CULTURE
The Grammy Awards & Female Artists Impact on 'Girlhood'
WORDS BY KATE PEACOCK | 16 MAY 2024
The 2024 Grammy Awards emphasised a trend we are finally beginning to feel more comfortable with: the dominance of women in the music industry. Female artists swept the nominations this year and won in all of the general categories, except producer and songwriter of the year. Taylor Swift, arguably the most popular artist of 2023, became the first singer in history to win for album of the year awards. Swift’s accolades are a mere addition to the stellar year she has had dominating charts, selling out shows across the globe and remaining a hot topic across popular culture. Beyond the realm of Swifties however, Miley Cyrus, Tyla and the all-female group Boygenius picked up their first Grammy awards, and breakthrough artists such as SZA and Olivia Rodrigo were recognised for their contribution to the industry throughout the year. With such a celebration of female artists, the night signifies a great leap for the music industry, but the rise of women’s impact on Western culture as a whole may be just as monumental.
As women take up more real estate in the music industry, their impact skyrockets too. Beyond the US, at the Brit Awards, nominations recognised a vast majority of up-and-coming female artists from the UK. Emerging talents such as RAYE and Olivia Dean received nominations in multiple categories, including Best New Artist, with the former becoming the first singer to win six awards in one ceremony. In a speech that evening, RAYE appeared astonished at her own success, stating “The artist I was three years ago would not believe I am in control- I am my own boss.”
Whereas in the past, a female superstar would be controlled by a team of male executives and producers, Taylor Swift, Beyoncè and fellow global popstars are actively managing their own production lines. This is an important shift, as it not only allows them greater artistic freedom, but signifies to fans how women in power positions are not a myth- not even in the music industry. Female fandoms have become communities and concerts places where women feel safe to express themselves, and generally exist away from the glaring male gaze.
No artist illustrates this clearer than Taylor Swift. Embarking on a world tour, Swift performed to packed-out stadiums (and adjacent car parks), full of fans desperate to hear their idol in the flesh. She was studied by economists, as the impact her ‘Eras Tour’ was so monumental it increased spending in host cities by $5 billion. Outside of this, her ever-publicised romantic life infiltrated sports news, as her relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce became one of the most discussed topics at this year’s Super Bowl. The cult-following Swift is currently experiencing is unprecedented for a female artist, and has not been seen since the age of the Beatles.
Some may say she is the most recent star to harness the earning potential obsessive, young female fans hold. However, Swift is not the only female singer enjoying such an effusive reaction to her music. Beyoncè also undertook a world tour in 2023 for her dance album ‘Renaissance’, reportedly increasing inflation in Stockholm, the host city for its opening night. The tour attracted 2.7 million fans across 56 dates and sold-out seats in London’s Tottenham Hotspur stadium five nights in a row. Fans flocked to arenas, dressed in metallic space-cowboy outfits, hoping to spend three hours in an environment that celebrated them.
What the Grammys managed to do so successfully this year was resonate with a trend spanning far beyond the music industry- that is, the growth of girlhood. While ‘girl dinners’ and ‘girl math’ swept social media, the Barbie movie, a feminist blockbuster, quickly became the most watched film of the year after its July release. As the recurring success of feminine art exemplifies how powerful women’s reach could be, the artists simultaneously feed an insatiable appetite for women and girls who dream of being understood.
The pattern emerging, across music and society, is that feminine art is a force to be reckoned with. Evident in the genres our artists continue to flourish in, as well as the quirks and obsessions of female fandoms, modern society’s obsession with female artists stems beyond typical sexualisation and corporate exploitation. What is so spectacular about women in music is their ability to connect to fans. Whether they sing about heartbreak, embarrassment, joy or falling in love, they are telling stories all generations emotionally attach to.
Female musicians are controlling their narratives, with an army of loyal followers enforcing every word. Albeit, they may be waging war on Jake Gyllenhaal and Joshua Bassett, but they dominate pop-culture topics and defend their rights to be emotional, intelligent and simply, feminine. Female empowerment, friendship and camaraderie continues to thrive under such a climate, so as art imitates life, culture is fed by artistry.