At the 1991 Grammy Awards, Mariah Carey won Best New Artist and which vocal award?

At the 1991 Grammy Awards, Mariah Carey won Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The ceremony, officially the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards, recognized music released during the previous year and took place on February 20, 1991, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Carey’s winning song in the pop vocal category was “Vision of Love,” her breakthrough single and the lead release from her 1990 debut album, Mariah Carey. The performance showcased the powerful melisma and high-register singing that quickly became central to her public image. In the era’s official category wording, the award was listed as Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female; the stored wording is the same award expressed in a more natural order.

The victory was especially significant because Carey won Best New Artist against nominees including Lisa Stansfield, the Black Crowes, the Kentucky Headhunters and Wilson Phillips. “Vision of Love” was also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, while the album received an Album of the Year nomination. A common error is to call the honor an R&B vocal award, but the Grammy category was pop.