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This article was originally published on February 6, 2023.
Its also far from the only award of hers that deserves celebrating.
Thats a bit of a nebulous proposition, so here are some guidelines:
1.
Did the win further Beyonces career, or was it symbolic of something larger?
Was the song or album good enough to earn the title of the award?
Did the song or album deserve higher honors?
35.Best Surround Sound Album,Beyonce(2015)
35.
Yes,Beyoncesounds damn good in surround sound, especially with its crisp, detail-oriented production.
34.Best Urban Contemporary Album,Everything Is Love, with the Carters (2019)
34.
By 2019, Beyonce and Jay-Z were over it.
33.Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Dangerously in Love 2 (2004)
33.
When Beyonce was striking out on her own, every Grammy counted as merit for her burgeoning solo career.
But come on were not exactly talking about this song today, are we?
Critics had singled this Luther Vandross duet out as middling onDangerously in Love.
31.Best Traditional R&B Performance, At Last (2010)
31.
Beyonces cover, for the movieCadillac Records, is a faithful rendition of Etta Jamess definitive take.
30.Best R&B Performance, Black Parade (2021)
30.
29.Best Music Video, Brown Skin Girl (2021)
29.
28.Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Halo (2010)
28.
As true fans know, Beyonce can be cheesy.
She loves an inspirational momentandhas the voice to sell it, as she does on thisSasha Fiercesingle.
26.Best Rap Song, Savage Remix, with Megan Thee Stallion (2021)
26.
25.Best Contemporary R&B Album,I Am … Sasha Fierce(2010)
25.
24.Best Country Duo/Group Performance, II Most Wanted, with Miley Cyrus (2025)
24.
Its also for one of the highlights offCowboy Carter.
23.Best Urban Contemporary Album,Lemonade(2017)
23.
22.Best Music Video, Formation (2017)
22.
The Grammys never properly recognized the scope ofLemonade.
21.Best R&B Song, Cuff It (2023)
21.
Clearly this award didnt mean much to Beyonce, who wasstuck in trafficwhen it was given out.
Just about everything here and above on this list is either a great song or album.
19.Best Traditional R&B Performance, Plastic Off the Sofa (2023)
19.
If Beyonce had any one award in the bag before the 2023 show, it was this.
Nothing for the history books, sure, but the definition of a deserving win.
Frankly, Single Ladies should have been a Record of the Year winner.
Its hard to say if Single Ladies wouldve won there, since the Academy loves its rock and roll.
17.Best R&B Song, Crazy in Love, with Jay-Z (2004)
17.
16.Best Contemporary R&B Album,BDay(2007)
16.
No award couldve been more fitting forBDay, which was nothing if not contemporary.
15.Best Traditional R&B Performance, Love on Top (2013)
15.
Its just a shame it was the only trophy in her hands at the end of the night.
14.Best Dance Recording, Break My Soul (2023)
14.
The Grammys have done a middling job of honoring Beyonces genre-defying career.
The level of work Beyonce put in was painfully obvious at least the Dance voters saw it.
1 (before Break My Soul).
So these wins deserve equal footing.
11.Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Crazy in Love, with Jay-Z (2004)
11.
Sure, this is Beyonces only win in this category, despite eight future nominations.
But its also herdefiningcollaboration with Jay-Z and first No.
1, as well as an early taste of how innovative her music could be.
The Grammys wouldve been crazy not to honor it.
10.Best Rap Performance, Savage Remix, with Megan Thee Stallion (2021)
10.
The crowning achievement of Beyonces record-setting 2021 Grammys haul should never have been Black Parade, but this.
(Thats something that cant be conveyed on just a songwriting level.)
9.Best R&B Song, Say My Name, with Destinys Child (2001)
9.
Beyonces first songwriting win, as a member of Destinys Child, was important for two reasons.
8.Best R&B Song, Drunk in Love, with Jay-Z (2015)
8.
7.Best R&B Performance, Drunk in Love, with Jay-Z (2015)
7.
6.Best Country Album,Cowboy Carter(2025)
6.
5.Best Dance/Electronic Album,Renaissance(2023)
5.
Beyonces reaction said it all.
4.Best Contemporary R&B Album,Dangerously in Love(2004)
4.
Beyonce is, after all, an albums artist.
Yes, she went on to sing circles aroundDangerously in Lovein the following years.
The Academy, though, noticed she was on the right track here.
2.Best Music Film,Homecoming(2020)
2.
Maybe that all makes it a no-brainer for a win.
(It wasnt for the Emmys, where Beyonce left empty-handed for the project.)
1.Album of the Year,Cowboy Carter
1.
But Beyonce finally did it!
Beyonce never stopped pushing herself, and finally, the Grammys noticed.
