In 2024, women took The Grammy Awards by storm. With many categories having a majority of female nominees, viewers were excited to see women empowerment grace the event. Additionally, fans expected Black women to win some of the most prestigious awards from the Recording Academy.
At the 66th annual event, several Black women won Grammy Awards. In fact, one winner made history, while another almost achieved a stunning feat. That said, there were still significant disappointments throughout the night. Here’s the full scoop on how the Black female nominees ended the night.
SZA and Victoria Monét’s wins inspired the masses.
Nominated for numerous categories, Victoria Monét and SZA were dubbed winners for the evening. Monét received seven nominations, including Best R&B Album and Song of the Year. The singer’s 2023 hit single, “On My Mama,” ruled the summer, and fans were excited to see her get recognized.
Monét won a Grammy for Best New Artist. Many fans found this win inspirational, as the singer-songwriter has been grinding for 15 years.
“To everybody who has a dream, I want you to look at this as an example,” Monét tearfully stated in her acceptance speech. “This award was a 15-year pursuit.”
However, Best New Artist was not the only award the 34-year-old went home with. Monét ended the night as a three-time Grammy Award winner, securing hardware for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, and Best Traditional R&B Performance. Not to mention, the beauty made history as the first Black female LGBTQ+ artist to score the most nominations — seven to be exact — in one night.
SZA also shined bright at the 2024 Grammy Awards with nine nominations — the most of any artist for the night. SZA fans were hopeful that her sophomore album, “SOS,” would win Album of the Year. The album spent the entirety of 2023 on the Billboard 200. At the time of the 66th annual Grammy Awards, the album was still topping the charts.
In addition, several of the album’s singles spent weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. “Snooze” also spent over a year topping the charts. “Kill Bill” peaked at No. 1, making it SZA’s first solo No. 1 hit.
Unfortunately, SZA did not take home the Album of the Year award. As such, many fans accuse the Recording Academy of snubbing her.
However, SZA was able to go home with a few trophies. The 34-year-old was awarded with Grammys for Best R&B Song for “Snooze,” Best Progressive R&B Album, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Ghost in the Machine.”
Jay-Z stands up for Beyoncé and Black musicians in the industry.
Although many Black women have won Grammy Awards, some fans feel that the music industry overlooks and pigeonholes them into certain categories. During Jay-Z’s Dr. Dre Global Impact Award acceptance speech, he highlighted issues that The Recording Academy should resolve — particularly their lack of recognition for Black artists.
Jay-Z thanked Dr. Dre for his award and then humorously criticized the Grammys and their past choices. Joined by his 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, he took a moment to recognize how the Grammys had snubbed his wife, Beyoncé, for Album of the Year.
“I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won Album of the Year,” he said in reference to his wife. “So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that. The most Grammys never won Album of the Year. That doesn’t work.”
In 2023, Beyoncé won Grammy Award No. 32, making her the most awarded Grammy winner in history. Notoriously, she lost Album of the Year to Harry Styles at the same award ceremony. She also lost the same category to Adele in 2017 and Beck in 2015.
Black women always find a way to shine.
Although there were significant upsets during the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, Black women still found a way to let their light shine. Aside from SZA and Monét’s wins, Samara Joy won Best Jazz Performance for the song “Tight,” making her a three-time Grammy Award-winning artist. In 2023, Joy won gramophones for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album for her second project, “Linger Awhile.”
In addition, Tyla won the first Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance for her song “Water.” That said, fans expect her Grammy run to continue.
No matter the obstacle or circumstances, Black women always come out on top and will continue to do so. The sky is the limit for Black female artists.
Who do you think should have won Album of the Year in 2024? Let us know in the comments.
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