Correcting what was widely seen as an historic wrong, Beyoncé won best album at the 67th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
The star was recognised for her eighth album, Cowboy Carter, which celebrates and contextualises the black roots of country music. She had previously been passed over for the ceremony’s main prize on four separate occasions.
As her name was read out, Beyoncé hugged her daughter Blue Ivy, then her husband Jay-Z, before walking to the stage in a gold paisley dress to accept the trophy.
“I just feel very full and very honoured,” she said. “It’s been many, many years.”
The singer dedicated her award to Linda Martell, one of the pioneers for black musicians in country music and the first black woman to perform solo at the Grand Ole Opry (Ms Martell features on several of Cowboy Carter’s songs).
“I hope we just keep pushing forward [and] opening doors,” Beyoncé continued. “God bless y’all. Thank you so much.”
The star’s victory comes 25 years after her first Grammy nomination, as part of the R&B group Destiny’s Child.
She went on to become the most-awarded artist in Grammys history, with a haul of 35 trophies – but the main prize eluded her until Sunday night.
In the end, it took a switch of genre to earn the Texas-born musician a win.
Focusing on country and Americana, Cowboy Carter is the second part of a trilogy of albums that interrogates American musical traditions and uncovers the often unheralded contributions made by black artists.
Notably, it makes Beyoncé the first black woman to win album of the year since 1999, when Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill took the title.
Country surprise
Earlier in the evening, Cowboy Carter also won the Grammy for best country album – to Beyoncé’s evident surprise.
A stunned expression shot across the 43-year-old’s face as her name was read out.
In a moment laced with symbolism, that announcement came from Taylor Swift – another artist who successfully switched genres, and who previously beat Beyoncé to the album of the year prize in 2010.
“Wow, I really was not expecting this,” said Beyoncé in her acceptance speech, thanking “all of the incredible country artists” who had voted for the prize.
The recognition came five months after she was snubbed at the Country Music Awards – even after she became the first black woman to have a number one hit on the Hot Country Songs chart, with Texas Hold ‘Em.
That song was also nominated for record of the year at the Grammys, but lost to Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us.
The rap hit, which was the knock-out blow in Lamar’s long-running rap battle with Drake, scooped all five of the awards it was nominated for, including song of the year, best rap song and best music video.
It was only the second hip-hop song win record of the year (following Childish Gambino’s This Is America in 2019) but Lamar played the achievement down, focusing instead on his hometown of Los Angeles, which was recently ravaged by wildfires.
“We’re gonna dedicate this one to the city,” he said.
“Compton, Long Beach Inglewood, Hollywood, out to the valley… This is my neck of the woods that held me down since a young pup.”
