Swift on top as ladies lead at Grammys
Industry veterans steal stage
It was ladies’ night at the 2024 Grammys, with Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, SZA and Kylie Minogue in the winners’ circle and Celine Dion, Joni Mitchell and Mariah Carey making scene-stealing appearances.
After a year when female artists dominated critics’ bestof lists and fan playlists, Grammys voters mostly got it right, with Swift making history to be the first artist to win a fourth Album of the Year for Midnights.
She used her acceptance speech for an earlier win for Pop Vocal Album to reveal her two-year “secret” from fans that new record The Tortured Poets Department would be released on April 19.
Pop icon Celine Dion, who has been battling stiff-person syndrome for the past two years, made a shock appearance to present the final award of the night to Swift.
“When I say that I’m happy to be here, I really mean it, from my heart,” she said.
But when Swift arrived on stage she appeared to snub Dion’s presence or neglected to thank her for her valiant effort in attending the Grammys during her speech. A photo of the pair backstage was hastily shared on social media.
Mariah Carey was the first presenter of the televised ceremony, giving Miley Cyrus his first-ever Grammy for Pop Solo Performance for her selflove anthem Flowers.
Cyrus, who performed the song live on television for the first time since its release in January 2023 and switched the lyrics to exclaim “I just won my first Grammy”, delivered another notable snub for the night when she later collected Record of the Year.
She thanked “my mummy, my sister, my love” but not her dad Billy Ray. The pair have been estranged since her parents’ divorce.
Another winner with two Grammys to add to her collection was Billie Eilish, with her Barbie song What Was I Made For? claiming Song of the Year and Visual Media Song.
With her “best friend” brother Finneas O’Connell by her side, Eilish was clearly shaken by winning Song of the Year, declaring “Damn, that’s stupid, guys” and adding she was “shocked out of my balls.”
This year’s leading nominee SZA took home three awards from her nine nominations, including Best R&B Song.
One of the greatest songwriters in contemporary music history, Joni Mitchell, performed on the Grammys stage for the first time in her six-decade career and also won Best Folk Album.
Other female artists to score multiple Grammy wins were Victoria Monet, boygenius and Paramore.
Minogue added a second Grammy to her collection this year by picking up the inaugural Pop Dance Recordings award for her Padam Padam.
Latin star Karol G, country artist Lainey Wilson and former First Lady Michelle Obama also picked up a trophy each at the awards.
Another Australian winner was guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel who
claimed the Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella category with his version of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues.
Jay-Z used his Global Impact Award speech to call out the Grammys for their historic lack of recognition for black artists, including wife Beyonce.
With their daughter Blue Ivy beside him on stage, he pointed out Beyonce became the most awarded artist of all time with 32 Grammys wins last year but had yet to take out the night’s biggest prize, Album of the Year despite her critically-acclaimed body of work.
“I don’t want to embarrass this young lady (Beyonce), but she has more Grammys than anyone and never won Album of the Year. Think about that. That doesn’t work,” he said.