How women are dominating the music industry
Award season has just come to an end, and it is safe to say, women in the music industry are killing it. It has been refreshing to see a plethora of female artists- new and old - receiving well-earned recognition for their work in award categories that are so often dominated by men.
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the beginning of February this year, and so many women achieved incredible feats. For example, Doechii became the third woman to ever win the Grammy for best rap album (the other women being Lauryn Hill in 1999 and Cardi B in 2019); a huge achievement in a heavily male-dominated genre. Additionally, Chappell Roan was awarded best new artist, another category that is generally made up of male artists. But what is most shocking, yet exciting, about the 2025 Grammy nominations, is the Album of the Year category, which included 6 female artists and only 2 men. The reason this shocked so many fans and spectators is because women are so rarely represented in the ‘Album of the Year’ category at the Grammies as nominees, let alone winners. Between 2013 and 2023, only 10.3% of ‘Album of the Year’ nominees were women, therefore proving the immense progress that has been made in the music industry over the last few years.
Even more shockingly, only 1.7% of Producer of the Year nominees between 2013 to 2023 were women, yet 1 out of the 5 nominees in this category in 2025 was a woman (Alissia Beveniste). Although this is a slight improvement on the usual trend, women are still not equally represented within a lot of categories, and much work has yet to be done to achieve true equality in music awards.
One of the most talked-about - and controversial - artists of this year’s awards season was Beyoncé, who has received backlash for the successful performance of her most recent album ‘Cowboy Carter’ at the Grammies. Beyoncé’s heartfelt lyrics and innovative sound have resonated with audiences worldwide, and her victory is seen as a testament to the hard work and dedication of women in the industry. She won both ‘Album of the Year’ and Country Album of the year at the Grammies, however thousands of people flooded to social media to argue with this result, claiming that Billie Eilish or Charlie XCX were more deserving of the ‘Album of the Year’ award. Whilst the arguments that Billie’s lyricism was far more thoughtful than Beyoncé’s, and the cultural impact that Charlie XCX made with ‘brat’ was much more significant than ‘Cowboy Carter’, the way that thousands of fans have brought down a successful, hard-working woman has completely disregarded the meaningful progress made by women recently. It is as if we have taken one step forward, and three steps back.
However, one woman who was supportive of every artist at the Grammies was Taylor Swift. Love her or hate her, Taylor is never afraid to display her support and admiration for fellow musicians. She made headlines after the Grammies for getting up and dancing shamelessly to each of the musical performances during the ceremony, most notably Kendrick Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter’s performances. This kind of support is exactly what is necessary within the industry to achieve real equality and to celebrate the success of all who achieve it.
As the industry continues to evolve, the 2025 Grammy Awards serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of representation and the impact of female artists. With their undeniable talent and influence, women are not only shaping the future of music but also inspiring the next generation of musicians to break barriers and pursue their dreams.
Sources:
https://www.grammy.com/news/2025-grammys-nominations-album-of-the-year
https://grammy.com/news/2025-grammys-nominations-best-new-artist