Taylor Swift to Miley Cyrus: female artists dominate 2024 Grammys

Female artists dominated the 66th Grammy Awards, with Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Kylie Minogue and SZA all winning major awards.

"This is absolutely wild, y'all," said Lainey Wilson of her first Grammy win, for best country album. Accepting the award for best R&B song, SZA said: "I can't believe this is happening," before signing off with: "I'm not an attractive cryer. Have a good evening."

Swift "stole the show" at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, becoming the first performer to win the prize for album of the year four times, said the BBC. The singer, who had previously been tied on three best album wins with Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon and Frank Sinatra, received the prize from Celine Dion, who made an "unexpected appearance" amid recent health concerns.

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Music icons Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell gave "rare and poignant performances", added the broadcaster, and the 66th annual Grammy Awards were, as The New York Times predicted, a "celebration of a dominant year for women in pop music". 

For an award show that in the past has been "criticised for its treatment of female stars", the number of women among the nominations was "a sign of progress". And, as The Guardian pointed out, "only one male artist, Jon Batiste, [was] up for record, album or song of the year".

R&B singer-songwriter SZA led the way with nine nominations, and won three, while Phoebe Bridgers was the most successful artist on the night, taking four awards, three with her band Boygenius. Kylie Minogue won her first Grammy since 2004, taking the best pop dance recording for "Padam Padam".

In a week where major research studies in the US and UK found "numerous examples of misogyny" in the music industry, the Grammys are a sign that "female artists, at least, are being celebrated at the highest level", said The Guardian.