What is the Significance of All-Female Nominations for ‘Best Rock Performance’?

It is no secret that the Grammys suck. Throughout the show's 60-year history, incredible artists have been snubbed or not acknowledged, causing the award shows to lose all credibility with the majority of music fans. For some generations, essential acts that shaped their attachment to music like Jimi Hendrix and Patti Smith, or Tupac and Biggie received no Grammy wins, making it hard to take the awards seriously. For young viewers, a major turning point against the award show occurred in 2018 when the show had the audacity to award Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic “Album of the Year” over Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. Mars should not even agree with that decision.

Despite the Grammy’s many shortcomings, the 2021 edition of the show had one surprise. For the first time in the show's history, all the nominations for “Best Rock Performance” were women. For context, the category of “Best Rock Performance” has only been around for the last decade, after combining several similar categories with the changing music landscape. Regardless, since 1980, out of the three rock categories totaling about 70 awards, only 6 awards have been given to women. Three of which were to Bonnie Raitt and one to The Eurythmics, The White Stripes, and The Alabama Shakes, groups that had one female band member. For a period between 1980 and 2005, there were 21 years where the Grammys broke up “Best Male and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance'' into two separate categories. Maybe they did this so that the Grammys could more fairly distribute awards, or maybe this was a cop-out for failing to acknowledge male and female performers as equal in their artistry. Whatever the reasoning, the Grammys rightly stopped separating genres based on gender entirely in 2011. 

This year, the category of “Best Rock Performance” also has its most nominations ever, totaling six opposed to the usual four, making it even more surprising they were all women. The nominees are Fiona Apple’s “Shameika,” Big Thief's “Not,” Phoebe Bridgers’ “Kyoto,” HAIM’s “The Steps,” Brittany Howard’s “Stay High,” and Grace Potter’s “Daylight.” Out of the six acts, five have been nominated in some capacity before, with the only wins being Brittany Howard for her band Alabama Shakes and Fiona Apple for “Best Rock Vocal Performance” in 1998.

Perhaps the most notable and encouraging aspect of these six female recording artists is that they are all being nationally recognized for being rock music without attaching “alt” or “indie” as a prefix. Historically, strains of rock music, specifically its most popular acts and “classic rock,” have been overwhelmingly drenched in imagery of male eroticism and domination. “Cock rock” is a subgenre that applies to some of the biggest acts to this day, like Led Zeppelin or The Rolling Stones. Having these female acts able to fully occupy a rock space, no matter how arbitrary it may be, shows a recognition of the validity and prowess of their work without them having to apologize for being there. 

When it comes to music, these women tend to be critically adored and largely popular among rock listeners, or female ones at the least. Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters landed as number one among many year-end top album lists, if not somewhere in the top ten, and “Shameika” was one of the key take-away tracks. The song tells of a girl who told a young Apple that she had potential while in school, a sentiment that stuck with Apple as she mourns never seeing her again. Apple displays her crafted songwriting skills paired with all-over-the-place production that borders on the theatrical while not overstepping its boundaries. 

Big Thief can do no wrong in the eyes of critics thanks to bandleader Adrienne Lenker, who also put out two celebrated solo records in 2020. “Not” comes from the group’s Two Hands, and carries their signature electrified folk sound led by Lenker’s distinct voice that comes off as both reeling and wavering as she sings negation after negation looking for some sort of an answer.

The pandemic did Phoebe Bridgers good in the sense that it allowed for copious amounts of press and at-home performances leading up to the release of her sophomore album Punisher. Bridgers may be the most surprising on the list. She’s not only the youngest but also most likely to be dismissed as sad teen girl music, a pseudo-genre that is slept on by those who don’t take it seriously. “Kyoto” is a beautifully tragic reflection of Bridger’s relationship with her father, masked by upbeat drums and horns that hide the sting of lines like “I wanted to see the world/ Through yours until it happened/ Then I changed my mind.” 

The title of HAIM’s third album, “Women in Music Pt.3,” was not only a prediction of this Grammy category, but also a study in updating what classic rock might mean in the future, pulling influences from past artists like Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, and Prince, to name a few. “The Steps” is a rock song done right, composed of fully fleshed out melodies, themes of breakup hidden in rejoicing guitars, and a whammy effect that recalls All Things Must Pass.  

This may be Brittany Howard's first solo nomination, but she already has four wins under her belt. Jaime is the first solo record for the former Alabama Shakes frontwoman, and “Stay High,” the second single and a resounding hit. The song is cozy, complete with gentle strumming patterns and toy piano notes, while Howard’s voice soars as she croons, “I just want to stay high with you.” 

At age 37, Grace Potter came out with her first solo album since working with The Nocturnals since the early 2010s. Her album Daylight and nominated song of the same name did not receive overwhelming critical attention, and the selection seems somewhat of an odd choice for the Grammys. “Daylight” is the closing song of the album, containing blown-up production reminiscent of the ‘80s that quickly darts from a lethargic pace to accelerated and back again, allowing Potter’s signature smoky vocals to sound as good as ever. 

While the Grammy awards may be an incorrect, laughable portrait of the best music being put out today, it still is a portrait. For women to take up all the spaces in “Best Rock Performance” shows a recognition of the exciting things non-male artists are making in order to stretch the genre into a place where more kinds of voices can be heard. Here is hoping articles like this won’t have to exist someday soon.