Yahoo Lifestyle Beyoncé makes history again with country music wins at Grammys
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, who is already the most-decorated and nominated artist in Grammy history, has set a new bar adding another two awards to her name and making history again and again.
During this year's Grammy Awards, which took place Sunday at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles, Beyoncé started strong by taking home the award for best country duo/group performance for "II Most Wanted" with Miley Cyrus.
The "16 Carriages" singer then won best country album for "Cowboy Carter." Taylor Swift presented the award, an accolade Swift won in 2010.
"Wow I really was not expecting this," Beyoncé said. "I want to thank God that I am able to still do what I love after so many years. Oh my God."
This year, Beyoncé became the leading nominee with a total of 11 nods, including the top prize — album of the year — for her acclaimed eighth studio album, "Cowboy Carter." For the first time, she was also up for awards in the Country & American Roots field. In total, seven different songs from the album were nominated across four different genres.
With the win for "II Most Wanted," Beyoncé becomes the first Black woman to win a Grammy for a country music song since the Pointer Sisters won in a similar category in 1975.
Full list of Beyoncé's 2025 Grammy nominations
Record of the year: “Texas Hold 'Em”
Album of the year: "Cowboy Carter"
Song of the year: “Texas Hold 'Em”
Best pop solo performance: “Bodyguard” (lost to "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter)
Best pop duo/group performance: “Levii's Jeans” featuring Post Malone
Best melodic rap performance: “Spaghettii” featuring Linda Martell and Shaboozey (lost to "3:AM" by Rapsody featuring Erykah Badu)
Best country solo performance: “16 Carriages” (lost to "It Takes a Woman" by Chris Stapleton)
Best country duo/group performance: “II Most Wanted" featuring Miley Cyrus (WON)
Best country song: “Texas Hold 'Em” (lost to "The Architect" by Kacey Musgraves)
Best country album: "Cowboy Carter"
Best Americana performance: “Ya Ya” (lost to "American Dreaming" by Sierra Ferrell)
Beyoncé makes history (again) with country category win
No Black female solo artist has ever won a Grammy for country song. Four years ago, Mickey Guyton became the first Black woman to be recognized in a country music category when she received a nomination for her song "Black Like Me."
Tina Turner's debut album "Tina Turns the Country On!" was nominated for a Grammy in the best female R&B vocal performance category in 1975.
This year also marked the first time a Black woman has been nominated for the top prize of album of the year for a country album. Ray Charles was nominated for album of the year for "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" in 1962.
Not only are her country music wins a history-making feat, but they are especially significant for Beyoncé.
In the fall, Beyoncé made headlines when she was snubbed with zero nominations for the 2024 Country Music Association Awards despite her groundbreaking album. She was the leading nominee for the People's Choice Country Awards with a total of 12 nods. However, she didn't take home any awards. She won her first country awards at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards when she was named top country female artist in December.
Prior to releasing "Cowboy Carter," Beyoncé got candid about her struggles within the industry and alluded to her 2016 performance at the CMA Awards with The Chicks.
"This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t," she wrote on Instagram. "The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. Act ii is a result of challenging myself and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work."
Not only only was her 2016 CMA performance met with an icy reception, that year Beyoncé also submitted her song "Daddy Lessons" from her album "Lemonade" to a country category for the Grammys, but it was denied.
Since releasing "Cowboy Carter," Beyoncé has broken many records and made history on multiple fronts. The album has also been a huge catalyst for the recent spotlight on Black country artists and the genre's roots. And now she has made history once again.
Beyoncé announced at midnight that she will be heading out on tour this year with "Cowboy Carter."
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Beyoncé makes history again with country music wins at Grammys
