Women were the star of the show at the 66th annual Grammy Awards, but it was LGBTQ+ women who took home some of the most coveted awards of the evening. The event was hosted by former Daily Show host and comedian Trevor Noah and was attended by some of the most well-known names in music, ranging from veteran artists such as Billy Joel and Celine Dion to a new generation of artists such as Taylor Swift, SZA and Olivia Rodrigo.

The entire night was filled with glitz and glamor, but it was queer women in music who truly stole the show. Miley Cyrus, who came out as queer in 2015, won the first two Grammys of her career for her hit song “Flowers,” which won both Best Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year. Cyrus shared a story with the audience when she accepted her awards, as well as thanked her “main gays” and fans who support her.

Miley Cyrus stands next to Mariah Carey as she accepts her award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards. | Screen Capture

“So there was a little boy that all he wanted for his birthday was a butterfly, and so his parents gave him a butterfly net, and he was so excited he just went outside out in the sun and started swinging. But with no luck, he sat down on the ground, he finally let go, and he surrendered, and he was okay that he wasn’t going to capture this beautiful butterfly,” she said.

“And right when he did is when the butterfly came and landed right on the tip of his nose, and this song ‘Flowers’ is my butterfly. Thank you.”

Victoria Monét, who is openly bisexual, also won her first Grammys for Best R&B Album, Best Engineered Album and Best New Artist categories. During her acceptance speech, the singer got emotional, describing her win as a result of over 15 years of work.

“I moved to LA in 2009, and I like to liken myself to a plant who was planted, and you can look at the music industry as soil,” she explained. “And you can look at it as dirty or it can be looked at as a source of nutrients and water. And my roots have been growing underneath the ground unseen for so long. And I feel like today I’m sprouting finally above ground.”

Victoria Monét gets emotional as she thanks her team and loved ones during her acceptance speech for Best New Artist. | Screen Capture

Recently out Billie Eilish also took home the Song Of The Year and Best Song Written For Visual Media for “What Was I Made For” from the Barbie Movie. Another group, known as boygenius and comprised of three queer women — Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus — won their first Grammys for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance awards for their song “Not Strong Enough” and Best Alternative Music Album for their album “The Record.” Kylie Minogue — who is known as a LGBTQ+ icon — won her first Grammy in her 20-year-long career for Best Pop Dance Recording for “Padam Padam.” 

“I would say thank you for being with me for such a long time now, through thick and thin,” she told People magazine. “We ride the highs, the lows and the in-betweens, and to know that we’ve got each other’s backs, and this feels like the start of the next era.”

The greatest moment of the night, however, came when Luke Combs was set to take the stage to sing a cover of Tracy Chapman’s legendary “Fast Car.”

Both Chapman and Combs have scored top ten Billboard hits with the song. Comb’s cover reached the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100 this past November, while original composer and performer Chapman’s release, which shot to number six in 1988 on Billboard and was tapped as one of the greatest songs of all time by Rolling Stone, has long been recognized as a de facto lesbian anthem.

The crowd at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena and viewers at home were stunned when the opening notes of the song were played by Chapman, also a queer woman. As the camera panned back, it revealed Chapman and Combs side-by-side, performing a duet of the iconic song. It was a moment where two people from different walks of life came together and brought out the best in each other, as well as the best in those who watched. At the end of the song, the crowd erupted in applause, giving Chapman a standing ovation.

“It’s such a cool, full circle moment for me,” Combs said in a prerecorded video during the Grammy Awards. “Just to be associated with her in any way is super humbling for me.”

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