Beyoncé made history at the 2025 Grammys on Sunday night by becoming the first Black artist to win the Grammy for Best Country Album with COWBOY CARTER.
After accepting the award from Taylor Swift, Bey delivered a speech in which she expressed her surprise at the win. “I really was not expecting this. I wanna thank God that I’m able to still do what I love after so many years,” she said. “I’d like to thank all of the incredible country artists that accepted this album. We worked so hard on it.”
She continued, “I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists, and I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about, and to stay persistent.”
Earlier in the evening, Beyoncé became the first Black woman to win a country Grammy in 50 years, taking home Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “II MOST WANTED” featuring Miley Cyrus.
The Best Country Album category was first called Best Country & Western Album when it launched in 1965. The award was discontinued the following year and then revived under its current name in 1995.
During that gap, Charley Pride won the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1973 and the Pointer Sisters took home Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1975.
On Saturday night, Bey announced she is going to support COWBOY CARTER with a 2025 tour. Stay tuned for full details.
You can find our full coverage of the 2025 Grammy Awards here.
Beyoncé wins Best Country Album at the 2025 #Grammys for her album #CowboyCarter pic.twitter.com/JW4UB9eZh6
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 3, 2025