Female acts, rap songs win big at Grammys
LOS ANGELES — Women and rap triumphed at the Grammys on Sunday 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 Musgraves’ 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 albumof-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,” Carlile 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 Carlile, who won three honors in the Americana category and was the most nominated woman 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).
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.”
Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith and Jennifer Lopez also spoke and stood in solidarity with Obama, Gaga and Alicia Keys, who hosted the show.
“Yes, ladies,” Keys said. “There’s nothing better than this.”