Beyoncé Holds the Record for the Most Grammy Award Wins—But Has She Won Album of the Year?
Beyoncé is arguably the biggest popstar of the 21st century. However, many fans and pop culture heads have noted that the Cowboy Carter artist hasn’t gotten the one award that she deserves.
Beyoncé has 32 Grammy wins to her name and is currently the most-nominated music act in the history of the Grammys with 99 nominations. She has a record-breaking amount of nominations for her groundbreaking album Cowboy Carter with 11 nominations in the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. She became the most-awarded artist in Grammy history after winning Best Dance / Electronic Music Album for RENAISSANCE in 2023. She overtook the late conductor Georg Solti, who set the record for most Grammy wins in 1997. Despite breaking records, there’s one award that doesn’t have a place in the mantle.
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Has Beyoncé won Album of the Year at the Grammys?
Beyoncé has won Album of the Year at the Grammys for Cowboy Carter. She’s been nominated four times for the prestigious award: in 2010 for I Am…Sasha Fierce, in 2015 for Beyoncé, in 2017 for Lemonade, and this year for Cowboy Carter.
During his acceptance speech for the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award during the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, Jay-Z criticized the Recording Academy because his wife has the most Grammy Awards won in history, but has never won Album of the Year. “I’m just saying, we want y’all to get it right,” he said on stage with his daughter Blue Ivy right next to him. “We love y’all; we love y’all; we want you to get it right, or at least get it close to right, and obviously it’s subjective … because it’s music and it’s opinion-based, but some things — I don’t want to embarrass this young lady”— referring to Beyoncè —“but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year, so even by your own metrics that doesn’t work. Think about that. The most Grammys and never won an album of the year. That doesn’t work.”
When Adele won Album of the Year in 2017, the “Easy on Me” artist panicked and praised Beyoncé in her speech. “I can’t possibly accept this award. And I’m very humbled, and I’m very grateful and gracious, but my artist of my life is Beyoncé,” Adele said as she held back tears. “This album was so monumental, and so well-thought-out and so beautiful and soul-bearing…and all us artists here, we f—ing adore you.” Beyoncé mouthed “I love you” to Adele as she was accepting her award.
