2024 is proving to be a monumental year for female artists and The Brits Awards were a statement to that fact, with Raye making history by taking home a record-breaking six trophies in one night, smashing the previous record of four held by Harry Styles, Adele and Blur. She led the show by winning awards for album of the year, artist, song and songwriter of the year, plus best new artist and R&B act– a feat that has not been achieved by anyone in Brits Awards History.
But Raye is not the only woman making waves in 2024.
Beyoncé, the Queen of pop, coming off the high of her once-in-a-lifetime Renaissance tour across 39 cities, 56 dates and over 300 performances, shocked the industry with her venture into country music. With the release of two country-inspired songs and teasers about an upcoming album, the reactions from the industry were extremely controversial, given the unexpected move by the icon, another powerful reminder of her artistry, versatility and vision to cement her legacy as one of the most influential artists of our time.
Across the atlantic, Tyla made history by winning the inaugural Best African Music Performance at the Grammy Awards over the biggest Afrobeats acts like Davido, BurnaBoy and Asake, her victory showed the prominence of Afrobeats and the global impact of African music, as she had spent the preceding months topping the charts in countries like New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, South Africa, Ireland, Sweden and United States, where she became the youngest-ever South African and the first South African soloist in 55 years to enter the Billboard Hot 100U.S. Her celebrated track, “Water” landed a coveted spot in the top 10 of both Billboard’s Hip-Hop and R&B charts and was Number 1. on the Billboard Afrobeats Chart for several weeks.
Ayra Starr, the acclaimed Afrobeats star has proved that her rise in the industry can not be stopped. Her infectious track,”Rush” not only charted in international territories like Switzerland, Ireland, and the UK, but it also propelled her to a Grammy nomination for Best African Music Performance. Starr shattered another record by becoming the youngest African female artist to surpass 100 million views on a single YouTube video, achieving this feat in a record-breaking five months.
Taylor Swift, continues to redefine what it means to be a successful musician. Not only is she the first artist to reach billionaire status solely through music sales, but she’s also the unrivaled queen of the Grammys, holding the record for most Album of the Year wins (four). Her Eras Tour was the No. 1 tour both worldwide and in North America, and grossed over a billion naira with 4.35 million tickets sold across 60 tour dates, and her blockbuster film adaptation of the tour, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” has reportedly been called the highest-grossing concert film of all time.
SZA cemented her place as the reigning queen of R&B with her critically acclaimed album, SOS. The record spent a dominating ten non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 and over 41 weeks at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart, the most by any project since the list launched in 2013. Later, SZA finally claimed the elusive number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with her hit song “Kill Bill.” and it spent 21 weeks on the chart, It broke the record for the longest time a song spent atop the chart, surpassing Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.”
These six women—Raye, Beyonce, Tyla, Ayra Starr, Taylor Swift, and SZA, are not just dominating the music industry in 2024 – they are reshaping music in different ways. They remind us of the true purpose of music, as a tool for celebrating diversity, inclusion, and empowerment in our world.
Read more Music Stories From KLATMAG
Written by Angel Joanne Okonkwo
