Women well represented in Grammy nominations

WOMEN are heavily represented in the four major categories at the 2019 Grammy Awards following a year where their presence was barely felt.

The Recording Academy announced yesterday that rapper Lamar is the top contender with eight nominations.

Black Panther: The Album, Music From and Inspired By is up for album of the year, a category where women make up five of the eight nominees.

Cardi B, Kacey Musgraves, Janelle Monae, H.E.R. and Brandi Carlile also are up for the top prize, along with Drake and Post Malone.

The upcoming Grammys is the first where the academy extended its top four categories from five nominees to eight.

The Panther nomination would give Lamar a chance to win album of the year after losing three times.

The nominees for the 2019 Grammys mark a departure from this year’s show, where women were under-represented in the top four categories.

Of the eight best new artist nominees, six are women, including H.E.R., Chloe x Halle, Dua Lipa, Margo Price, Bebe Rexha and Jorja Smith.

Rock band Greta Van Fleet and country singer Luke Combs also earned nominations. Another milestone for women is in the non-classical producer of the year category, where songwriting extraordinaire Linda Perry earned a nomination.

She is just the seventh woman ever nominated for prize and first since 2004.

Perry will compete with Pharrell Williams, Boi-1Da, Larry Klein and Kanye West, the only nomination he earned.

Taylor Swift, a two-time album of the year winner, only earned one nomination, her Reputation album is up for best pop vocal album.

Some acts scored their first nominations ever, including Florida Georgia Line, whose megahit Meant To Be with Rexha is up best country duo/group performance.

Camila Cabello, Malone, Mendes, Dan + Shay and DJ Mustard are also first-time nominees.