Beyoncé won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album for Cowboy Carter, which was presented to her by former country star Taylor Swift.
During the pre-show, Queen Bey became the first Black woman to win a Grammy in the country genre in over 50 years (Best Country Duo/group Performance for “II MOST WANTED” featuring Miley Cyrus).
Then Beyoncé made history again, becoming the first Black artist ever to win Best Country Album.
Beyoncé appeared genuinely shocked to receive the award as her husband Jay-Z, and daughter, Blue Ivy, cheered her on.
“I really was not expecting this,” she said, searching for words to accept an award she did not think was coming. Her Cowboy Carter album was shut out at the CMA Awards in November, but the larger Grammy audience appreciated her effort.
“Sometimes I think ‘genre’ is a cold word to keep us in our place as artists,” she said as her peers and husband Jay-Z looked on. “I just wanna encourage people to do what they’re passionate about.”