Which artist won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1988?

Whitney Houston won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1988 for “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me).” The Grammy recognized her energetic performance of the hit single, which became one of the signature pop recordings of the decade.

The award was presented at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988. Written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam and produced by Narada Michael Walden, the song topped charts internationally and showcased Houston’s powerful voice within an upbeat dance-pop arrangement. It came from her second studio album, Whitney, released in 1987.

A frequent mix-up is the award’s changing name. Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was the title used in 1988; the Recording Academy later merged gendered pop vocal categories into Best Pop Solo Performance. Cyndi Lauper, Janet Jackson, and Madonna were prominent artists of the era, but none of them won this particular award that year. Houston’s 1988 victory was one of several major honors attached to the Whitney album era.