Kacey Musgraves commends Grammys for improving on 'previous lack of female representation'

Country singer says credit has to go to the female artists themselves

Grammy Winner Kacey Musgraves poses in the press room during the 61st Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on 10 February, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. ((Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy))

Kacey Musgraves believes the Grammys have made progress when it comes to giving female artists fair representation.

The country singer won four awards during the event on 10 February, taking Album of the Year for Golden Hour, Best Country Solo Performance for “Butterflies”, Best Country Song for “Space Cowboy”, and Best Country Album for Golden Hour.

Her wins were some of the highlights of a female-dominated ceremony, which also included tributes to Dolly Parton and Diana Ross.

“I think the Grammys definitely made up for last year’s lack of female representation, but the credit also has to go to the women who are the ones making the art,” Musgraves told The New York Times.

“You never want to think that there’s a crazy influx — a 180 from last year — because of [tokenism].”

She added: “It would be a shame to feel that way. But in this case there were a lot of really beautiful pieces of work released. So I’m not going to think about it that much.”

Last year, the Grammys faced some criticism after it appeared that female artists would be missing out on some of the most prominent categories.

No female artist made the Record of the Year shortlist, and only one earned an Album of the Year nomination.

This year, women were featured more evenly across categories and won some of the most high-profile awards.

In the general field category, Dua Lipa won Best New Artist.

On the pop side, Lady Gaga won Best Pop Solo Performance for “Joanne”, and is sharing the Best Pop Duo / Group Performance with Bradley Cooper for “Shallow”. Ariana Grande took Best Pop Vocal Album for Sweetener.

Cardi B, meanwhile, became the first female solo artist to win the Grammy for Best Rap Album with Invasion of Privacy.