers and created boundary-pushing music believes the most controversial thing she has done is stick around when the music industry would otherwise consider her too old.

Madonna hopes to help empower other women to embrace and celebrate their bodies, talents and selves at all ages and stages of their lives. That’s part of why she doesn’t hesitate to call out anyone who mocks her or others for not adhering to the music industry's expectations of women as they age.

Alicia Keys' Nonprofit Encourages Women In Music

Alicia Keys has long been a musical force to be reckoned with and she co-founded the organization She Is The Music to help empower other women in music. The nonprofit has thrived since 2018, and it operates as a "unifying organization for women from across the industry, creating strength and impact on a global scale. On a practical level, it helps increase the number of women working in the music industry and also strives to help future generations of women develop their careers.

Keys has written and performed many empowering songs, including "Girl on Fire." She referenced that song when announcing the launch of She Is The Music, stating, "We are more on fire than we’ve ever been."

Janet Jackson Stood In Her Power And Inspired Others

With her GRAMMY-nominated album Control and hit song of the same name, Janet Jackson inspired millions of women beginning in the late '80s. "Control" celebrates the joy and fulfillment of a woman standing in her power, while taking control of her own life. Jackson advocated for women in other songs, too, such as the 1993 hit "New Agenda" which frankly dealt with sexism and racism.

Jackson has paved the way for many other female artists to reach greater heights in the music industry, often using her spotlight to inspire and empower others. When she won the Global Icon Award at the MTV European Music Awards, Jackson explained that she feels moved to speak for women whose voices have been stifled, and she confessed that her voice used to be stifled as well. 

When she won the Worldwide Inspiration Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards in 2018, she memorably said, "I dream of the end of bigotry and discrimination in any form. I dream of a world in which we join hands across all borders and unite as one. Finally, I dream of a planet where hatred turns to compassion, tolerance turns to understanding, and a healing and lasting peace prevails."

Pink Pushed The Boundaries Of Femininity

In one of her earliest singles, "Don't Let Me Get Me," Pink declared, "Tired of being compared to damn Britney Spears." The lyric shone light on the pressures of being a female pop star and the beauty demands that come with it — but the singer has since contested societal expectations in song and on stage.

Rocking her signature short locks from day one of her career, Pink has championed those who stay true to who they are. "I'm so glad that I'll never fit in/ That will never be me/ Outcasts and girls with ambition/ That's what I wanna see," she proclaimed on her 2006 single "Stupid Girls," a direct response to the sexism women face in the entertainment industry.

"I'm grateful if I've kept one girl from feeling different, or ugly, or unempowered," Pink said while accepting the Woman Of The Year honor at Billboard's Women In Music ceremony in 2013. Four years later, while being honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2017 Video Music Awards, she further encouraged women to remain authentic: "We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl, and we help other people to change so they can see more kinds of beauty."

Ariana Grande Called Out Sexism And Defied Stereotypes

When Ariana Grande had her turn as Billboard's Woman of the Year in 2018, she touched on the discrepancies between male and female artists — from unfair stereotypes cast upon women to the standards female artists face when it comes to releasing their music.

That wasn’t the first time Grande stood up for herself and other female performers. She's also encouraged others to do the same. 

"I think the most important thing is to have each other’s backs. When you see something or hear something that’s upsetting, or someone says something that’s upsetting, even if it’s not to you, just say something and be there and support each other," Grande told Coveteur in 2017. "Misogyny is ever-present, and we have to be there to support one another. That’s really it. It’s about the sisterhood. There’s no competing in that. We have to lift each other up, not try and claw each other down."

Lady Gaga Opposed Ageism — In Her Twenties

The intersection of sexism and ageism is no joke, and women in music often feel it early on. In fact, Lady Gaga was speaking out about it in her twenties. As she declared to Billboard in 2013, when she was named their Woman of the Year, "I want to show women they don't need to try to keep up with the 19-year-olds and the 21-year-olds in order to have a hit. Women in music, they feel like they need to f—king sell everything to be a star. It's so sad. I want to explode as I go into my thirties."

Now 38 (as of press time), Gaga has cemented her place as one of the best-selling female artists of all time, even landing one of the biggest hits of her career this year with the GRAMMY-winning Bruno Mars collaboration, "Die With A Smile"; along the way, Gaga has continued to advocate for women through her music and her platform. She particularly praised Britney Spears for her resilience in 2021 following the end of her 23-year conservatorship. "The way that she was treated in this business was really wrong, and the way that women are treated in the music industry is something that I wish would change," Gaga said in a red carpet interview. "I think she will forever be an inspiration to women."

Karol G Emphasized The Power Of Womanhood

Years before Karol G became one of Latin music's most powerful women, she recognized the lack of women in the music industry. "We have to generate a movement," she urged in a 2018 Billboard interview. "It's not about a fight to see who stays — there's space for all of us."

Her achievements since then — including a GRAMMY and a chart-topping (and history-making) album — helped Karol G become the first Latina to be named Billboard's Woman of the Year. Delivering her speech in her native Spanish, she used her own story to motivate other women in the industry to keep pushing.

"I wasn't going to let being a woman be an obstacle or define my capabilities, but that it was going to be my strength, it was going to be my motive and my reason," she said. "And every time I was told no, I found the strength and the desire and everything I needed to say, yes I can. In my mind I changed the 'a woman can't do it' to 'look at this woman how she does it, look how a woman does it.'

"No one can put value on you as a person, not as a woman, not as a professional," she continued. "It is you yourself who works for it, sweats for it, gets it and earns it."

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on May 15, 2017, and was updated on Feb. 4, 2025 to reflect history-making moments through the 2025 GRAMMYs, and on March 4, 2025 with a new graphic.

The 2025 GRAMMYs marked another big night for female artists, from Doechii's dynamic performance and Chappell Roan's powerful speech to Beyoncé's career-defining wins. But it was far from the first time that women have made waves on the GRAMMY stage.

In the GRAMMY Awards' 67-year history, women have set a wide array of GRAMMY records, along with achieving many remarkable firsts. This year alone, Beyoncé did both, setting the record for the most GRAMMY nominations ever at 99, and becoming the first Black woman to win the GRAMMY for Best Country Album for COWBOY CARTER (which also won the superstar her first Album Of The Year honor).

Beyoncé is in good company when it comes to female GRAMMY record holders, which includes the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Lauryn Hill. From the first women to ever win a GRAMMY to the top GRAMMY-winning woman, as well as the first female GRAMMY performers and the first female GRAMMY host, here are 13 examples of how women blazed trails in music — and left their indelible marks in GRAMMY history.

Ella Fitzgerald: The First Woman To Win Multiple GRAMMYs

The 1st Annual GRAMMY Awards took place in 1958, and several women were among the first crop of recipients. The first female multiple GRAMMY winner was jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, who took home two gramophones: Best Vocal Performance, Female and Best Jazz Performance, Individual. The roster of first-time female GRAMMY winners also included Keely Smith, Salli Terri, Barbara Cook, Pert Kelton, Helen Raymond, and Renata Tebaldi.

The First Women To Win GRAMMYs In The General Field

Wins by women in the General Field Categories — Record, Song and Album Of The Year and Best New Artist — date all the way back to the 4th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 1962. The first female winner for Album Of The Year was Judy Garland, for her 1961 album, Judy At Carnegie Hall.

Three years later, Astrud Gilberto became the first woman to win Record Of The Year, winning alongside Stan Getz for "The Girl From Ipanema" in 1964. Then in 1968, country singer/songwriter Bobbie Gentry became the first female Best New Artist winner. And in 1971, Carole King was the first woman to claim the Song Of The Year honor for "You've Got A Friend" in 1971. 

Taylor Swift: The Artist With The Most Album Of The Year Wins

Taylor Swift is the artist with the most Album Of The Year wins in GRAMMY history, with four awards under her belt. The singer/songwriter scored her first win in the Category at the 2010 GRAMMYs for 2008's Fearless, which also won Best Country Album; Swift later won in 2016 for 2014's 1989 (also winning Best Pop Vocal Album) and in 2021 for 2020's critically acclaimed Folklore, the latter of which made her the first woman to win Album Of The Year three times.

In 2024, she broke the Category's record for all artists, winning for her tenth album Midnights (which also scored Best Pop Vocal Album that year). Overall, Swift has been nominated for Album Of The Year a total of seven times, with the other nods for 2012's Red, 2020's Evermore, and 2024's The Tortured Poets Department.

Read More: A Timeline Of Taylor Swift's GRAMMYs History, From Skipping Senior Prom To Setting A Record With 'Midnights'

Carole King: The First Woman To Win Multiple General Field GRAMMYs

The first woman to win multiple GRAMMYs in the General Field in the same night was Carole King, when she swept Record ("It's Too Late"), Album (Tapestry) and Song Of The Year ("You've Got A Friend") in 1971. The first women to win multiple GRAMMYs in the same General Field Categories include Roberta Flack, who took Record Of The Year in 1973 and 1974, for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly With His Song," respectively. 

While Taylor Swift holds the record for most Album Of The Year wins, there are many female artists with multiple victories in the Category. Lauryn Hill, Norah Jones, and Alison Krauss have each won Album Of The Year twice (but only once in each case for their own recordings). At the 2017 GRAMMYs, Adele became the first artist in GRAMMY history to win Record, Song and Album Of The Year in the same night twice, five years after doing so in 2012.

Billie Eilish: The First Woman To Sweep The General Field

At the 2020 GRAMMYs, Billie Eilish made history as the first woman to win in all four General Field Categories — Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist — in the same night, thanks to her 2019 debut album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? and its breakout hit "bad guy." (She also took home a golden gramophone for Best Pop Vocal Album.) The record-setting moment made a then-18-year-old Eilish the youngest General Field sweeper, and only the second to do so, nearly 40 years after Christopher Cross did so in 1981. 

At the 2025 GRAMMYs, both Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan were nominated in all four General Field Categories, giving them a chance to make history alongside Eilish. While neither of them completed the sweep, both singers earned their first GRAMMYs; Carpenter won Best Pop Vocal Album for 2024's Short n' Sweet album and Best Pop Solo Performance for her viral smash "Espresso," while Roan took home Best New Artist.

Beyoncé: The Artist With The Most GRAMMY Wins & Nominations

Before the 2025 GRAMMYs, Beyoncé already held the record for the most GRAMMY wins of any artist in history. She achieved the feat at the 2023 GRAMMYs, when she took home the GRAMMY for Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for her 2022 album, RENAISSANCE to bring her total GRAMMY count to 32. Not only did she add to her lead at the 2025 GRAMMYs, but she made history twice over, thanks to both her nominations and her wins.

Scoring 11 nods at the 2025 GRAMMYs thanks to her eighth studio album, 2024's COWBOY CARTER, Beyoncé's nomination total went up to 99, making her the artist with the most GRAMMY nominations of all time. 

At the 2025 ceremony, the "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" singer won her career-first Album Of The Year award for COWBOY CARTER, making her the first Black woman to win the award since 1999, when Lauryn Hill won for 1998's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. In the same night, Beyoncé also became the first Black artist to win Best Country Album for COWBOY CARTER. With three wins in total (she also won Best Country Duo/Group Performance for "II MOST WANTED" with Miley Cyrus), Beyoncé brought her record-holding number of GRAMMY wins to 35.

Read More: A Timeline Of Beyoncé's GRAMMY Moments, From Her First Win With Destiny's Child To Making History With 'Cowboy Carter'

The First Women To Perform On The GRAMMYs

The first televised GRAMMY event, a taped "NBC Sunday Showcase," in honor of the 2nd GRAMMY Awards, aired Nov. 29, 1959. It was Fitzgerald's performance on this broadcast that earned her the distinction of being the first woman to take the GRAMMY stage. 

When the GRAMMYs transitioned to a live television broadcast format for the 13th GRAMMY Awards in 1971, several female artists performed as part of the milestone event, including Karen Carpenter of the Carpenters, Aretha Franklin, Wanda Jackson, Anne Murray, and Dionne Warwick.

Bonnie Raitt: The Most GRAMMY Performances

Beloved singer/songwriter Bonnie Raitt is the woman who has performed the most at the GRAMMYs. From her first solo performance of "Thing Called Love" at the 32nd GRAMMY Awards in 1990 through her latest performance in honor of B.B. King with Chris Stapleton and Gary Clark, Jr. at the 58th GRAMMY Awards in 2016, Raitt has graced the stage nine times. In a tie for a close second are Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, who each notched eight career GRAMMY performances in their lifetimes.

Whoopi Goldberg: The First Female GRAMMY Host

Whoopi Goldberg served as the GRAMMYs' first female host at the 34th GRAMMY Awards in 1992. An EGOT (Emmy, GRAMMY, Oscar, and Tony) winner, the comedian already had an impressive array of credentials when she helmed the GRAMMY stage. Not one to shy away from pushing the envelope, she delivered arguably one of the raunchiest jokes in GRAMMY history when referencing the show's accounting firm: "I must tell you, Deloitte & Touche are two things I do nightly."

The First Female Special Merit Awards Recipients

The inaugural Recording Academy Special Merit Award was given in 1963 to Bing Crosby, but it wasn't long until women made their mark. Ella Fitzgerald was the first woman to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1967. Liza Minnelli became the first female artist to receive a GRAMMY Legend Award in 1990.

In 1992, Christine M. Farnon became the first woman to receive a Trustees Award. She served as The Recording Academy's National Executive Director for more than 20 years. 

The First Recordings By Women To Be Inducted Into The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame — established in 1973 by the Recording Academy's Board of Trustees to honor outstanding recordings that were made before the inception of the GRAMMY Awards — inducted its first female recipients in 1976. Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child," which was originally done in 1941, marked the first solo female recording. Gershwin's Porgy & Bess (Opera Version), featuring Camilla Williams, and the original Broadway cast version of "Oklahoma!," featuring Joan Roberts, were inducted into the Hall that same year.

Lauryn Hill, Cardi B, MC Lyte: The Women Who Changed Rap At The GRAMMYs

While rap music is a largely male-dominated genre, women have continued to evolve the sound since the beginnings of hip-hop. It's no surprise, then, that female rappers have also made GRAMMY history throughout the decades.

With the release of her debut album, Lyte As A Rock, in 1988, MC Lyte became the first female rapper to release a solo album. She then followed the feat by becoming the first woman rapper to receive a GRAMMY nomination when her 1993 chart-topping song "Ruffneck" received a nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 36th GRAMMY Awards in 1994.

Just a few years later, Lauryn Hill continued the history-making streak at the 1997 GRAMMYs; she became the first female rap artist to win Best Rap Album thanks to The Score, her second album with The Fugees. Hill also made GRAMMY history on her own at the 1999 GRAMMYs, when she won Album Of The Year for her monumental 1998 album, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, becoming the first rap artist to win that major Category.

Cardi B ushered in another GRAMMY first two decades later: At the 2019 GRAMMYs, she became the first solo female rapper to win the GRAMMY for Best Rap Album for her 2018 debut album, Invasion of Privacy. The 2025 GRAMMYs found history repeating itself, as Cardi B presented Doechii the Best Rap Album award for 2024's Alligator Bites Never Heal. The win made Doechii the third female rapper in history to win the Category.

Amy Allen: The First Woman To Win Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical

Making history with one of the most recent additions to the GRAMMY canon, Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical — which was first awarded in 2023 — Amy Allen became the first woman to be awarded with the honor at the 2025 GRAMMYs. Her win was thanks to her work on Sabrina Carpenter's GRAMMY-winning album, Short N' Sweet, and songs by Tate McRae, Olivia Rodrigo, Justin Timberlake, and Koe Wetzel.

With several new historic feats at the 2025 GRAMMYs, female artists are continuing to dominate on the GRAMMY stage and beyond — and show no signs of slowing down.

This article features contributions from Bianca Gracie and Taylor Weatherby.

Watch highlights from the 2025 GRAMMYs on live.GRAMMY.com.

The 2025 GRAMMYs telecast was reimagined to raise funds to support those impacted by the wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area. The Recording Academy and MusiCares launched a dedicated campaign to support affected music professionals, and we need your help. Donate now.

The 2025 GRAMMYs celebrated an abundance of new winners and iconic moments for superstars — and according to Luminate, many of them saw big gains in streaming, sales and chart movements.

Following her momentous first Album Of The Year win, Beyoncé also earned the night's biggest boost for an album. COWBOY CARTER, which also won Best Country Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for the Miley Cyrus collab "II MOST WANTED," earned 25,000 equivalent album units post-GRAMMYs — a 254 percent gain.

Doechii's Alligator Bites Never Heal also saw a big bump following her historic win for Best Rap Album, which made her the third woman to win in the Category. The album earned 31,000 equivalent album units (combining consumption via streams, downloads, sales, etc.), earning not just a 107 percent gain, but also its best week yet on the Billboard 200 at No. 14.

The night's biggest winner, Kendrick Lamar — whose viral hit "Not Like Us" nabbed the rapper five more golden gramophones, including his first for Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year — saw perhaps the most interesting boost. Despite the song not being featured on his latest album, GNX, the 2024 LP is up 9 percent. Four more of his six albums also saw a gain: Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers is up 13 percent; Good Kid, M.A.A.D City is up 11 percent; and DAMN. and To Pimp a Butterfly are both up 9 percent.

Billie Eilish saw a similar impact to Lamar's gains, as all of her albums saw a streaming boost following her stirring performance of "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" on the telecast. Her 2024 album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT — which earned Eilish six more nominations this year — gained 47 percent, while 2022's Happier Than Ever gained 17 percent and 2019's WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? gained 10 percent. Even her 2017 EP, don't smile at me, saw a 14 percent boost.

Chappell Roan had one of the biggest album boosts following her Best New Artist win and theatrical performance of "Pink Pony Club." Her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, gained 56 percent. ("Pink Pony Club" also reached a new high on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, jumping to No. 18 after a 98 percent gain; more on other Hot 100 moves later.)

On the heels of her own two wins, Sabrina Carpenter enjoyed a 20 percent boost for Short N' Sweet as well as an 8 percent gain for its predecessor, 2022's emails i can't send. Short N' Sweet helped Carpenter win Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance for its viral smash "Espresso"; the singer earned six nominations in total, including Best New Artist.

In fact, all eight of the Best New Artist nominees saw streaming gains thanks to their appearances on the telecast. Benson Boone, RAYE, Shaboozey, and Teddy Swims — all of whom, along with Doechii, were featured in a medley performance of their individual hits — each earned a boost. RAYE saw the biggest boost with 65 percent; Boone's Fireworks & Rollerblades album is up 44 percent; Shaboozey's Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going is up 13 percent; Swims' I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1) is up 8 percent. Khruangbin, who were spotlighted in a performance just before the Best New Artist medley, also earned a big gain, as their most recent LP, 2024's A La Sala, rose 36 percent. 

Charli xcx topped off a BRAT GRAMMY night — which included her first three wins and a party-fueled performance of album singles "Von dutch" and "Guess" — with the album seeing a 28 percent gain.

Several winning songs and artists also jumped up on the Billboard Hot 100. The chart's Top 10 is almost entirely dominated by GRAMMY winners and performers, helmed by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' "Die With a Smile," which returns to the No. 1 spot for a fifth week. Though the pair opted to tribute those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires with a moving rendition of "California Dreamin'" for their joint performance on the telecast, they were awarded Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Die With A Smile" (and Lady Gaga delivered a powerful message in support of queer and trans communities in her speech).

Elsewhere on the Hot 100, Lamar's wins helped his latest SZA collab, GNX's "Luther," move back to No. 3 for the first time since its December debut; Eilish's "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" jumped from No. 7 to No. 4; and Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" held on No. 5 after seeing a 118 percent boost in sales.

The Weeknd saw the biggest bound into the Top 10 thanks to his monumental GRAMMYs surprise. Ending a nearly four-year boycott, the Canadian superstar took the GRAMMYs stage for a performance of "Cry For Me" and "Timeless" (with collaborator Playboi Carti) from his new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow; the latter jumped from No. 18 to No. 7 on the chart.

Boone's "Beautiful Things" also saw a significant increase, moving from No. 15 to No. 9. His backflip-filled performance on the telecast also helped the song see a 29 percent streaming gain and a remarkable 515 percent boost in sales. 

Though Swims' "Lose Control" performance didn't quite have the same effect, he still holds at No. 8. Lamar's GNX single "tv off" closes out the Hot 100's Top 10 by rising from 11-10 on the post-GRAMMYs chart — but he surely will be seeing another big boost on the next tally, thanks to his instantly iconic halftime performance at Super Bowl LIX.