Beyoncé took home the Grammy for Best Country Album at this year’s awards, and her husband Jay-Z couldn’t have been prouder.
During the ceremony on Sunday night (February 2), Queen Bey was honored with the prestigious award for her eighth album, Cowboy Carter. The album also earned the title of Album of the Year. It explores the Black origins of country music and highlights the often-overlooked contributions of Black artists to the genre.
Introduced by Taylor Swift, Beyoncé expressed she was ‘very fully and honored’ to receive the award.
Although she seemed surprised to win the Grammy, her husband, rapper Jay-Z, apparently had faith in her success from the start, according to a lip-reading expert.
Before she made her way to the stage, Beyoncé embraced Jay-Z and their daughter, Blue Ivy, with Jay-Z reportedly whispering something to her.
Lip reader NJ Hickling has tried to decode the moment shared between the couple just before Beyoncé’s acceptance speech.
According to Hickling, speaking to The Mirror, Jay-Z’s ‘nine words’ to his wife were, “Woah woah woah. Bout time! You’re a top girl.”
On stage, Beyoncé delivered a heartfelt message encouraging artists to follow their passions beyond genre limitations.
“Wow I really was not expecting this,” she expressed.
“I want to thank God, oh my God, that I’m able to still do what I love after so many years.”
She continued by saying: “I’d like to thank all of the incredible country artists that accepted this album. We worked so hard on it. I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists. And I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about, and to say, ‘Stay persistent.'”
Beyoncé dedicated her award to Linda Martell, a trailblazer for Black musicians in country music. Martell was the first Black woman to perform solo at the Grand Ole Opry and is featured on several tracks from Cowboy Carter.
This Grammy win also marked Beyoncé as the first Black woman to secure a Grammy for Album of the Year since Lauryn Hill’s victory in 1999 with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, Beyoncé was nominated in 11 categories and won three – Album of the Year, Best Country Album, and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for ‘II Most Wanted’ with Miley Cyrus.
Beyoncé is the most awarded artist in Grammy history, amassing 35 Grammy wins and 99 nominations since her first nomination in 2000 with Destiny’s Child.