Beyoncé’s long-awaited triumph at the Grammy Awards has arrived, with the newly crowned Creole country queen winning Album of the Year for the first time in her career on Sunday night in Los Angeles—a feat not accomplished by a Black woman since Lauryn Hill in 1999.
The Catholic-raised Houston native, who released “Cowboy Carter” to commercial and critical acclaim in 2024, also made history with her win for Country Album of the Year, which had never been won by a Black artist. Beyoncé is the first in 50 years to secure a Grammy in any country category, also taking home Best Country Duo/Group Performance for her song “II Most Wanted” with Miley Cyrus.
“I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists,” said Beyoncé, who was snubbed from nominations for the Country Music Awards last fall, sparking a conversation on racism in the industry.
“I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about.”
Beyoncé’s two wins this year extended her all-time Grammys record to 35. She has been nominated a record 99 times overall and has won awards for nine consecutive studio albums—which comprise all such LPs from her since she went solo from Destiny’s Child in 2003.
.@Beyonce tells artists to stay persistent during her best country album acceptance speech at the 2025 #Grammys pic.twitter.com/FkJUzBZmCe
— billboard (@billboard) February 3, 2025
Black artists won three of the “Big Four” categories, coming close to matching the clean sweep in 1994 by Whitney Houston (Album and Record of the Year), Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle (Song of the Year), and Toni Braxton (Best New Artist). This year, in addition to Beyoncé’s win, Kendrick Lamar won both Song and Record of the Year with his viral diss track “Not Like Us.”
Jon Batiste, the multi-genre virtuoso who was raised Catholic in New Orleans, won in both categories where he was nominated, including Best Song Written for Visual Media for “It Never Went Away,” a soundtrack cut from the 2023 autobiographical documentary “American Symphony.” The song was recently nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars, and the film itself—directed by Matthew Heineman—won the Grammy for Best Music Film.
“On this lazy Sunday, life is good!” said Batiste on social media with his wife and co-star, Suleika Jaouad, who were unable to attend the ceremony. (The film features her battle with leukemia, which returned last summer for the second time.)
“We’re beaming love from our couch to yours, and sending gratitude to all who made this film possible.”
#GRAMMYs Best Music Film Winner: American Symphony by @JonBatiste pic.twitter.com/LpfUxknTrT
— chart data (@chartdata) February 2, 2025
The Catholic-raised Creole drummer Sheila E. also saw success on Sunday. She won alongside featured artists Gloria Estefan and Mimy Succar for Best Global Music Performance with “Bemba Colorá,” a remake of the 1966 Afro-Cuban hit from Celia Cruz.
A companion album to the successful music biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” won for Best Reggae Album, featuring covers of well-known tracks from the career of the pioneering Jamaican musician, believed to have been raised Catholic during his youth. Jessie Reyez, a Canadian artist who performed “Is This Love” on the seven-track EP, is herself an Afro-Latino Catholic with roots in Colombia.
In the non-traditional awards, this year’s Best Song for Social Change was awarded under its new name, christened in honor of the late ex-Catholic Harry Belafonte, who died in 2023.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
