Grammys 2024: A true celebration of women in music (and it atoned for Harry Styles)
The IndependentSign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Kylie Minogue grooved joyously to Tracy Chapman playing “Fast Car” beside Meryl Streep and a deflated-looking Ed Sheeran, stoic in the face of long-standing award show norms crumbling around him. Whether it was boygenius proving themselves the assembling Avengers of alt-country pop, Olivia Rodrigo turning new generations on to gnarly melodic rock or Lana Del Rey cementing her position as the queen of sultry sepia torch songs that forget to stop after the last chorus, women have undeniably produced the most vital mainstream music of the past 12 months. open image in gallery Sister act: Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift at the Grammy Awards Rodrigo stole the night with a striking, blood-drenched rendition of “Vampire” resembling the climactic showstopper from a Carrie musical. Stevie Wonder and a virtual Tony Bennett made a clunky pairing while Jon Batiste’s unfocused jazz-gospel medley was easily upstaged by Oprah Winfrey’s thundering tribute to Tina Turner, and a butt-quaking performance of “Rollin’ on the River” by Fantasia Barrino.