Which singer was the first winner of the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance?

Ella Fitzgerald was the first winner of the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

She won the inaugural award at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards in 1959 for her recording of “But Not for Me.” Fitzgerald was already an internationally celebrated jazz singer, but the award also reflected the Grammys’ early practice of recognizing vocalists across jazz and popular music boundaries.

The category was later renamed and reorganized as Grammy classifications changed. Modern pop vocal categories do not map perfectly onto the original award, so historical lists need to be read with the category’s period name in mind.

Fitzgerald’s first Grammy night was particularly significant because she won multiple awards, including Best Jazz Performance, Individual, for Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook. Her Grammy career ultimately included 14 competitive wins and a Lifetime Achievement Award.