Trans and nonbinary artists at the Grammys: 11 trailblazers from Wendy Carlos to Kim Petras

The Grammy Awards are often considered the most prestigious industry prize for music, and over the years multiple trans and nonbinary artists have made history with nominations and even wins, whether it be at the original Grammy Awards or the Latin Grammys. While the list isn’t long, these 11 artists have broken past cis-normativity all the way to the Grammy stage.

Wendy Carlos is believed to be the first trans artist to ever be nominated for (and win) a Grammy. The electronic music pioneer took home three trophies at the 12th Grammy Awards for her groundbreaking classical/electronic crossover “Switched On Bach.” You can read more about Carlos’s road to the Grammys and personal history here, but just know that she not only won major awards, but also helped invent and popularize synthesizers as we know them today.

At the time of her wins Carlos was already living as a transgender woman, although the album was released under her deadname. After “Switched On Bach” Carlos received three additional nominations: at the 13th Grammys she was nominated for Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist Or Soloists (With Or Without Orchestra) and Best Engineered Album, Classical, both for her follow-up, “Well-Tempered Synthesizer”; and at the 31st Grammys she was nominated for Best Recording for Children for the album “Peter And The Wolf/Carnival Of The Animals (Part II).”

While many love the musical “Grease,” they might not know that one of the main contributors to it, singer-songwriter Cidny Bullens, is a trans man. Bullens sang on three songs: “It’s Raining on Prom Night,” “Mooning,” and “Freddy, My Love.” For his work on the soundtrack, Bullens was nominated for Album of the Year alongside the other vocalists on the album; the record lost to “Saturday Night Fever.” A year later Bullens returned to the Grammys, but this time as a solo artist. His track “Survivor” was nominated alongside artists like Bonnie Raitt, Donna Summer, and Carly Simon for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance (this was before Bullens publicly came out as transgender), with Summer taking the award for her signature track “Hot Stuff.”

Another trans pioneer was Jackie Shane. She was a Nashville-born R&B and soul singer who found success in Canada with her track “Any Other Way.” While Shane herself was never nominated for a Grammy, an album based on her catalog and titled after her hit was nominated for Best Historical Album at the 2019 awards.

Other gender non-conforming artists have been present at the Grammys. Janelle Monáe, who identifies as nonbinary, has been nominated for eight Grammys, including Album of the Year for her highly acclaimed 2018 release, “Dirty Computer,” as well as Record of the Year alongside indie-pop band Fun for their hit “We Are Young.” Another nonbinary artist nominated is Demi Lovato, who first contended at the 2017 Grammys for “Confident,” which was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. While Lovato didn’t win, she returned to the nomination list a couple of years later with her Christina Aguilera collaboration “Fall In Line,” up for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Two trans women have made history in the Grammys’ dance field. With her acclaimed “Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides,” producer Sophie made history in 2019 as the first transgender woman to be nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album. A couple of years later Venezuelan producer Arca earned a nomination in the same category for her eclectic “Kick I.” That album also made history at the Latin Grammys, where it made Arca the first trans woman to be nominated in any category with its Best Alternative Album bid. And Brazilian artist Liniker made further history by becoming the first trans artist to win at the Latin Grammys, taking home Best MPB Album at the 2022 awards for her record “Indigo Borboleta Anil.”

Some trans icons have been nominated for their behind-the-scenes work. Teddy Geiger, a trans woman who also has written most of Shawn Mendes’s big hits, got a Song of the Year nomination alongside Mendes at the 2019 Grammys for “In My Blood.” Producer Honey Dijon, also a trans woman, was nominated at the 2023 Grammys for her work on Beyoncé’s “Renaissance,” working on tracks like “Cuff It,” “Alien Superstar,” and “Cozy.”

And speaking of the 2023 Grammys, last but not least are Kim Petras and Sam Smith. Petras is a trans woman, while Smith identifies as nonbinary. Both artists won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their collaboration “Unholy,” making them the first openly trans artists to win in the pop field. Smith, however, has more Grammy history, taking home four awards back in 2015, including two for their hit “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” which won Record and Song of the Year. Smith also took home Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album for “In The Lonely Hour.” (At the time Smith identified as a gay man.) Smith is currently the most awarded trans/nonbinary artist in Grammy history, and is tied with Janelle Monáe as the most nominated.

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