Amy Allen becomes first woman to win best songwriter Grammy

She was previously nominated for the same award in 2023, its inaugural year.

While she did not win then, she took home her first Grammy for her work on Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, which won album of the year.

“The child in me that was starting writing songs when I was little in Maine is screaming and crying and laughing at the absurdity of this moment,” she said as she picked up the golden gramophone on Sunday night.

“This is the third year that songwriter of the year has even been a category, so this award goes out to all the legends who soundtracked the lives and generations with all of our stories.

“You should have been able to receive your flowers back then.”

Allen, a singer herself who released her debut album last September, entered the music world at the age of eight – playing bass in her sister’s band.

She stayed in the band until high school and then went to nursing school, before deciding to change course and join Berklee School of Music. Her first project was as Amy and the Engine, and she was the support act for singers like Kacey Musgraves and Vance Joy.

Allen’s first hit for another artist came when she penned Selena Gomez’s Back to You – something she said “propelled” her career in pop song-writing. She then paired up with Gomez to write My Mind & Me, which was nominated for a best original song Oscar in 2023.