Women Are Finally Making Their Mark in a Grammy Category Filled With Men
Women are finally starting to make their mark in a Grammy category that’s historically been filled with me. – Author: Anne Erickson, Photo via Sam Cannon
Women have long been a force at the Grammy Awards, but it’s often been in genres such as pop and country music. Now, the 2025 Grammy Award nominations for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance came out on Friday, November 8, and two out of five of the songs nominated feature a woman.
Two out of five might not seem like a lot, but for a category that’s often dominated by all men, it’s significant. I’ve seen plenty of men and women alike support women in metal music over the years, so it’s heartening to see the Grammy Awards catching up with this trend.
2025 Grammy Metal Nominees Are Strong
Even if you aren’t looking at the 2025 Grammy Award nominations for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in terms of the number of women in the bunch, all of these candidates are strong. The Grammys haven’t always gotten it right when it comes to their metal nominees and winners. Remember when Jethro Tull won the Best Metal Grammy over Metallica? People still gripe about this to this day, because it was such a mind-blowing choice.
But, in 2025, the Grammy nominees in the metal category are very strong, and really any of these names could be the winner.
The 2025 Grammy nominees for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance include “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ca Ira!)” from Gojira, Marina Viotta & Victor Le Masne; “Crown of Horns” from Judas Priest; “Suffocate” from Knocked Loose featuring Poppy; “Screaming Suicide” from Metallica; and “Cellar Door” from Spiritbox.
Women in the Best Metal Grammy Category
Spiritbox is a female-led metal band from Canada, and this marks their second Grammy nomination. The got a Grammy nod in 2024 for “Jaded,” so this honor directly follows.
“This year, Spiritbox has proven their ability to captivate audiences worldwide, touring alongside heavy metal legends Korn and reaching new heights with their bold collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion on her ‘MEGAN: ACT II’ project, which features the genre-blending track ‘TYG,'” the band said in a statement regarding the Grammy nomination. “As Spiritbox continues to redefine the boundaries of heavy music, their Grammy nomination for ‘Cellar Door’ is another testament to their staying power in the genre.”
The statement adds, “Whatever comes next for Spiritbox, one thing is for sure: expect the unexpected and a firm commitment to creating wholly authentic music with passion, purpose, and constant evolution.”
The other female on the tally is Poppy, who has also been nominated before. “Previous Best Metal Performance Grammy nominee Poppy has dominated the hard rock space over the last year, with her own songs, the incendiary ‘New Way Out,’ as well as with incredible collaborations with artists Bad Omens and Knocked Loose, with whom she is nominated this year for the song ‘Suffocate,'” he publicist said in a statement.
Poppy also has a new album coming out November 15 via Sumerian records, “Negative Spaces.” In a statement, her publicist says, “The album is set to reveal a new glimpse of the true visionary unconcerned with genre.”
Poppy also got more exposure this year with her collaboration with Bad Omens, “V.A.N,” which made it into the top 15 on active rock radio.
So, the nominees are in. They’re all really strong, regardless of gender. May the best man or woman win.
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