Beyoncé took home album of the year for the first time during the 2025 Grammys on Sunday night.
The singer was nominated alongside André 3000 (New Blue Sun), Sabrina Carpenter (Short n’ Sweet), Charli xcx (BRAT), Jacob Collier (Djesse Vol. 4), Billie Eilish (HIT ME HARD AND SOFT), Chappell Roan (The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess), and Taylor Swift (THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT).
Members of the L.A. Fire Department were on hand to present the award during a telecast that made fire relief central to the show and, as host Trevor Noah revealed toward the show’s end, raised $7 million for relief efforts.
When the singer’s name was announced to end the night, she emotionally embraced her daughter Blue Ivy and husband Jay-Z. The Cowboy Carter singer-songwriter also received a standing ovation from the audience.
“I just feel very full and very honored,” Beyoncé said when taking the stage, acknowledging the moment. “It’s been many, many years and I just want to thank the Grammys, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, all of the hard work. I want to dedicate this to [country music pioneer] Ms. Martell. And I hope we just keep pushing forward. Opening doors. God bless ya’ll. Thank you so much.”
She hugged her daughter who joined her onstage while Taylor Swift was shown in the audience giving a cheers to Jay-Z.
With the win, Beyoncé’s “record” as the most nominated female artist without a win in the album of the year category has now ended. The singer’s albums I Am…Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé, Lemonade, Renaissance were all nominated in the category before but did not win.
Earlier in the night, Beyoncé made history as the first Black woman to win in the best country album category for Cowboy Carter. The award presented by Swift, who previously won best country album in 2010 for Fearless.
“Wow, I really was not expecting this,” she said after hugging Swift on the stage. “Wow, I wanna thank God — Oh my God! — that I’m able to still do what I love after so many years. Oh my God!”
Earlier, during the premiere ceremony, Beyoncé also became the first Black woman to win a country Grammy in 50 years after winning the award for best country duo/group performance for “II MOST WANTED” featuring Miley Cyrus. (The Pointer Sisters previously won the Grammy for best country vocal performance by a duo or group in 1975.)
Heading into this year’s awards, Beyoncé led the nominees with 11, including album of the year and best country album for Cowboy Carter. Her song “Texas Hold ‘Em” also scored nods for song of the year, record of the year and best country song.
Going into this year’s Grammys, Beyoncé was already recognized as the most-awarded Grammy artist in history, setting a record in 2023 with her album Renaissance. But with her wins on Sunday night, the singer extended her record with her three awards, bringing her total to 34.
When accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award during last year’s Grammys, Jay-Z had addressed his wife, Beyoncé, never winning in the top category of album of the year.
“I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has the most Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year. So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that: The most Grammys. Never won album of the year. That doesn’t work. Some of you gonna go home and feel like you’ve been robbed. Some of you may get robbed. Some of you don’t belong in the category,” he said, getting an audible reaction from the audience.
“When I get nervous I tell the truth,” he added. “But outside of that, we got to keep showing up,” he continued. “Keep showing up until they give you all those accolades you feel you deserve. Until they call you chairman. Until they call you genius. Until they call you the greatest of all time.”
Following its March 2024 release, Cowboy Carter marked a historic moment for the singer given she put a spotlight on other Black artists in the country music space. When announcing the album at the time, Beyoncé vocalized not feeling “welcomed” in the country music genre after facing criticisms when she performed at the CMAs.
Ahead of the Grammys, Beyoncé took to her Instagram to tease a Cowboy Carter Tour.
Noah returned as Grammys host for the fifth consecutive year and also served as a producer on the show. The Grammys aired live on Sunday from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The show was produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins executive produced.
The Hollywood Reporter shared a roundup of the varied red carpet looks ahead of the ceremony. See all the winners here.
English (US) ·