Say Beyonce is the definitive artist of the millennium is not an exaggeration. In many ways, Beyoncé is what every artist would aspire to be: commercial success, cultural relevance, critical acclaim, and a clear intention to innovate and evolve musically. Her status is evident in her many accolades, including 28 Grammys, the most for a female artist and four Grammys far from the most for any artist. However, Beyoncé has yet to win a very big one: Album of the Year. This year, with another album in the running, is it finally time for Queen B to win?
Although Beyoncé has always been a Grammy favorite, she didn’t earn her first Album of the Year nomination until “I Am…Sasha Fierce,” which featured the song’s winner. year “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”. Although “Sasha Fierce” didn’t win, it was probably very close, especially since it was Beyoncé’s most pop record and managed to win song of the year. against the eventual album of the year winner, Taylor Swift.
Beyoncé’s second nomination for Album of the Year came for her self-titled album, released to great acclaim in 2013. The album may have suffered from not being pop enough and therefore lost the award to of beck‘s “Morning Phase”, a very controversial result. Finally, and perhaps most glaringly, Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” lost top prize to Adele‘s “25,” which even Adele herself said was a terrible choice. While “Lemonade” and “Beyoncé” were by far the most acclaimed in their lineups, their lack of pop appeal likely hurt them; after all, most Grammy voters were disproportionately older white men, especially back then.
Arrive “Renaissance”, Beyoncé’s latest album. It scored 92 on Metacritic, tied with “Lemonade” as her most acclaimed studio album on the aggregator. “Renaissance” is an excellent compromise between artistic Beyoncé and pop diva Beyoncé. At its core, it’s a tribute to ballroom culture and black and queer innovation. But it’s basically a dance album, which makes it more accessible to pop than his previous albums. It was led by the hit single “Break My Soul”, which slowly became one of its biggest hits and claimed two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Thus, “Renaissance” effectively solved the two most great obstacles faced by Beyoncé in her previous attempts. to win album of the year: it’s a big pop-crossover hit, and it’s a record that’s more accessible to more demographics. Plus those Beyoncé assets of commercial success and critical adoration.
Another important factor when it comes to Grammy wins is the narrative. After two massive album of the year losses, many voters will be well aware that Beyoncé is overdue for the top prize. Additionally, this particular record has a compelling internal narrative. It’s an album that pays homage to the music of the past, something Grammy voters love (see Bruno Mars“24K Magic” and daft-punk‘s “Random Access Memories”), in addition to being unique enough to blend in perfectly with current trends. Thus, voters would not only honor Beyoncé’s career, but also the music to which Beyoncé pays tribute. That last factor also means a lot of older voters might feel good about awarding the album.
Last but not least, who else deserves it this year? The only album more acclaimed than “Renaissance” this season is Rosalia“Motomami”, which will probably have no chance of winning. While Adele’s ’30’ made a big debut last fall, it failed to stay relevant throughout the season, and Adele has already won the category twice. Then there are other Grammy winners like Harry Styles (“Harry’s House”) and Sonic Silk (“An Evening with Silk Sonic”), but “Renaissance” can be seen as more culturally relevant.
There are also commercial successes of bad bunny (“Un Verano Sin Ti”) and Taylor Swift (her re-recorded “Red”), but the former may not be able to overcome the language barrier and the latter has enough AOTY to her name. In short, Beyoncé seems like the most logical and deserving choice this year. More than 20 years into her career, she’s managed to remind everyone that she’s still going strong, and the Grammys will surely feel compelled to finally recognize that it’s actually time to win.
Make your Gold Derby predictions now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone or Android (Google Play) devices to compete against legions of other fans as well as our experts and editors for the highest prediction accuracy scores. Check out our latest prediction champions. Can you then top our estimated rankings? Always remember to keep your predictions up to date as they impact our latest racetrack odds, which record executives and music stars are terrified of. Don’t miss the fun. Have your say and share your opinions on our famous forums where thousands of showbiz leaders hide out every day to keep up with the latest awards. Everyone wants to know: what do you think? Who do you predict and why?
Say Beyonce is the definitive artist of the millennium is not an exaggeration. In many ways, Beyoncé is what every artist would aspire to be: commercial success, cultural relevance, critical acclaim, and a clear intention to innovate and evolve musically. Her status is evident in her many accolades, including 28 Grammys, the most for a female artist and four Grammys far from the most for any artist. However, Beyoncé has yet to win a very big one: Album of the Year. This year, with another album in the running, is it finally time for Queen B to win?
Although Beyoncé has always been a Grammy favorite, she didn’t earn her first Album of the Year nomination until “I Am…Sasha Fierce,” which featured the song’s winner. year “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”. Although “Sasha Fierce” didn’t win, it was probably very close, especially since it was Beyoncé’s most pop record and managed to win song of the year. against the eventual album of the year winner, Taylor Swift.
Beyoncé’s second nomination for Album of the Year came for her self-titled album, released to great acclaim in 2013. The album may have suffered from not being pop enough and therefore lost the award to of beck‘s “Morning Phase”, a very controversial result. Finally, and perhaps most glaringly, Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” lost top prize to Adele‘s “25,” which even Adele herself said was a terrible choice. While “Lemonade” and “Beyoncé” were by far the most acclaimed in their lineups, their lack of pop appeal likely hurt them; after all, most Grammy voters were disproportionately older white men, especially back then.
Arrive “Renaissance”, Beyoncé’s latest album. It scored 92 on Metacritic, tied with “Lemonade” as her most acclaimed studio album on the aggregator. “Renaissance” is an excellent compromise between artistic Beyoncé and pop diva Beyoncé. At its core, it’s a tribute to ballroom culture and black and queer innovation. But it’s basically a dance album, which makes it more accessible to pop than his previous albums. It was led by the hit single “Break My Soul”, which slowly became one of its biggest hits and claimed two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Thus, “Renaissance” effectively solved the two most great obstacles faced by Beyoncé in her previous attempts. to win album of the year: it’s a big pop-crossover hit, and it’s a record that’s more accessible to more demographics. Plus those Beyoncé assets of commercial success and critical adoration.
Another important factor when it comes to Grammy wins is the narrative. After two massive album of the year losses, many voters will be well aware that Beyoncé is overdue for the top prize. Additionally, this particular record has a compelling internal narrative. It’s an album that pays homage to the music of the past, something Grammy voters love (see Bruno Mars“24K Magic” and daft-punk‘s “Random Access Memories”), in addition to being unique enough to blend in perfectly with current trends. Thus, voters would not only honor Beyoncé’s career, but also the music to which Beyoncé pays tribute. That last factor also means a lot of older voters might feel good about awarding the album.
Last but not least, who else deserves it this year? The only album more acclaimed than “Renaissance” this season is Rosalia“Motomami”, which will probably have no chance of winning. While Adele’s ’30’ made a big debut last fall, it failed to stay relevant throughout the season, and Adele has already won the category twice. Then there are other Grammy winners like Harry Styles (“Harry’s House”) and Sonic Silk (“An Evening with Silk Sonic”), but “Renaissance” can be seen as more culturally relevant.
There are also commercial successes of bad bunny (“Un Verano Sin Ti”) and Taylor Swift (her re-recorded “Red”), but the former may not be able to overcome the language barrier and the latter has enough AOTY to her name. In short, Beyoncé seems like the most logical and deserving choice this year. More than 20 years into her career, she’s managed to remind everyone that she’s still going strong, and the Grammys will surely feel compelled to finally recognize that it’s actually time to win.
Make your Gold Derby predictions now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone or Android (Google Play) devices to compete against legions of other fans as well as our experts and editors for the highest prediction accuracy scores. Check out our latest prediction champions. Can you then top our estimated rankings? Always remember to keep your predictions up to date as they impact our latest racetrack odds, which record executives and music stars are terrified of. Don’t miss the fun. Have your say and share your opinions on our famous forums where thousands of showbiz leaders hide out every day to keep up with the latest awards. Everyone wants to know: what do you think? Who do you predict and why?