Every music lover’s favorite night of the year took place this past Sunday, The Grammys. The biggest night in music always tends to get the internet talking and memorable, iconic moments. Nobody ever knows what to expect!
This year was different than others as the biggest night in music became dominated by women in the industry. There were a total of ten televised categories and nine of them were won by women. The 2024 Grammys was a beautiful display of women’s impact on music.
These are the best moments that highlighted this.
Dua Lipa opens the show
Opening the show with the talented Dua Lipa’s iconic performance truly set the tone for the rest of the night. After she was torn apart for her dance moves in 2018, she has been working to prove her haters wrong. This performance was a stunning display of her hard work paying off, giving her haters nothing to discuss. Dua Lipa was nominated for two Grammy awards. Although she did walk away empty-handed, she also walked away knowing she put on the performance of a lifetime.
Trevors opening monologue
In his opening monologue, Trevor Noah reminded everyone why this is his fourth time hosting the Grammys. His introduction to the three-and-a-half-hour show was simultaneously funny and respectful. This was a breath of fresh air that was desperately needed since the Golden Globes incident with Jo Koy.
“Speaking of killing it, can we acknowledge for a second how women have dominated music this year?” Noah asked. He continued to give a shoutout to Olivia Rodrigo, Victoria Monét, boygenius, SZA, Lana Del Rey, and Taylor Swift.
He even successfully made a joke about Taylor Swift and the NFL drama without offending anyone! Taking the time to acknowledge the accomplishments of female artists during this huge night, was beyond impactful. Thank you, Trevor!
Miley Cyrus wins her first Grammy
All of the girls who grew up claiming Hannah Montana as their favorite singer and stuck by Miley Cyrus during her controversial Bangerz era were in puddles watching Cyrus receive her first Grammy award ever. She received the award for Best Pop Solo Performance, winning with her hit song “Flowers”. The award was presented by Mariah Carey, much to Cyrus’ delight.
She gave a heartwarming acceptance speech and soon after had another celebratory moment, while performing “Flowers” on the Grammys stage. The artist danced around and exclaimed during the performance, “started to cry then remembered, I just won my first Grammy!” She later won another Grammy for Record of the Year, leaving with two wins for the empowering anthem!
Tracy Chapman performs “Fast Car” with Luke Combs
Luke Combs introduces the performance in a pre-recorded video where he explains the importance of the song to him. In the video, he says, “Tracy is such an icon and one of the best songwriters I think that any of us will ever be around to see.” As the camera pans up to Tracy playing the guitar during the opening notes of the song, the Grammys crowd as well as households across the nation went wild.
Combs giving the spotlight back to a legend like Chapman is a moment that will go down in music history. After the performance, Chapman’s “Fast Car” reached #1 on US iTunes, almost 36 years since its release.
Karol G wins Best Música Urbana Album
Not only did Karol G secure her first Grammy with her win in the category for Best Música Urbana Album, but she also made history as well. With the win, she became the first woman in history to receive the award for this category. The album that secured her this win is Mañana Será Bonito. In January of 2023, the album became the first all-Spanish-language record by a female artist to hit #1. The impact it has had on listeners everywhere since has been very noticeable.
Billie Eilish brings Barbie to the Grammys
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was undoubtedly one of the most talked about movies of 2023; a beautiful film about the female experience by women for women. In light of the recent controversy surrounding the film industry’s refusal to give the film its deserved accolades, it was beyond heartwarming to witness Billie Eilish giving the film a spotlight at the Grammys. Eilish and her brother, Finneas, gave an emotional performance of their powerful ballad, “What Was I Made For?”.
The song was written for Barbie and captured the hearts of women everywhere who resonated strongly with it. Eilish performed in a look inspired by the 1965 “Poodle Parade” Barbie doll. She received two awards for “What Was I Made For?”: Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media.
The Song of the Year category was televised, and Eilish and Finneas both took the stage to accept the award. The two thanked those involved in the making of Barbie, most notably Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie. All of this was done as Eilish proudly rocked a Barbie bomber jacket.
SZA tearfully accepts Grammy for Best R&B Song
SZA was, without a doubt, one of the artists to keep an eye on during the show last night. With her hit sophomore album SOS, SZA has had the most successful year of her career. She walked into the Grammys as the most nominated artist with nine total nominations. Not long after she put on an unforgettable performance of her hits “Snooze” and “Kill Bill”, Lizzo presented her with the award for Best R&B Song for “Snooze.”
SZA sprinted on stage after a quick costume change and a shot of alcohol and accepted the award. She humbly noted how important and full circle the moment felt to her. She excitedly thanked many important people in her life and began to cry. SZA won three out of the nine awards she was nominated for; Best R&B Song, Best Progressive R&B Album, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Olivia Rodrigo gives a memorable performance of “Vampire”
After her big year at the Grammys in 2021, everyone was excited to see Olivia Rodrigo return to the stage this year. Her sophomore album GUTS became one of the biggest albums of 2023 after its release in September. The lead single of the album, “Vampire” was one of the biggest songs of the year, catching up to the success of her debut single, “Driver’s License”.
Rodrigo was nominated for six categories but unfortunately did not win any of them. Despite this, the pop princess made her presence at the award show very well known with a delightfully bloody performance of “Vampire” that had all of the biggest stars on their feet.
Joni Mitchell performs for the first time in 9 years
The amazing Joni Mitchell made a special appearance at the award show, sounding spectacular. The inspiration to so many artists performed “Both Sides Now” after winning the award for Best Folk Album. This was her first time performing since suffering from a brain aneurysm in 2015 and also her first time performing at the Grammys ever. Brandi Carlile accompanied the star during this legendary performance.
Victoria Monét wins Artist of the Year
After years of hard work and being a driving force behind the scenes of so many hits, Victoria Monét was finally given the recognition she deserves when she was awarded Best New Artist. Monét won a total of three Grammy awards: Best New Artist, Best R&B Album, and Best Engineered Album, Non-classical.
Celine Dion shocks everyone with a surprise appearance
Ahead of the show, The Grammys teased a surprise guest who would announce the final and biggest award of the night: Album of the Year. There was a lot of speculation about who it would be, but nobody guessed that it would be Celine Dion. Dion was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome in 2022 and has made very few public appearances since. This was a huge moment for Dion as well as her friends, fans, and admirers in the industry to see her on a stage once again.
Phoebe Bridgers takes home the most awards of the night
Phoebe Bridgers is best known for her work as a solo artist as well as her role in the beloved band, boygenius. Consequently, she became the big winner of the night by taking home four awards total, more than any other artist. She won three awards with boygenius, affectionately known by their fans as “the boys”.
The group consists of all openly queer, female artists: Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus. The group won Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for their single “Not Strong Enough,” along with Best Alternative Album for their debut album The Record. Bridgers secured her fourth award by winning Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for her collaboration with SZA on “Ghost in the Machine”. Unfortunately, none of these award categories were televised so she is not quite getting the praise that she deserves from the public for this amazing achievement.
Taylor Swift becomes the first person to win AOTY four times
After an absolutely insane, record-breaking year, it was only right that Taylor Swift had an absolutely insane, record-breaking Grammy night. Prior to her arrival at the Grammys, Swift sent her fans spiraling as she dropped hints at what everyone assumed to be reputation (Taylor’s Version).
Swifties were tuning in eagerly waiting to see if she would announce her next re-recording. After winning Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights, Swift took the stage to deliver a much more shocking announcement. The global superstar thanked her fans for her 13th Grammy award by announcing her brand new album, The Tortured Poets Department.
Swift’s night only got better from there as she was awarded the last (and biggest) award of the night, Album of the Year. This is a huge deal, not just for Swift but for all women in the music industry. The award became her fourteenth Grammy as well as her fourth Album of the Year Grammy.
Before this win, she was tied with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, and Paul Simon for most Album of the Year wins. She now has the most Album of the Year Grammys ever, the first person to ever reach four. That’s right, the first person, not the woman! This was the perfect end to a night that celebrated women in the music industry to an extent that we have never truly seen.
