Six female solo artists and an all-female group account for all but one of the 2024 Grammy nominations for album of the year. Only Jon Batiste’s World Music Radio kept male artists from being shut out in the top category this year.
This is the 12th time that female artists have dominated the album of the year nominations. This never happened between 1959 and 1991, but has happened frequently in recent years.
It happened for the first time in 1992, which is fittingly often referred to as the Year of the Woman, when four women were elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time, joining the two that were already there.
This year’s Grammy nominees for album of the year include boygenius, the acclaimed trio which consists of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, for their debut album The Record, as well as Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation, Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Janelle Monáe‘s The Age of Pleasure, Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts, Taylor Swift’s Midnights and SZA’s SOS.
It’s Swift’s sixth nomination in this category, which puts her in a tie with Barbra Streisand for the most nominations by a female artist. It’s the second nomination in the category for Del Rey, Monáe and Rodrigo, and the first for boygenius, Cyrus and SZA.
Here are all the times that female artists have outperformed male artists in the album of the year nominations. The years shown are the years of the Grammy ceremonies.
(Some may wonder why I don’t include 1997, when the album of the year nominees consisted of one album by a female artist (Celine Dion’s Falling Into You, which won), one album by a male artist (Beck’s Odelay), the all-female Waiting to Exhale soundtrack and two albums by mixed-gender groups (Fugees’ The Score and The Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness). Wouldn’t the Exhale soundtrack make this a female-dominated roster? You’d think so, but no: The only person who was nominated for that soundtrack in this category was Babyface, who wrote and produced the album.)
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1992
Albums by female nominees (3): Natalie Cole’s Unforgettable…with Love, Amy Grant’s Heart in Motion, Bonnie Raitt’s Luck of the Draw
Albums by male nominees (2): R.E.M.’s Out of Time, Paul Simon’s Rhythm of the Saints
Winner: Natalie Cole
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1996
Albums by female nominees (3): Mariah Carey’s Daydream, Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, Joan Osborne’s Relish
Albums by male nominees (2): Michael Jackson’s HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy
Winner: Alanis Morissette
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1999
Albums by female nominees (4): Sheryl Crow’s The Globe Sessions, Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Madonna’s Ray of Light, Shania Twain’s Come on Over
Albums by male nominees (0)
Albums by mixed-gender groups (1): Garbage’s Version 2.0
Winner: Lauryn Hill
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2000
Albums by female nominees (3): The Chicks’ Fly, Diana Krall’s When I Look in Your Eyes, TLC’s FanMail
Albums by male nominees (2): Backstreet Boys’ Millennium, Santana’s Supernatural
Winner: Santana
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2010
Albums my female nominees (3): Beyoncé’s I Am…Sasha Fierce, Lady Gaga’s The Fame, Taylor Swift’s Fearless
Albums by male nominees (1): Dave Matthews Band’s Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King
Albums by mixed-gender groups (1): The Black Eyed Peas’ The E.N.D.
Winner: Taylor Swift
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2011
Albums by female nominees (2): Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster, Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream
Albums by male nominees (1): Eminem’s Recovery
Albums by mixed-gender groups (2): Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, Lady A’s Need You Now
Winner: Arcade Fire
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2012
Albums by female nominees (3): Adele’s 21, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, Rihanna’s Loud
Albums by male nominees (2): Foo Fighters’ Wasting Light, Bruno Mars’ Doo-Wops and Hooligans
Winner: Adele
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2019
Albums by female nominees (5): Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy, Brandi Carlile’s By the Way, I Forgive You, H.E.R.’s H.E.R., Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer, Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour
Albums by male nominees (3): Drake’s Scorpion, Post Malone’s Beerbongs & Bentleys, Kendrick Lamar,only nominated featured artist, Black Panther: The Album, Music From and Inspired By
Winner: Kacey Musgraves
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2020
Albums by Female Nominees (5): Lana Del Rey’s Norman F–king Rockwell!, Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next, H.E.R.’s I Used to Know Her, Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)
Albums by Male Nominees (3): Bon Iver’s I,I, Lil Nas X’s 7, Vampire Weekend’s Father of the Bride
Winner: Billie Eilish
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2022
Albums by female nominees (5): Doja Cat’s Planet Her (Deluxe),Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever, H.E.R.’s Back of My Mind, Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour, Taylor Swift’s Evermore
Albums by male nominees (4): Jon Batiste’s We Are, Justin Bieber’s Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe), Lil Nas X’s Montero, Kanye West’s Donda
Albums by mixed-gender groups (1): Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga’s Love for Sale
Winner: Jon Batiste
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2023
Albums by female nominees (5): Adele’s 30, Beyoncé’s Renaissance, Mary J. Blige’s Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe), Brandi Carlile’s In These Silent Days, Lizzo’s Special
Albums by male nominees (4): Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres, Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House
Albums by mixed-gender groups (1): ABBA’s Voyage
Winner: Harry Styles
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2024
Albums by female nominees (7): Boygenius’ The Record, Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation, Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Janelle Monáe’s The Age of Pleasure, Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts, Taylor Swift’s Midnights, SZA’s SOS
Albums by male nominees (1): Jon Batiste’s World Music Radio
Winner: TBD
