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Beyoncé becomes first black woman to win GRAMMY for Best Country Album

At the 67th Grammy Awards, Beyoncé became the first black woman to win a GRAMMY for Best Country Album for her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter. Knowles-Carter also won the biggest prize of the night for Album of the Year, and extended her previous record of the most-awarded artist in GRAMMYS history, now with 35 trophies to her name.

Album of the year was Beyoncé's third win of the night – the first being for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for II Most Wanted with Miley Cyrus.

Her Album of the Year win makes Beyoncé the first black woman to win album of the year since 1999, when Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill took the title.

“It’s been many many years,” she said to loud applause – referencing the previous four times her albums were overlooked for Album Of The Year award, despite being the most GRAMMY-nominated artist (99) of all time, and the artist to win the most GRAMMY Awards.

The AOTY Award was presented by members of the Los Angeles county fire department in one of many of the night’s tributes to those affected by the wildfires.

Cowboy Carter was met with universal acclaim and appeared on multiple year-end lists; critics felt that the album's genre experimentation, expansive scope, and eclectic references aided an ambitious reimagining of Americana and country through the lens of their black roots.

The album increased the listenership of country music, drove cultural conversations on black musicians' place within the genre, boosted the careers of rising country artists, and increased the popularity of Western wear and culture.

A visibly stunned Beyoncé accepted her Best Country Album award from Taylor Swift. "Wow, I really was not expecting this," she said during her acceptance speech. "I think sometimes 'genre' is a code word to keep us in our place as artists," she continued. "And I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about, and to stay persistent."

The recognition came five months after she was snubbed at the Country Music Awards – even after she became the first black woman to have a number one hit on the Hot Country Songs chart, with Texas Hold 'Em.

The 2025 GRAMMYs telecast was reimagined to raise funds for MusiCares Fire Relief, a dedicated campaign to support the people affected by the recent wildfires in the Greater Los Angeles Area.

Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar won awards for Song and Record of the Year for his diss track, Not Like Us.

The first award of the main ceremony, Best Rap Album, went to rising star Doechii for Alligator Bites Never Heal – the third woman ever to take the prize.

Best pop vocal album went to Sabrina Carpenter for Short N' Sweet, while Best New Artist went to Chappell Roan, and Charli XCX scored her first GRAMMY for best dance/electronic album and best dance/pop recording, following her Brat album.

Full winners list:


Album of the year

  • Winner: Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter

  • André 3000 - New Blue Sun

  • Sabrina Carpenter - Short n' Sweet

  • Charli XCX - Brat

  • Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol 4

  • Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft

  • Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

  • Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department


Record of the year


  • Winner: Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us

  • The Beatles - Now And Then

  • Beyoncé - Texas Hold 'Em

  • Sabrina Carpenter - Espresso

  • Charli XCX - 360

  • Billie Eilish - Birds of a Feather

  • Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe!

  • Taylor Swift ft Post Malone - Fortnight


Song of the year


  • Winner: Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us

  • Beyoncé - Texas Hold 'Em

  • Sabrina Carpnter - Please Please Please

  • Billie Eilish - Birds Of A Feather

  • Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - Die With a Smile

  • Chappel Roan - Good Luck, Babe!

  • Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy)

  • Taylor Swift ft Post Malone - Fortnight


Best new artist


  • Winner: Chappell Roan

  • Benson Boone

  • Sabrina Carpenter

  • Doechii

  • Khruangbin

  • Raye

  • Shaboozey

  • Teddy Swims


Pop and dance


Best pop vocal album


  • Winner: Sabrina Carpenter - Short n' Sweet

  • Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard And Soft

  • Ariana Grande - Eternal Sunshine

  • Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

  • Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department


Best pop solo performance


  • Winner: Sabrina Carpenter - Espresso

  • Beyoncé - Bodyguard

  • Charli XCX - Apple

  • Billie Eilish - Birds of a Feather

  • Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe!


Best pop duo/group performance


  • Winner: Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - Die With A Smile

  • Gracie Abrams ft Taylor Swift - Us

  • Beyoncé ft Post Malone - Levii's Jeans

  • Charli XCX & Billie Eilish - Guess

  • Ariana Grande, Brandy & Monica - The Boy Is Mine


Best dance/electronic recording


  • Winner: Justice & Tame Impala - Neverender

  • Disclosure - She's Gone, Dance On

  • Four Tet - Loved

  • Fred Again & Baby Keem - Leavemealone

  • Kaytranada ft Childish Gambino - Witchy


Best dance/electronic album


  • Winner: Charli XCX - Brat

  • Four Tet - Three

  • Justice - Hyperdrama

  • Kaytranada - Timeless

  • Zedd - Telos


Best dance/pop recording


  • Winner: Charli XCX - Von Dutch

  • Madison Beer - Make You Mine

  • Billie Eilish - L'Amour De Ma Vie [Over Now Extended Edit]

  • Ariana Grande - Yes, and?

  • Troye Sivan - Got Me Started


Best traditional pop vocal album


  • Winner: Norah Jones – Visions

  • Cyrille Aimée – À Fleur De Peau

  • Lake Street Dive – Good Together

  • Aaron Lazar – Impossible Dream

  • Gregory Porter – Christmas Wish


Best Latin pop album


  • Winner: Shakira - Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran

  • Anitta - Funk Generation

  • Luis Fonsi - El Viaje

  • Kenny García - García

  • Kali Uchis - Orquídeas


Rock and metal


Best rock performance


  • Winner: The Beatles - Now And Then

  • The Black Keys - Beautiful People (Stay High)

  • Green Day - The American Dream Is Killing Me

  • Idles - Gift Horse

  • Pearl Jam - Dark Matter

  • St. Vincent - Broken Man


Best rock song


  • Winner: St Vincent - Broken Man

  • The Black Keys - Beautiful People (Stay High)

  • Pearl Jam - Dark Matter

  • Green Day - Dilemma

  • Idles - Gift Horse


Best rock album


  • Winner: The Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds

  • The Black Crowes - Happiness B******s

  • Fontaines DC - Romance

  • Green Day - Saviors

  • Idles - TANGK

  • Pearl Jam - Dark Matter

  • Jack White - No Name


Best alternative music album


  • Winner: St Vincent - All Born Screaming

  • Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God

  • Clairo - Charm

  • Kim Gordon - The Collective

  • Brittany Howard - What Now


Best alternative music performance


  • Winner: St Vincent - Flea

  • Cage The Elephant - Neon Pill

  • Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Song of the Lake

  • Fontaines D.C. – Starburster

  • Kim Gordon – Bye Bye


Best metal performance


  • Winner: Gojira, Marina Viotti & Victor Le Masne - Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)

  • Judas Priest - Crown of Horns

  • Knocked Loose Featuring Poppy - Suffocate

  • Metallica - Screaming Suicide

  • Spiritbox - Cellar Door


Rap


Best rap performance


  • Winner: Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us

  • Cardi B - Enough (Miami)

  • Common & Pete Rock ft Posdnuos - When The Sun Shines Again

  • Doechii - Nissan Altima

  • Eminem - Houdini

  • Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar - Like That

  • GloRilla - Yeah Glo!


Best melodic rap performance


  • Winner: Rapsody ft Erykah Badu - 3:AM

  • Jordan Adetunji ft Kehlani - Kehlani

  • Beyoncé ft Linda Martell & Shaboozey - Spaghettii

  • Future & Metro Boomin ft The Weeknd - We Still Don't Trust You

  • Latto - Big Mama


Best rap song


  • Winner: Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us

  • Rapsody ft Hit-Boy - Asteroids

  • Kanye West & Ty Dolla $Ign - Carnival

  • Future & Metro Boomin ft Kendrick Lamar - Like That

  • GloRilla - Yeah Glo!


Best rap album


  • Winner: Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal

  • J Cole - Might Delete Later

  • Common & Pete Rock - The Auditorium, Vol 1

  • Eminem - The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)

  • Future & Metro Boomin - We Don't Trust You


Country


Best country solo performance


  • Winner: Chris Stapleton - It Takes A Woman

  • Beyoncé - 16 Carriages

  • Jelly Roll - I Am Not Okay

  • Kacey Musgraves - The Architect

  • Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy)


Best country duo/group performance


  • Winner: Beyoncé ft Miley Cyrus - II Most Wanted

  • Kelsea Ballerini With Noah Kahan - Cowboys Cry Too

  • Brothers Osborne - Break Mine

  • Dan + Shay - Bigger Houses

  • Post Malone ft Morgan Wallen - I Had Some Help


Best country song


  • Winner: Kacey Musgraves - The Architect

  • Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy)

  • Jelly Roll - I Am Not Okay

  • Post Malone ft Morgan Wallen - I Had Some Help

  • Beyoncé - Texas Hold 'Em


Best country album


  • Winner: Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter

  • Post Malone - F-1 Trillion

  • Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well

  • Chris Stapleton - Higher

  • Lainey Wilson - Whirlwind


R&B and Afrobeats


Best R&B performance


  • Winner: Muni Long - Made For Me (Live On BET)

  • Jhené Aiko - Guidance

  • Chris Brown - Residuals

  • Coco Jones - Here We Go (Uh Oh)

  • SZA - Saturn


Best R&B song


  • Winner: SZA - Saturn

  • Kehlani - After Hours

  • Tems - Burning

  • Coco Jones - Here We Go (Uh Oh)

  • Muni Long - Ruined Me


Best progressive R&B album


  • Joint Winner: Avery*Sunshine - So Glad to Know You

  • Joint Winner: NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge) - Why Lawd?

  • Durand Bernarr - En Route

  • Childish Gambino - Bando Stone And The New World

  • Kehlani - Crash


Best R&B album


  • Winner: Chris Brown - 11:11 (Deluxe)

  • Lalah Hathaway - Vantablack

  • Muni Long - Revenge

  • Lucky Daye - Algorithm

  • Usher - Coming Home


Best African music performance


  • Winner: Tems - Love Me JeJe

  • Yemi Alade - Tomorrow

  • Asake & Wizkid - MMS

  • Chris Brown ft Davido & Lojay - Sensational

  • Burna Boy - Higher


Production and songwriting


Producer of the Year, Non-Classical


  • Winner: Daniel Nigro

  • Alissia

  • Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II

  • Ian Fitchuk

  • Mustard


Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical


  • Winner: Amy Allen

  • Edgar Barrera

  • Jessi Alexander

  • Jessie Jo Dillon

  • Raye


Film and TV


Best comedy album


  • Winner: Dave Chappelle - The Dreamer

  • Ricky Gervais - Armageddon

  • Jim Gaffigan - The Prisoner

  • Nikki Glaser - Someday You'll Die

  • Trevor Noah - Where Was I


Best compilation soundtrack for visual media


  • Winner: Maestro: Music By Leonard Bernstein - London Symphony Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bradley Cooper

  • The Color Purple - Various Artists

  • Deadpool & Wolverine - Various Artists

  • Saltburn - Various Artists

  • Twisters: The Album - Various Artists


Best score soundtrack for visual media (includes film and televison)


  • Winner: Hans Zimmer - Dune: Part Two

  • Laura Karpman - American Fiction

  • Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - Challengers

  • Kris Bowers - The Color Purple

  • Nick Chuba, Atticus Ross & Leopold Ross - Shōgun


Best score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media


  • Winner: Winifred Phillips - Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

  • Pinar Toprak - Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

  • Bear McCreary - God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla

  • John Paesano - Marvel's Spider-Man 2

  • Wilbert Roget, II - Star Wars Outlaws


Best song written for visual media


  • Winner: Jon Batiste - It Never Went Away (From American Symphony)

  • Luke Combs - Ain't No Love In Oklahoma (From Twisters: The Album)

  • *NSYNC & Justin Timberlake - Better Place (From Trolls Band Together)

  • Olivia Rodrigo - Can't Catch Me Now (From The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes)

  • Barbra Streisand - Love Will Survive (From The Tattooist of Auschwitz)


Best audio book narration


  • Winner: Jimmy Carter - Last Sunday in Plains: A Centennial Celebration

  • George Clinton - ...And Your Ass Will Follow

  • Guy Oldfield - All You Need Is Love: The Beatles In Their Own Words

  • Dolly Parton - Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones

  • Barbra Streisand - My Name Is Barbra


Best music video


  • Winner: Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us

  • A$AP Rocky - Tailor Swif

  • Charli XCX - 360

  • Eminem - Houdini

  • Taylor Swift ft Post Malone - Fortnight


Best music film


  • Winner: American Symphony

  • June

  • Kings From Queens

  • Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple

  • The Greatest Night In Pop


Jazz and classical


Best jazz vocal album


  • Winner: Samara Joy - A Joyful Holiday

  • Christie Dashiell - Journey In Black

  • Kurt Elling & Sullivan Fortner - Wildflowers Vol 1

  • Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding - Milton + Esperanza

  • Catherine Russell & Sean Mason - My Ideal


Best jazz instrumental album


  • Winner: Chick Corea & Béla Fleck - Remembrance

  • Ambrose Akinmusire ft Bill Frisell & Herlin Riley - Owl Song

  • Kenny Barron ft Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake, Immanuel Wilkins & Steve Nelson - Beyond This Place

  • Lakecia Benjamin - Phoenix Reimagined (Live)

  • Sullivan Fortner - Solo Game


Best alternative jazz album


  • Winner: Meshell Ndegeocello - No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin

  • Arooj Aftab - Night Reign

  • André 3000 - New Blue Sun

  • Robert Glasper - Code Derivation

  • Keyon Harrold - Foreverland


Best jazz performance


  • Winner: Samara Joy feat. Sullivan Fortner – Twinkle Twinkle Little Me

  • The Baylor Project – Walk With Me, Lord

  • Lakecia Benjamin feat. Randy Brecker, Jeff "Tain" Watts, & John Scofield – Phoenix Reimagined (Live)

  • Chick Corea & Béla Fleck –Juno

  • Dan Pugach Big Band feat. Nicole Zuraitis & Troy Roberts – Little Fears


Best musical theatre album


  • Winner: Hell's Kitchen

  • Merrily We Roll Along

  • The Notebook

  • The Outsiders

  • Suffs

  • The Wiz


Best opera recording


  • Winner: Saariaho: Adriana Mater - Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony; San Francisco Symphony Chorus; Timo Kurkikangas)

  • Adams: Girls Of The Golden West - John Adams, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles Master Chorale)

  • Catán: Florencia En El Amazonas - Yannick Nézet-Séguin (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

  • Moravec: The Shining - Gerard Schwarz, conductor (Kansas City Symphony; Lyric Opera Of Kansas City Chorus)

  • Puts: The Hours - Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus)


Best orchestral performance


  • Winner: Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina - Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)

  • John Adams: City Noir - Fearful Symmetries & Lola Montez Does The Spider Dance - Marin Alsop, conductor (ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra)

  • Kodály: Háry János Suite; Summer Evening & Symphony In C Major - JoAnn Falletta, conductor (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)

  • Sibelius: Karelia Suite, Rakastava, & Lemminkäinen - Susanna Mälkki, conductor (Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra)

  • Stravinsky: The Firebird - Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)


PHOTOGRAPHER: BLAIR CALDWELL