The 2025 GRAMMYs shocked, disappointed, and excited fans who enjoy every genre. Kendrick Lamar took home five trophies for “Not Like Us,” which became the most decorated rap song. Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish left empty handed. Alicia Keys took home the Dr. Dre Advocacy award for her outstanding career within the music industry, where she encouraged all young kids to never give up on their dreams. The biggest shock of the night happened right at the very end: Beyoncé finally took home the Album of the Year for Cowboy Carter.
Beyoncé has been nominated (and snubbed) six times in this category. She has been nominated 99 times at the GRAMMYs since her debut in 2001 when she took home her first two wins for “Say My Name.”
She currently has a total of 35 GRAMMYs, making her the most decorated artist at the awards. All eight of Beyoncé’s studio albums have won a least one award at the GRAMMYs.
“I just feel very full and very honored,” she mentioned on stage. “It’s been many years, and I just want to thank the GRAMMYs, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, all the hard work.”
After the win, “Cowboy Carter” saw a 795% total streaming increase on Spotify, according to Variety.
Beyoncé has become the first black woman to reach the top charts for a country album and the first black woman to win the Country Album of the Year award.
She also became the first black woman in the 21st century to receive Album of the Year, the last being Lauryn Hill in 1999 for her one and only solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
At the end of her speech, Beyoncé announced the dates for the “Cowboy Carter Tour” that she announced would be taking place earlier that week.
Fans were left disappointed with the outcome of the last award. Many claimed that Beyoncé making a country album was disrespectful while others believed it was a necessary next step in her career, comparing it to Taylor Swift’s switch to pop with 1989.
Beyoncé was nominated with André 3000 for New Blue Sun, Billie Eilish for Hit Me Hard and Soft, Chappell Roan for The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Charli XCX for Brat, Jacob Collier for Djesse Vol. 4, Sabrina Carpenter for Short n’ Sweet, and Taylor Swift for The Tortured Poets Department.
Although each album had significant cultural impact on 2024 (such as “the Brat summer”), Beyoncé’s musical capabilities does not go unnoticed by fans and never has. For an icon such as herself, Album of the Year is and has been much deserved. It is nice to see her finally win the title.