Women seize Grammy spotlight
LOS ANGELES: Female artists took many of the biggest prizes at the 61st Grammy Awards, held yesterday at Staples Centre in Los Angeles, including album of the year, which went to Kacey Musgraves for her psychedelic country disc Golden Hour, and best new artist, which went to the dancepop singer Dua Lipa.
Cardi B, the delightfully straighttalking New York MC, became the first solo female rapper to win the award for rap album with her smash Invasion of Privacy. Other winners included H.E.R., who took R&B; album with her selftitled debut, and Ariana Grande, whose Sweetener was named the year’s best pop vocal album.
The results represented a remarkable shift from results in 2018, when the Grammys were roundly — and justly — criticised for shutting women out of several major categories, despite the fact that women have reliably been the ones moving pop’s needle in recent years.
Accepting her prize, Lipa grinned and said, ‘‘I guess this year we’ve really stepped up.’’
Notably absent was Childish Gambino, who had several important wins for This Is America, his viral rap hit about gun violence and racial terror.
Along with the awards, yesterday’s performances — the vast majority by women and people of colour — at times seemed to scream, ‘‘Hey, we get it!’’ .
Another sign of progress for the Grammys: The awards for record and song of the year went to Childish Gambino — also known as the actor Donald Glover — for his searing track This Is America. It was the first time a hiphop track has won song of the year — an absurd ity, given how long rap has dominated the Top 40.
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper won the award for pop duo performance with Shallow, from their movie A Star Is Born.
A dreadful Grammy moment had Post Malone jamming with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which did nothing for either act. But off notes were exceptions in a programme that went some way towards restoring the Grammys’ battered reputation. — TCA