Before the 2025 Grammy nominations were announced on Friday, Nov. 8, the Bey Hive waited with baited breath to hear how the Recording Academy was going to honor Beyoncé's country turn, Cowboy Carter. Would it be only seen as pop, or recognized in its intended genre?
Well, thankfully, after Queen Bey laid her "cards down, down, down, down" and demonstrated just how skilled and knowledgeable she is in Americana and roots music, fans can let out a "yeehaw" because the pop icon received her first-ever Grammy nominations in the country categories.
Beyoncé received 11 Grammy nominations—the most of any artist this year—but notably received recognition in several country categories. Cowboy Carter earned a Best Country Album nomination, while three of its tracks also earned nods; "16 Carriages" is up for Best Country Solo Performance, "Texas Hold 'Em" is up for Best Country Song, and her collaboration with Miley Cyrus, "II Most Wanted," is nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Plus, "Ya Ya" is nominated for Best Americana Performance.
The pop superstar also earned nods in the big three categories: Album of the Year and Record and Song of the Year for "Texas Hold 'Em."
Elsewhere, "Bodygard" is nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance, her team-up with Post Malone, "Levii's Jeans," is in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category, and the collab with Linda Martell and Shaboozey, "Spaghettii," is up for Best Melodic Rap Performance.
Beyoncé, who famously hails from Houston, Texas and has spoken about her love for country throughout her career, has dabbled in the genre before—but excluded from being recognized for it. "Daddy Lessons," her twangy fan-favorite track with The Chicks off 2016's Lemonade was controversially not nominated for any Grammys. In fact, the song was reportedly rejected by The Recording Academy's country music committee.
The musician also performed the song with The Chicks at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards, which resulted in racist backlash.
Many fans suspected that incident is partially what inspired Cowboy Carter. Upon the album's release, Queen Bey shared in a candid statement on Instagram about how an experience where she "did not feel welcomed" by the country community informed the record.
Her 2025 Grammy nominations in the country categories come after Cowboy Carter was completely shut out by the upcoming CMAs, the nominations for which were announced in September ahead of the award show on November 20.
Still, the Grammy-winner reached many milestones as a country artist this year; she became the first Black woman to reach No. 1 on both the Country Albums and Country Songs chart.
She also continues to make history by breaking her own records. With the nominations for the forthcoming 67th Annual Grammy Awards, her career total is now at a whopping 99, the most of any artist ever. The singer also remains the most-decorated artist in Grammy history, with 32 wins.
We'll have to see if she'll reach even more feats at the awards ceremony, scheduled for February 2, 2025 and airing live on CBS from the Crypto.com Arena in L.A.
