Grumbles at the Grammys

Two artists. Two albums. One award.

By: Geri Kayingo

Beyoncé accepts the GRAMMY for Album of the Year for 'COWBOY CARTER' onstage during the 2025 GRAMMYs on Feb. 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Receiving a Grammy is usually a moment of happiness and pride, but what happens when half the internet doesn’t believe an artist deserves it? Or, that someone else should have received it? A time of triumph becomes a point for public disagreement. This is exactly what happened to Beyoncé and Billie Eilish in February at The Grammy Awards ceremony. The highest honor an American music artist can achieve is a Grammy. This award is given out by The Recording Academy to the music artist who has created the best piece of work in a variety of categories ranging from songs, albums, and collaborations. In this case, the public struggles between deciding whether the award should go to the album that had the most political and cultural significance, or the body of work that was most popular and engaged the largest audience. The discourse around Beyoncé winning Album of the Year for Cowboy Carter demonstrates two distinct ways of thinking about the value of music. 

Those who support Beyoncé argue that she changed the country genre for the better. Country is often viewed as a sector of music created by white people for white audiences. Even though Black artists have made countless contributions to the advancement of country music, they have long been erased from the narrative. Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s Grammy winning album, is a country album, and many believe that it was an important step forward for Black music and artists. Noor Norman from MSNBC describes this process: “She infiltrated the country music space, which despite its original Black influence, has been mostly white, mostly male and historically anti-Black/racist and she rejected the industry’s imposed limitations.” Her album challenged traditional views of the genre and American identity. Also, her supporters proclaim that the honor was a longtime overdue. Even though she is considered one of the most important American music artists she never won Album of the Year. This win can be seen as her finally getting what had been unfairly taken from her time and time again. 

Those who support Billie Eilish argue that her album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, was most beloved and connected with more people. Her music was shared all over the radio and social media as people danced, sang, edited and created trends to her songs. Her tour connected millions of people as they came together to express their love for her music and craft. Also, she garnered a large international audience that some believe Beyoncé failed to attract with her album. Furthermore, many attest to the growth and innovation that Billie Eilish demonstrated with her album. She showed an improvement in vocal range, lyricism, variation in style, and experimentation. The details she shared in videos and interviews depicting the album making process display the hard work and perseverance she endured to make the music the best possible. 

Racism has found a place in this conflict. There are pro-Beyoncé fans who claim that criticism over her win stems from racism instead of pure musical preference. These supporters argue that society is once again trying to steal the honors that Black music artists rightly deserve. This is further complicated by the fact that some people have used racial slurs and insults to denounce Beyoncé’s victory. 

Favoritism and corruption also play a role in this controversy. Many pro-Billie fans assert that Beyoncé won because of her musical history, rather than her current success. Beyoncé is the most decorated artist in Grammy history, and The Recording Academy has a reputation for awarding music to the same artists simply because of their fame instead of their talent. Pro-Billie fans claim that this was an example of such an unfair process that relies on iconic figures instead of recognizing innovation. 

The controversy reveals a larger question: how does society assign value to music? One answer is the legacy of an artist and the way their music shaped culture and politics. Another answer is the ability to capture the love of a large audience, and create a sound that is original and unique. This dilemma may never be answered, only observed as time goes on.