Beyoncé makes history at this year's Grammy Awards, taking home her 32nd Grammy for her 'Renaissance' album.

Francis Specker / CBS

MUSIC

Beyoncé Becomes New Record-Holder at Grammys With Renaissance Album Wins

Beyoncé makes history at this year's Grammy Awards, taking home her 32nd Grammy for her 'Renaissance' album.
Sonja Flemming / CBS

Beyoncé makes history at this year’s Grammy Awards, taking home her 32nd Grammy for her Renaissance album.

Beyoncé achieved four out of nine nominated awards at the Grammys this year, making the night an unprecedented success. According to Classic Fm, the previous record holder, Georg Solti, died in 1997 and held the record for over 25 years due to his countless masterpieces as a conductor. Surpassing Solti cemented Beyoncé’s name into legendary status, turning an already beloved household name into an undeniable icon.

Beyoncé won four awards for her Renaissance album and was nominated for six more. Her wins paid respect to the hip-hop, R&B, and dance genres, acknowledging their artistry and power. Her awards include Best R&B Performance for “Cuff It,” Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Plastic Off the Sofa” and Best Dance/Electronic Music Recording for “Break My Soul.” The album itself received the award for Best Dance/Electronic Music Album.

According to a Forbes article, critics claim the Grammys are ignorant towards Black artists and the R&B and hip-hop genres. In her acceptance speech for Renaissance, she thanked the queer community for inventing the genre and for their continued support. Beyoncé is not just breaking a personal record. Recognizing her music is groundbreaking for Black and LGBT communities.

Still, the Grammys remains incredibly divisive. From Harry Styles to Bonnie Raitt, this year’s award show is sparking controversy and debate on the validity of some wins. As for Beyoncé, some argue that despite winning several awards, many are ignoring that she also lost more than half of her nominations. The Beyhive pointed out that throughout her career, she has lost all four of her Grammy nominations for Album Of The Year. Because of this, they claim Beyoncé has been continually unrecognized at awards shows despite her long-time status as an icon.

Still, Beyoncé seemed grateful, if not ecstatic, for the wins she did receive, thanking the Beyhive in an Instagram post made shortly after the awards ceremony.

In an awards ceremony that is historically controversial, Beyoncé still took home four major awards for her work. If being unrecognized means breaking history as a record-holder, then it only proves Beyoncé’s legacy as one of the most talented women of our generation. Fans can stream Renaissance on Spotify and Apple Music.