Not to get political, but us girls have had a rough year. But, you wouldn’t guess that from the looks of the Grammy Awards nominations. Particularly in the pop categories, there’s a severe lack of testosterone — indicating that, though it might still be a man’s man’s man’s world, it’s a woman’s woman’s woman’s music industry.
Taking a look at the nominations, announced Nov. 8 ahead of the February ceremony, you’d think that men barely even tried. Let’s break it down — six out of the eight nominations for the most coveted category and the final prize of the night, the Album of the Year, are for female artists. Likewise, six of the eight Song of the Year nominees are performed by women, though two of them, “Fortnight” and “Die With a Smile” are duets with male artists.
Women make up a convincing majority of the top nominees as well. Of the top eight most-nominated artists of this year’s award cycle, only two were men — Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone — with seven nominations each. Charli XCX and Billie Eilish also each scored seven nominations, followed by Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan with six each.
But in first place, with a whopping 11 nods, is Beyoncé — who also made history as the most-nominated artist of all time with 99 total, passing up her husband, Jay-Z. The Carter household must have been tense following that news.
The Grammy Awards are by no means the be-all and end-all for gender equality, but it’s still refreshing to see women leading the pack. The Recording Academy has been preaching feminism for years, reporting this year that since 2019, more than 3,000 women have joined the organization as voting members. So, is the influx of female nominees a symptom of social change bolstered by the Academy’s efforts to platform more women? Or was this year just run by the girls, point blank? I would argue for the latter. Women ruling the Grammys isn’t politically correct — it’s just correct.
To some, the sheer dominance of women in so many big categories might, at first glance, seem pandering or — gulp — “woke.” But take a look at the Best Pop Solo Performance category, which men were shut out of entirely, and try to think of one mainstream pop song performed by a man that can stand toe-to-toe with the likes of “Apple” by Charli XCX and Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather.” You can’t argue that men are being snubbed when they just don’t measure up to the high standards set by pop princesses like Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter.
The reality is that men just aren’t making good pop music anymore, at least as much as they used to. Now, most male “pop” acts just sit on a stool and fiddle with a guitar for a while. Some, like Justin Timberlake, shake things up a bit and get DUIs. The fact is that when pop music was on life support in the early 2020s, female artists were the ones to revive it. Looking at the dominance of women in some of the biggest Grammy categories doesn’t raise questions about the fairness of it all — it feels natural.
So there you have it — the Grammy Awards nominations are rightfully reflecting women’s domination of pop music this past year. Now, allow me to pit these talented women against each other and choose some favorites. This year’s batch of nominations is particularly strong, so it won’t be easy!
The AOTY category is a tough one. While I’m a ride-or-die Beyoncé fan, I’ve accepted that if “Lemonade,” her haunting, emotionally charged magnum opus didn’t win in 2017, the more controversial “Cowboy Carter” definitely won’t, either. Nevertheless, I’m pleased to see “Bodyguard,” my favorite track off the album, nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance. It probably won’t win — it’s up against the smash-hits “Espresso,” “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Birds of a Feather” — but I would be overjoyed if it did.
In spite of my love for Beyoncé, the best choice for AOTY is undeniably Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” Everything about it, from its glittery, campy aesthetics to its singalong-able lyrics, made “Midwest Princess” a phenomenon or a “Femininomenon,” if you will. I’ve never seen an album so universally adored. Just ask my 51-year-old Midwestern mom, who cries every time she hears “Pink Pony Club” because she finds it so touching.
Or my 17-year-old gym bro little brother who’s too cool for plenty of things, but not for queuing up “Good Luck, Babe!” with his friends. If Roan doesn’t win AOTY, or at the very least, Best New Artist, I would consider the Grammys officially defunct.
Despite the Academy’s embrace of girl power this year, the nominations are far from all being perfect. Women might run pop in the eyes of the Grammys, but the fact remains that female artists — particularly Black female artists — are still struggling to gain recognition in other categories. Not to mention that, though Beyoncé is the most-nominated artist in Grammy Awards history, she’s still never won AOTY — and the last time the award went to a Black woman was in 1999. It’s a sobering reminder that, although significant strides have been made, there’s still a way to go.
A music awards ceremony may seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, but representation still matters. Regardless, it’s important to remember that if AOTY goes to Taylor Swift for the second year in a row, the world won’t explode — though X might. No matter who takes home which prize and who gets snubbed, life will go on and women will probably continue to rule the music industry.
