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"I Was Not Expecting This": Beyoncé Wins Grammy Award for Best Country Album and Accepts the Award from Taylor Swift

February 3, 2025 2:10 pm GMT

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Beyoncé seemed more surprised than anyone when her 2024 album, COWBOY CARTER won a Grammy Award for Best Country Album presented to her by Taylor Swift at the 67th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles making her the first Black female artist to win in the category.

“Wow, I really was not expecting this,” Beyoncé told the audience at the 67th Grammy Awards from the stage in Los Angeles on Sunday 2nd February. “Wow, I want to thank God that I’m able to still do what I love after so many years, oh, my God! I’d like to thank all of the incredible country artists that accepted this, this album we worked so hard on… I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists, and just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about and to stay persistent. Wow.”

"I want to thank my beautiful family," she continued. "All of the artists that were collaborators, thank you. This album wouldn't have been this album without you. I'd like to thank God again and my fans. I still am in shock, so thank you so much for this honor."

Beyoncé was recognised for her eighth studio album, COWBOY CARTER, the follow up to Renaissance Act I and served as Act II in a trilogy that celebrates, reclaims and recontextualises the black roots of various genres of modern music; in the case of COWBOY CARTER, country music and Americana.

The singer appeared to not be expecting the win and was shown in the televised broadcast with a shocked expression on her face as her name was read out. Before taking to the stage to accept the award Beyoncé hugged her daughter Blue Ivy, then her husband Jay-Z.

The award was presented to her by Taylor Swift, who had herself won the award 20 years ago for her album Fearless in 2005, an album that at the time often divided country audiences with its untypically country subject matter and for appealing to a younger audience. Beyoncé's Album of the Year award comes 25 years after she received her first Grammy nomination, as part of the R&B group Destiny's Child.

She also won the award for Album of the Year at the 67th Grammy Awards ceremony, and award she had previously been passed over for on four separate occasions.

"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. Linda Martell is one of a number of Black artists to feature on the 27-track album along with Shaboozey, Linda Martell, Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Rhiannon Giddens, Willie Jones, plus Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Post Malone, who was also nominated for three awards for his country album, F-1 Trillion.

"I want to dedicate this to Ms Martell," she said in her acceptance speech for the Album of the Year award. "I hope we just keep pushing forward... opening doors. God bless y'all. Thank you so much."

The other albums nominated in the Best Country Album category were by Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves, Lainey Wilson and Chris Stapleton and the recognition comes just five months after the CMA Awards where Beyoncé was notably not nominated for an award.

Beyoncé also took home the the best country duo/group performance award for 'II MOST WANTED,' her collaboration with Miley Cyrus from COWBOY CARTER, while Chris Stapleton took home the Grammy for best country solo vocal for 'It Takes a Woman,' beating Beyoncé and Best New Artist nominee and COWBOY CARTER featured artist Shaboozey, while Kacey Musgraves won best country song for 'The Architect.'

As the winners were announced, audiences took to social media to suggest that Kacey Musgraves hadn't seem particularly pleased for Beyoncé when she was called up as the winner of the Grammy award for Best Country Album.

Here at Holler however, we think it's probably more likely that Kacey was just portraying one of the 17 different versions of her "Resting Bitch Face" which she has often described herself as having.

She once went through all the different variations in a now legendary Buzzfeed article. Maybe one of these will help us understand exactly what was going through her head as Beyoncé went up to collect the award.

Holler Country Music

For more on Beyoncé, see below:

Written by Jof Owen
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