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Knowing that Swift would go on to win the top prize twice more for “1989” and “Folklore” while Beyoncé still has no AOTY Grammys to her name, it’s reasonable to looking back and question Swift’s first win. That said, when it comes to Album of the Year, Black artists in particular are still getting short shrift the last to win the category as a lead artist was Herbie Hancock 13 years ago for “River: The Joni Letters” (the fact that his album was a collection of covers of a white artist doesn’t help). In recent years, we have been seeing some positive change, with artists like H.E.R., Megan Thee Stallion, and Childish Gambino winning some of the top awards, in addition to other people of color like Bruno Mars collecting general field prizes. SEE Taylor Swift songs, ranked: Her top 28 greatest hits – where do ‘Cardigan’ and ‘Willow’ rank?īut the fact that Beyoncé, a Grammy darling, failed to win with her most pop-friendly album in terms of its sound and success prompted questions about whether the Grammy system made it almost impossible for predominantly Black genres like hip-hop and R&B to win Album of the Year. So for Swift, getting those country votes all to herself probably really helped push her over the edge.
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Lady Gaga could’ve gotten pop and dance votes, Beyoncé won awards in both pop and R&B fields, The Black Eyed Peas made music that could have crossed over from dance to pop to rap, and Dave Matthews Band have had success with rock, alternative, and Americana crowds. The 2010 Grammys were one of the few cases where all of the Album of the Year nominees might have appealed to a broad spectrum of voters.
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“Fearless” was more accessible to pop crowds than her self-titled debut album without alienating her country peers (something that might have hurt Swift’s “Red” a few years later). Yet none of this probably would have mattered if Swift didn’t have one common factor among most Album of the Year winners: cross-genre appeal. The Grammys often can’t resist a gifted songwriter bursting onto the scene. And since Swift, young female singer-songwriters like Billie Eilish, Alessia Cara, and Dua Lipa have won top awards ( Olivia Rodrigo might also join the list this coming year). Before Swift, we saw young female artists like Alanis Morrisette and Norah Jones win Album of the Year for their breakthrough records. What Swift also had that Beyoncé didn’t was the newcomer/ingenue narrative that the Grammys love so much.
#BEYONCE I AM SASHA FIERCE ALBUM ART PLUS#
SEE Beyonce songs, ranked: Counting down her 31 greatest hits – including ‘Countdown’! Plus ‘Formation,’ ‘Savage’ and more That might’ve built up goodwill for Swift and her album. It’s possible that outcome was influenced by the infamous Kanye West VMA incident, where West bounded on stage to protest Swift’s victory in a category over Beyonce while Swift was trying to deliver her acceptance speech. Beyoncé was a top contender for the prize for an album that produced hits like “Halo” and “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).” But Beyoncé herself - or more accurately, a friend of hers - might’ve contributed to Swift’s win. Those achievements proved that Swift wasn’t a flash in the pan and that her success was fueled by consistently top-notch songwriting, which became the staple of her career.īut what about her competition? As successful as their albums were, Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas, and the Dave Matthews Band (“Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King”) were not really front-runners. Swift was an up-and-coming country singer when she garnered a Best New Artist nomination in 2008, ultimately losing to Amy Winehouse as part of her Grammy sweep for “Back to Black.” But Swift continued her success with “Fearless,” which was led by the hit singles “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” that remain two of her signature songs. SEE The Weeknd says ‘The Dawn is Coming’ following ‘After Hours’ success, but it’s still a no for the Grammys