From Beyoncé to Taylor Swift: Record-breaking female musicians dominate the Grammys

By Kristen Stephenson
Published
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The 63rd annual Grammy Awards didn’t officially have a theme, but after last night’s wins, it could easily have been “Who Run the World? Girls”.  

Just in time for Women’s History Month, Megan Thee Stallion, Beyoncé Knowles Carter, and Taylor Swift took the Recording Academy by storm after making history across several major music categories in one night.  

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Many who watched the three-hour show saw first-hand how women have impacted the music industry over the last few decades. 

The evening began with a win for “Savage Remix” in the Best Rap Performance category, which led artists Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé to officially become the world’s first female artists to win Best Rap Performance at the Grammys.  

The achievement was not only a ground-breaking record for female artists as a whole, but also within the rap community.  

So far Megan Thee Stallion has chart-topped with her hits “Savage”, “Body”, and “Hot Girl Summer” - tracks that are all based on empowering self-esteem and the power of women.  

Megan Thee Stallion, a rising star in the music industry, also won the Grammy for Best New Artist.  

While this is her first official Guinness World Records title, there is much to come as her career flourishes in the music industry.  

Beyoncé was part of Megan Thee Stallion’s Grammy-winning track earning her the titles for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance (both as featured artist on “Savage”) but her triumphs for Best R&B Performance (“BLACK PARADE”) and Best Music Video (“BROWN SKIN GIRL”) also meant she tied and then broke the record for the most Grammy awards won by a female artist with 28 – beating former title holder Alison Krauss.  

This means the songstress now officially holds the record for most Grammy awards won by a vocalist; and she is the first artist to ever do this in history. 

If she wins three more Grammys at future shows, Beyoncé will then tie the record for most Grammys won by an individual – lifetime, which is currently held by Hungarian-born British orchestral conductor George Solti.  

Keeping success in the family, her nine-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter also won her first Grammy at this year’s awards in the category of Best Music Video with her performance in “BROWN SKIN GIRL”. 

This feat means she now holds the title for the world's youngest individually credited winner at the Grammy Awards, at the age of nine years and 66 days. 

Beyoncé (b. 4 September 1981) won her first Grammys with Destiny’s Child (for “Say My Name”) at the 43rd edition of the awards on 21 February 2001. She was 19 years 170 days old at the time – that’s more than 10 years older than Blue Ivy was when she collected her first trophy in 2021.

Towards the end of the ceremony, Taylor Swift kept fans on their toes with her nomination for Album of the Year, an award she has previously earned twice before.  

She won her first Album of the Year award for Fearless in 2010, followed by an award for 1989 in 2016.  

To no one’s surprise, she also won this year, meaning the “Cardigan” singer now ties the Guinness World Records title for the most Album of the Year awards won at the Grammys.  

Now she shares the title with a crew of all-male music legends, including Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, and Paul Simon, making her the first female artist in history to attain this title.

Last year, Swift graced her fans with not one, but two albums entirely recorded while in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her first, Folklore, became the best-selling album last year and earned a total of five nominations at this year’s Grammys. 

Many fans took to Twitter to celebrate their favourite artist’s latest accomplishments.  

Overall the Grammys were filled with female performances, showcasing a myriad of singers and rappers including Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Miranda Lambert, Brittany Howard, Doja Cat and more.  

Many Rock and Country categories were also filled with all-women nominations.  

These empowering female record-breakers have certainly made the 63rd Grammy award ceremony one that will be remembered for years to come.