When the 2024 Grammy nominations were announced, one thing was immediately clear. That means women outperformed men in key categories.
Major artists such as superstars SZA, Taylor Swift, and Olivia Rodrigo reflect an incredible diversity of skills on acclaimed albums that mine the deepest corners of the human experience.
One part of this is divorce.
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A slew of new releases from Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus and Kelsea Ballerini reimagine the divorce album in all its complexity. The music industry has long been youth-centric, but the fact that these musicians are all women in their 30s and 40s, and as a result, possess a certain level of confidence and rich emotional maturity may mean something. In a culture where relevance is currency, stories of relationships that carry the weight and wisdom of age register as fresh. If every pop star is in her teens, what about the rest of us? Perhaps the depth of a breakup ballad becomes more poignant when tabloid headlines report a public breakup. You'll feel it – and you'll have a lot more to lose.
Cyrus' malleable pop “Flowers,” chosen by the Associated Press as the best song of 2023, is an empowering banger from words of encouragement to a woman reconsidering herself after a 10-year relationship ended in divorce. It's a learning sound. She has been nominated in five categories, including Album of the Year for “Endless Summer Vacation.''
And Clarkson's Chemistry, a blockbuster release she describes as a “relationship album,” is up for Best Pop Vocal Album.
This photo combination features Kelsea Ballerini (left), Kelly Clarkson (center), and Miley Cyrus (right). All three singers have songs nominated for this year's Grammy Awards. (AP photo)
And in country, where women have a long tradition of singing songs about divorce and domestic life, Ballerini's “Rolling Up the Welcome Mat'' ranks among the genre's best albums.
Although these records are very different, they share a similar emotional core. They were written while struggling with a broken marriage.
In 2020, Cyrus broke up with actor Liam Hemsworth, and Kelly Clarkson ended her marriage to Brandon Blackstock. Two years later, Ballerini and her husband Morgan Evans divorced.
Musically, these endings introduced a new reality. Clarkson pursued courageous ballads that stretched her elastic vocal range, Ballerini experimented with pop compositions, and Cyrus wielded her weather-beaten voice like a weapon. Their album was born out of a difficult period where each performer was redefining themselves.
Ballerini is part of a long line of country women making music about divorce and heartbreak, with tunes that range from vengeful to celebratory. Marissa R. Moss, author of Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supused to Be, believes Loretta Lynn's 1973 breakthrough hit “Rated He points out that this set a precedent for other musicians.
Now, what's interesting is how divorce is represented in modern times in these records.
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Ballerini's album, particularly the song “Penthouse,” challenges typical domestic roles and “demonstrates economic power,” Moss said.
“I bought a house with a fence, enough space for the kids,” Ballerini sings. Her house then becomes claustrophobic, an allegory for her married life.
This record focuses on the idea that even as women gain economic independence and reshape traditional marital roles, they are not necessarily able to find freedom within them.
“I don't think the quote-unquote Divorce album was the first time I felt different about being a woman in country music, that's for sure,” Ballerini told The Associated Press about gender in the genre. He talked about his expectations.
Men have also been writing about their marriages ending for a long time, but women are leading the charge at the moment. Other artists writing pre- and post-divorce work include Adele, Kacey Musgraves, and fellow 2024 Grammy nominee Carly Pearce.
Ballerini understands why people relate so deeply to the album's songs about divorce.
“It's something that's been taboo to talk about for a really long time, especially from a women's perspective,” she said. It goes back to “giving myself a voice and validating my feelings, my life, my journey, and wanting other women to feel that and feel validated, too.” ”
People often expect divorce records to contain only sad songs. Ballerini, Clarkson, and Cyrus use their albums to banish sadness while also expressing gratitude. These records are both sad and empowering, often both at the same time.
“The feeling people have is that sad music isn't expressing the artist's sadness, it's expressing their own sadness, but it feels like the artist is trying to express your sadness.” said Joshua Knobe, a professor and researcher at Yale University. A 2023 study by a team of academics he led found that listeners are drawn to melancholic music for the same reason that they are forced into sad conversations: They seek connection.
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Or, as Ballerini said, listeners want to feel validated.
“People like success. They like talking to successful people,” Nobu continued. “But it doesn't make people feel deeply connected to other humans.”
If negative emotions are more complex than positive emotions, perhaps that creates more opportunities for connection. Records about divorce often traverse a range of emotions, and songs by Cyrus, Ballerini, and Clarkson allow listeners to experience the artist's love and pain to the fullest. It's definitely worth noting.
Or maybe it deserves an award.
