VIDEO: Fantastic Hudson Valley Musician Wins Breakthrough Grammy

The 66th annual Grammy Awards aired this week, and a Hudson Valley resident is the winner of an honor that is first-of-its-kind.

While the majority of attention was spent on the winners of categories like Album of the Year (Taylor Swift won... again) and Song of the Year (congratulations, Billie Eilish), the academy also unveiled some new hardware this year, one of which went home with a resident of Hudson, NY.

New Awards Added to Grammy Ceremony in 2024

Three new awards were added to the list of Grammy honors for 2024: Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best Pop Dance Recording. While Best African Music Performance was awarded to South African singer Tyla and Best Pop Dance Recording went to Padam Padam by Kylie Minogue, the winner of Best Alternative Jazz Album is a local.

Local Hudson Valley Musician Wins Second Grammy Award

Bassist Meshell Ndegeocello, who has been playing music professionally for more than 30 years, moved to the Hudson Valley in 2007. With 12 Grammy nominations to date (and another win in 2021 for Best R&B Song), Ndegeocello is no stranger to the academy. Her latest win, however, marks a new chapter in Grammy history.

Recording Academy president Harvey Mason Jr. called the newest award additions part of their efforts to make the Grammys  "more fair, transparent and accurate". While the quote may be referring to the constant evolution of musical styles that academy members believe deserves recognition, the Hudson Valley is just happy to have another winner in their midst.

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Ndegeocello's Grammy comes on the heels of an epic Emmy win for Poker Face, one of the most creative television shows to come out of 2023, that was almost exclusively filmed in the Hudson Valley. See what other shows and movies were films in our corner of New York below.