Beyoncé Wins Album of the Year for the First Time Ever at the 2025 Grammys

Can we get a "yeehaw" for Cowboy Carter herself?

At the 2025 Grammys on Sunday, Feb. 2, Beyoncé took home the coveted Album of the Year award for the first time for her country album, 2024's Cowboy Carter. The honor marked a major moment for the superstar, who has long been the most decorated artist in Grammy history but never took home the gramophone for Album of the Year.

Queen Bey appeared stunned when her name was called by a member of the L.A. Fire Department, who announced the nominees in the category. To her daughter Blue Ivy, she said, "I love you, my baby," while looking emotional, making her way to the Crypto.com Arena stage.

Beyoncé began her acceptance speech by thanking and praising the firefighters for their work "keeping us safe" from the devastating wildfires. She then said, "I just feel very full and very honored."

"It's been many, many years," the icon continued with a laugh. "I just want to thank the Grammys, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, all of the hard work."

She went on to share her gratitude for the efforts of Linda Martell, a fellow country musician and the first Black female artist to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. "I want to dedicate this to Ms. Martel, and I hope we just keep pushing forward, opening doors," Beyoncé said of the singer-songwriter, who she references on two Cowboy Carter tracks.

Her speech concluded, "God bless y'all. Thank you so much. Thank you."

Several other stars in the audience at the awards show were visibly excited when the hitmaker was announced as the winner; Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish both noticeably teared up.

This year's Album of the Year category was stacked: The nominees included New Blue Sun by André 3000, Hit Me Hard and Soft by Billie Eilish, Brat by Charli xcx, Djesse Vol. 4 by Jacob Collier, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan, Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter, and The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift.

Beyoncé was up for 11 total awards at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, her most-ever nominations in a single year. (She bested her record of 10 nods, which she received in 2009.) In addition to Album of the Year, her nominations included: Country Album of the Year for Cowboy Carter, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Country Song for "TEXAS HOLD 'EM," Best Country Solo Performance for "16 CARRIAGES," Best Americana Performance for "YA YA," Best Pop Solo Performance for "Bodyguard," Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "LEVII'S JEANS" featuring Post Malone, Best Melodic Rap Performance for “SPAGHETTI” featuring Linda Martell and Shaboozey, and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for "II MOST WANTED" featuring Miley Cyrus.

Queen Bey went into the 67th Annual Grammy Awards the most awarded artist in the awards show's history, starting the night with 32. She beat her own record and now has 35 gramophones to her name, as she also won awards for Best Country Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

With her wins in the country category, Beyoncé also made history. Not only is she the first Black woman to win a Grammy in the genre in 50 years (since The Pointer Sisters won Best Country Vocal Performance By a Duo Or Group for the song “Fairytale"), she becomes the first Black woman to ever win Best Country Album.

The significance of winning Album of the Year for the first time is a feat for the singer—and it especially doesn't go unnoticed that it was for her roots and Americana-inspired project. She's long spoken about her love for the genre and has been vocal about the challenges Black female artists face in the country music industry. Notably, upon the release of Cowboy Carter, the musician shared in a candid Instagram statement about how an experience where she "did not feel welcomed" by the country community informed the record.

Since then, she broke a number of records on the Billboard charts—and now, has yet again made Grammys history.