Which singer won the first Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording?

Donna Summer won the first Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for “Carry On.”

The category was introduced for the 1998 Grammy Awards, reflecting the growing importance of dance, house, and electronic music in mainstream recording. Summer’s “Carry On,” released in 1997, combined her established disco legacy with contemporary electronic production.

The victory linked Summer’s earlier dance-music influence to the modern Grammy category. She had already earned major recognition for songs including “Last Dance,” which won an Academy Award, but “Carry On” gave her the inaugural Grammy in this specific field.

The category is sometimes confused with Best Dance/Electronic Album, which is a separate award recognizing an album rather than a single recording. Best Dance Recording focuses on an individual track or performance.