--- title: Grammys 2018 Draws Backlash, Viral #GrammysSoMale Reactions description: Social media users said #GrammysSoMale after only one woman won a major award at the 60th annual Grammy Awards. canonical: https://time.com/5122993/grammys-so-male-reactions/ author: Samantha Cooney article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-29T15:04:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:50:09.757Z og:title: The Internet Is Calling Out the Grammys With #GrammysSoMale og:description: Only one woman won a major award og:url: https://time.com/5122993/grammys-so-male-reactions/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltafd1992b173f8632/6988f9cd7cdbac14c0d5bbf4/alessia-cara.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3787 og:image:height: 2130 og:image:alt: Grammy Press Room og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Internet Is Calling Out the Grammys With #GrammysSoMale twitter:description: Only one woman won a major award twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltafd1992b173f8632/6988f9cd7cdbac14c0d5bbf4/alessia-cara.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Only One Woman Won a Major Grammy Award. The Internet Is Sounding Off With #GrammysSoMale. > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Samantha Cooney](https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Jan 29, 2018 3:04 PM UTC  Recording artist Alessia Cara, winner of the Best New Artist award, poses in the press room during the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. Recording artist Alessia Cara, winner of the Best New Artist award, poses in the press room during the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. Slaven Vlasic—FilmMagic  by [Samantha Cooney](https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Jan 29, 2018 3:04 PM UTC After only one woman took home a major award at the [60th annual Grammy Awards,](http://time.com/5119621/grammys-2018-recap/) social media users called out the major music awards ceremony for its lack of [gender diversity.](http://time.com/tag/gender-equality/) Social media users began using the hashtag [#GrammysSoMale](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23grammyssomale&src=typd) to express their frustration with the [male-dominated show](http://time.com/5122250/grammys-2018-winners-list/). Alessia Cara was the only woman to win a major award at Sunday’s show, taking home the “Best New Artist” statuette. SZA, who was the most-nominated woman at this year’s Grammys, [went home](http://time.com/5122443/sza-grammys-snub/) empty handed. Lorde, the only woman to be nominated for Album of the Year, lost to Bruno Mars who won for “24K Magic.” During the show, Kesha — flanked by a chorus of all-star female vocalists — [performed](http://time.com/5122525/kesha-grammys-times-up/) “Praying,” her first single since her years-long legal battle with music producer Dr. Luke, who she [accused of sexual assault](http://motto.time.com/4754992/kesha-dr-luke-sony-kemosabe/). (Dr. Luke denies her allegations.) Critics called the emotional performance a [highlight of the night](https://www.gq.com/story/kesha-just-tore-the-house-down-with-praying-on-the-grammys) and a [powerful #MeToo movement statement](https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/28/entertainment/kesha-grammy-performance-2018/index.html) — but the song lost out to Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” for Best Pop Solo Performance. > [](https://twitter.com/AnyaSilverPoet/status/957784738160312323) > [](https://twitter.com/karlbooton/status/957892946468265984) > [](https://twitter.com/jasonikeler/status/957784209954918400) > [](https://twitter.com/theleonpaladin/status/957829229608972288) A [report](http://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/inclusion-in-the-recording-studio.pdf) from the University of California published on Jan. 25 found that out of the 899 people nominated for Grammy Awards between 2013 and 2018, only 9% were women. In response to the criticism, Recording Academy President Neil Portnow told journalists after the show that women should “step up.” “I think it has to begin with women who have the creativity in their hearts and their souls — who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, who want to be producers, who want to be part of the industry on an executive level — to step up, because I think they would be welcome,” Portnow [said.](http://time.com/5122944/grammy-awards-women-men-step-up/) The Grammys have been criticized for its [lack of gender and racial diversity in the past](https://splinternews.com/its-not-just-the-oscars-the-grammys-are-incredibly-whi-1793854674), but this year’s nominations received [praise for their inclusion](https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2017/11/28/diversity-2018-grammy-nominees-deservedly-celebrate-artists-color/899337001/). The scarcity of female winners comes amid [#TimesUp](http://time.com/5083809/times-up-hollywood-sexual-harassment/), a movement launched by several Hollywood women to fight sexual harassment and gender inequality. At the Grammys, several celebrities [wore white roses](http://time.com/5119499/white-rose-grammys-red-carpet/) to Sunday’s show to show solidarity with the initiative. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5122993/grammys-so-male-reactions/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5122993/grammys-so-male-reactions/"},"headline":"Only One Woman Won a Major Grammy Award. 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