"It would also be super cool if more queer people had their full rights and were treated like people.”
ADVERTISEMENTSupergroup boygenius have had quite the blockbuster year.
Following that Nirvana homage cover on Rolling Stone and the release of their (gorgeous) debut album, ‘the record’ - one of our favourites of 2023 at the midway point, which we described as “a disarmingly genuine ode to collaboration” – band members Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus were nominated for six Grammy Awards last week.
This includes Album of the Year, as well as Record of the Year for the song ‘Not Strong Enough’.
Not half bad. You might say that they’re more than strong enough.
In a recent interview with Billboard, the band have reflected on the positive LGBTQ+ representation across the 2024 Grammy nominations.
Check out our full breakdown of the nominees here.
Indeed, the noms for boygenius, Victoria Monét, Brandy Clark, The xx frontwoman Romy and Troye Sivan have seen LGBTQ+ artists lead the way, marking a positive move for queer representation in main categories. For instance, both Bridgers and Monét earned seven nominations apiece, which puts them only behind SZA for the most nominations - who emerged with more than any other artist, receiving nine nominations in total.
When asked what it means to see that kind of representation in the nominations, boygenius member Baker replied: “It’s cool, because when you’re saying ‘this class of people,’ or ‘this demographic of folks’ … It’s like, if there’s enough people that fit that category within the organisation, it stops becoming a novelty.”
“It would be so sick if the way all queer people were treated got more normal too,” Dacus continued. “Like, we have a friend that, during Pride Month, said, ‘It’s cool to see the rainbow on this Shell gas station sign. Why am I still getting looked at funny as a trans woman walking around?’ Like, it’s cool that there’s more queer people getting nominated for Grammys, but it would also be super cool if more queer people had their full rights and were treated like people.”
Elsewhere, the band joked that they were “gonna have to fight Dave Grohl” in the parking lot after they were nominated in the same category.
Three against one is hardly fair, but considering that the Foo Fighters frontman drummed for the band’s song ‘Satanist’ during their Halloween Hollywood Bowl show last month, we’re guessing no fisticuffs will really take place.
We’d still pay good money to see the mock fight though.
The 2024 Grammy Awards will take place Sunday 4 February.
