Beyonce Nods to Album of the Year Drought in Acceptance Speech at 2025 Grammys

The Album of the Year category at the 2025 Grammy Awards was stacked with talent, but only one artist walked away with the trophy.

Beyoncé ultimately earned the honor for Cowboy Carter during the Sunday, February 2, ceremony at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, marking her first-ever Album of the Year win. André 3000’s New Blue Sun, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, Charli XCX’s Brat, Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 4, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department were also nominated in the category.

Beyoncé, who was joined on stage by her daughter Blue Ivy, 13, was presented the award by members of the Los Angeles Fire Department. She began her acceptance speech by thanking the first responders who have kept people “safe” amid the L.A. wildfires.

“I just feel very full ad very honored. It’s been many, many years, and I just want to thank the Grammys, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, all of the hard work,” she continued. “I want to dedicate this to Ms. [Linda] Martell, and I hope we just keep pushing forward, opening doors. God bless y’all. Thank you so much.”

Album of the Year is one of several awards Beyoncé, 43, took home on Sunday, including Best Country Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for her and Miley Cyrus‘ Cowboy Carter Collab “II Most Wanted.”

Her fellow nominee Swift, who presented her with Best Country Album earlier in the evening, has a long history with the Album of the Year category. In February 2024, she became the first artist to ever receive the award four times when she won for Midnights. Swift, 35, previously dominated the category with Fearless in 2010, 1989 in 2016 and Folklore in 2021.

“I would love to tell you this is the best moment of my life, but I feel this happy when I write a song, or crack the code to a song I love, or when I’m shot-listing a music video or I’m practicing with my band or rehearsing with my dancers or getting ready to fly to Tokyo to perform,” Swift said in her 2024 acceptance speech. “For me, the reward is the work.”

Elsewhere during the 2024 Grammys, Jay-Z slammed the awards show for never recognizing Beyoncé with an Album of the Year win.

“I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has the most Grammys than everyone and never won Album of the Year. So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work,” Jay-Z, 55, said while accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. “Think about that: The most Grammys. Never won Album of the Year. That doesn’t work.”

Prior to Sunday’s ceremony, Beyoncé had 32 Grammys and six nominations for Album of the Year — including for I Am… Sasha Fierce in 2010, Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster in 2011, Beyoncé in 2015, Lemonade in 2017, Renaissance in 2023 and Cowboy Carter in 2025 — throughout her career.

Of the remaining 2025 nominees, both André 3000, 49, and Eilish, 23, are past Album of the Year winners for OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in 2004 and Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? in 2020, respectively. André 3000 was also previously nominated in the category for Stankonia with OutKast in 2002, as a producer on Gwen Stefani’s Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2006 and as a featured artist on Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange in 2013, while Eilish received a nod for Happier Than Ever in 2022.

Collier, 30, was also previously nominated for Album of the Year twice: for Djesse Vol. 3 in 2021 and as a producer, songwriter and featured artist on Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres in 2023.

As for Carpenter, 25, Charli, 32, and Roan, 26, each received their first Album of the Year nods in 2025.