Beyoncé won her first-ever Album of the Year Grammy on Sunday, securing the prestigious award for her groundbreaking country album, Cowboy Carter.

The 43-year-old music icon triumphed over stiff competition, including Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, to claim the night’s top honor. The win marks a long-awaited moment of recognition for Beyoncé, the most nominated and decorated artist in Recording Academy history, who had previously been overlooked for the award.

“It’s been many, many years,” Beyoncé said while accepting the prize, dedicating it to Linda Martell, a pioneering Black woman in country music who also performed on the album. “I hope we just keep pushing forward, opening doors.”

This was the fifth time one of her albums had been nominated for Album of the Year, with previous losses to Taylor Swift, Beck, Adele, and Harry Styles. Beyoncé is also the first Black woman in the 21st century to win the award, and only the fourth overall, following Lauryn Hill in 1999, Natalie Cole, and Whitney Houston.

Cowboy Carter is a genre-blending, historically rooted country album that honors Beyoncé’s Southern heritage. As the second act in her Renaissance trilogy, the 27-track record amplifies the conversation about Black artists' long-standing influence in country music and the racism they continue to face in the genre.

Beyoncé entered the night with 11 nominations, leading the field in multiple categories, including pop, country, Americana, and melodic rap performance. By the end of the ceremony, she had taken home three awards—Album of the Year, Best Country Album, and Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Miley Cyrus.