People Seem To Think That Beyoncé Didn’t Deserve Her AOTY Grammy Win Because “Cowboy Carter” Features So Many Songwriting Credits — Here’s Why That Narrative Is So Damaging

Leyla Mohammed

6 February 2025 at 12:00 pm·5-min read

By now, we’re all aware that Beyoncé finally won Album of the Year at the Grammys this week for her 2024 project Cowboy Carter.

Beyoncé holding an award on stage at the Grammys — Kevin Winter / Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Also nominated in the category were André 3000’s New Blue Sun, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n' Sweet, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft, Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 4, Charli XCX’s BRAT, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department.

Sadly, as is always the case, this year’s AOTY win has sparked a ton of debate online about which project deserved it most.

Beyoncé in a cowboy hat and boots singing on a suspended platform during a concert — Alex Slitz / Getty Images

And amid all the discourse, a viral tweet on X has caused a huge stir by comparing the number of songwriting credits listed on Cowboy Carter with past AOTY wins like Midnights (Taylor Swift), Harry’s House (Harry Styles), and When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (Billie Eilish).

Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish posing together at an event — Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Billboard

The post pointed out that these albums featured minimal songwriting credits, while Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter lists 72. Several X users argued that this makes Beyoncé less deserving of the AOTY accolade — which couldn’t be further from the truth, given the reason behind her extensive songwriting credits. Allow me to explain.

Firstly, it’s important to acknowledge that Cowboy Carter — which took over five years to put together — was inspired by Beyoncé feeling unwelcomed by the country music space, after which she decided to do a “deeper dive into the history of country music.”

Beyoncé in a studded jacket and white hat, smiling at an event — Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for The Recording Academy

“I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history," she explained on Instagram last year.

Cowboy Carter ended up becoming a rich, genre-bending body of work — featuring covers of classic hits like Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” The Beatles’ “Blackbird,” and Chuck Berry’s “Oh Louisiana.”

Dolly Parton performing on stage in a sparkly, embellished jumpsuit with a microphone in hand — Jason Kempin / Getty Images

With this in mind, it’s clear that a handful of Beyoncé’s songwriting credits were honoring samples and interpolations featured on the album. Here’s a full look at her credits list, for context.

What’s more, Beyoncé — like many other esteemed artists — is known for using songwriting camps to encourage collaboration when making music. And given that she has always made a point of crediting each and every person involved in her song-making process, it’s unsurprising that this album features as many credits as it does.

And it goes without saying that crediting everyone involved can only be a good thing — not just for spotlighting talent, but for helping ensure that people get paid the royalties they deserve.

But sadly, Beyoncé has long faced scrutiny over her decision to extensively credit her collaborators. Back in 2022, artist Diane Warren publicly questioned why Renaissance had “24 writers” on one of its songs. Years prior, there was a whole bunch of discourse around Lemonade, which, again, celebrated collaboration.

How can there be 24 writers on a song?🙄
— Diane Warren (@Diane_Warren) August 1, 2022

Twitter: @Diane_Warren

So, understandably, people were pretty annoyed this week when social media users pitted Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter songwriting credits against other artists as if to suggest that she’s any less talented.

Beyoncé in a bejeweled cowboy outfit with a large hat performing on a field — Alex Slitz / Getty Images

Writer Gibson Johns shared on X, “Part of what makes Beyoncé so unique is her willingness to bring unlikely people together in collaboration and to sample and reference existing material. This doesn't make her work any less worthy of awards or praise.”

“Blackbird, Jolene, and Oh Louisiana are all covers. Every single song is a collaborative project with historians advising. Beyoncé’s albums are about erasure and restoring cultural memory, so she cites every single person who worked on a song as a matter of citational ethics,” another popular post read.

“She literally collabs with every feat. and gives all of her collaborators credit. This would also include any samples, interpolations, etc. look at the consistent name on every track, it says, Beyoncé Knowles. She made it clear she is on a mission for giving proper accolades,” someone wrote.

“Collaboration isn’t being lazy…. It’s inclusion. It’s inviting ppl to the table. Sharing the ideas so they can all share the win,” one person said. “she gave credit to every single person that ever gave even an idea or helped fuel her project. that’s not a crime and y’all are trying to make it one,” another echoed.

TL;DR: The insinuation that Beyoncé is less creatively talented than her peers because she gives credit where credit is due is tired and ignorant, IMO. Let me know what you think in the comments! Meanwhile, you can check out more of our Grammys coverage right here.