MUSIC FEST
US singer-songwriter Lady Gaga performs onstage during the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2019, in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES: Women and rap triumphed at the Grammys on Sunday (Monday in Manila) as female acts took home top prizes including album of the year and best new artist, and Childish Gambino made history when his hit “This Is America" became the first rap-based track
to win record and song of the year.
Kacey Musgrave s ’ country- pop release “Golden Hour” won album of the year, and British singer Dua Lipa won best new artist — a year after female voices were somewhat muted at the 2018 ceremony and the Grammys were criticized for the low number of female nominees.
Six women were nominated for best new artist, and five of the eight album-of-the-year nominees were women, including Brandi Carlile, who described herself as “a kid from the ’90s from Lilith Fair.”
“Those women were just dominating those platforms. They were dominating those arena and amphitheater stages. They were getting record deals. They were becoming record executives themselves,” Carilie said. But watching those gains “backslide for the last 20 years has been heartbreaking.”
“Tonight gives me hope as a mother of two young daughters,” said Carilie, who won three honors in the Americana category and was the most nominated women with six.
Musgraves and Gambino were the night’s top winners, taking home four awards each. “This Is America” also won best music video and best rap/sung performance.
Cardi B also made history as the first solo female to win best rap album ( Lauryn Hill won as a member of the Fugees at the 1997 Grammys).
At the 2018 Grammys, male acts dominated in nominations, and the only woman competing for the top award, Lorde, did not get a chance to perform onstage.
The Grammys kicked off with a group of powerful women, including Michelle Obama, describing the role of music in their lives.
“Music has always helped me tell my story,” said Obama, who surprised the audience with her appearance. “Whether we like country or rap or rock, music helps us share ourselves. It allows us to hear one another.”
Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith and Jennifer Lopez also spoke and stood in solidary with Obama, Gaga and Alicia Keys, who hosted the show.
“Yes, ladies,” Keys said. “There’s nothing better than this.”
Gaga won three Grammys, including best pop duo/ group performance for the Oscar- nominated hit “Shallow,” a win she shared with Bradley Cooper. Gaga performed the song solo since Cooper was in London for the British Academy Film Awards.
R& B singer H. E. R., who won two R&B awards, stunned as she played her guitar and sang. Chloe x Halle, nominated for two awards, impressed when they sang Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack’s “Where Is the Love.”
Ariana Grande won her first Grammy in the same week that she publicly blasted Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich and accused him of lying about why she was no longer performing at the show.
Beyonce, Jay-Z, Ella Mai, Pharrell Williams, Hugh Jackman, Sting, Shaggy, Dave Chappelle, “Weird Al” Yankovic, the late Chris Cornell, Greta Van Fleet and even former President Jimmy Carter also picked up early awards ahead of the live show.