SZA’s ‘SOS’ Could Be First Album by a Black Woman to Win Top Grammy in 25 Years

It’s been 25 years since an album by a Black woman won the album of the year Grammy Award. The year was 1999 and Lauryn Hill’s heroic and artistic solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, took home the coveted prize. The win also marked the first time a rap-based project won the Grammys’ highest honor.

Hill joined an elite club of Black women to win the award: Natalie Cole was the first to do so in 1992 with Unforgettable… with Love, an album in which she covered standards performed by her father Nat King Cole; the album won five Grammys including record of the year for “Unforgettable,” a duet with dad created after his death through modern digital technology. Two years later, Whitney Houston won album of the year with The Bodyguard soundtrack, led by the worldwide hit “I Will Always Love You,” also named record of the year. Hill earned five Grammys on the night she became just the third Black woman to win album of the year. And all of the wins by Black women occurred in the ‘90s.

Since the Grammys launched in 1959, only 37 albums by 25 Black women have earned nominations for album of the year. Four Beyoncé albums have been nominated for the top prize — a record for Black women — while Houston, Mariah Carey and H.E.R. have competed three times. And other prolific Black women, from Tina Turner, Donna Summer and Roberta Flack to Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott and Rihanna, have earned album of the year nominations without winning.

That would make a win for SZA’s SOS all the more special, even though history has shown that Black artists — specifically those performing R&B and rap music — have a small chance of winning top awards at the Grammys. If Beyoncé can’t do it, who can?

SZA and SOS are strong contenders. The album is both a commercial and critical success that has had a historic run on the charts. It’s reached triple platinum status with more than 11 billion streams; it spent 10 weeks on top of the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, marking the longest-running No. 1 album released by a woman in nearly seven years; on the R&B albums chart, it has spent 56 out of 59 weeks at No. 1; and the album launched five Top 10 pop hits, including the No. 1 smash “Kill Bill” as well as “Snooze,” the only song to spend every week on the Hot 100 chart last year. The song is still wide awake: On this week’s chart, the groove sits comfortably at No. 9.

SZA also performed the album on an explosive tour that I had to attend twice because it was that good. She has equally as many male fans as she does female; like her 2017 debut Ctrl, she continues to be the voice of this generation, spitting out lyrics that are relatable and wild and gritty and introspective. It’s clear she had THE album of the year, and her nine Grammy nominations — making her the top contender — only drives the point home.

But Sunday will not go down without a fight. Album of the year contenders include Taylor Swift, who could make history by winning the honor for a fourth time; Jon Batiste, a Grammy favorite who won the top award two years ago; Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey could win their first-ever Grammys; Olivia Rodrigo hit the phrase “sophomore slump” in the guts, literally, with her masterful second album; boygenius continue to be indie darlings; and like SZA, Janelle Monáe could make history for Black women if she wins.

Ironically, the first woman to be nominated for album of the year at the inaugural Grammys in 1959? A Black woman. It was Ella Fitzgerald with Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook. She lost to Henry Mancini’s The Music from Peter Gunn. 

And there’s a chance SZA could also lose on Sunday. But we all know that winning at the Grammys is not equivalent to winning at life. Just ask Beyoncé.

A list of all the albums by Black women that have competed for album of the year at the Grammy Awards.

1959: Ella Fiztgerlad, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook (winner: Henry Mancini, The Music from Peter Gunn)

1974: Roberta Flack, Killing Me Softly With His Song (winner: Stevie Wonder, Innervisions)

1980: Donna Summer, Bad Girls (winner: Billy Joel, 52nd Street)

1985: Tina Turner, Private Dancer (winner: Lionel Richie, Can’t Slow Down)

1986: Whitney Houston, Whitney Houston (winner: Phil Collins, No Jacket Required)

1987: Janet Jackson, Control (winner: Paul Simon, Graceland)

1988: Whitney Houston, Whitney (winner: U2, The Joshua Tree)

1989: Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman (winner: George Michael, Faith)

1991: Mariah Carey, Mariah Carey (winner: Quincy Jones, Back on the Block)

1992: Natalie Cole, Unforgettable… with Love [winner]

1994: Whitney Houston, The Bodyguard soundtrack [winner]

1996: Mariah Carey, Daydream (winner: Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill)

1997: Fuguees (Lauryn Hill), The Score (winner: Celine Dion, Falling into You)

1999: Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill [winner]

2000: TLC, Fanmail (winner: Santana, Supernatural)

2002: India.Arie, Acoustic Soul (winner: Various artists, Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack)

2004: Missy Elliott, Under Construction (winner: OutKast, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below)

2005: Alicia Keys, The Diary of Alicia Keys (winner: Ray Charles, Genius Loves Company)

2006: Mariah Carey, The Emancipation of Mimi (winner: U2, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)

2010: Beyoncé, I Am … Sasha Fierce (winner: Taylor Swift, Fearless)

2012: Rihanna, Loud (winner: Adele, 21)

2015: Beyoncé, Beyoncé (winner: Beck, Morning Phase)

2016: Alabama Shakes (Brittany Howard), Sound & Color (winner: Taylor Swift, 1989)

2017: Beyoncé, Lemonade (winner: Adele, 25)

2019: Janelle Monáe, Dirty Computer (winner: Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour)

2019: H.E.R., H.E.R.

2019: Cardi B, Invasion of Privacy

2020: Lizzo, Cuz I Love You [Deluxe] (winner: Billie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?)

2020: H.E.R., I Used to Know Her

2021: Jhené Aiko, Chilombo (winner: Taylor Swift, Folklore)

2022: Doja Cat, Planet Her [Deluxe] (winner: Jon Batiste, We Are)

2022: H.E.R., Back of My Mind

2023: Beyoncé, Renaissance (winner: Harry Styles, Harry’s House)

2023: Mary J. Blige, Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)

2023: Lizzo, Special

2024: SZA, SOS

2024: Janelle Monáe, The Age of Pleasure