This year’s annual Grammy Awards were one to remember, especially for well-known artist Beyoncé. Beyoncé has won a total of 35 Grammys and has been nominated for countless, but not until this year has she won Album of the Year. Along with Album of the Year, she also won 3 other awards this year, including Record of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Song of the Year, and the controversial Best Country Album for her debut country album, Cowboy Carter. 

There are mixed opinions on Beyoncé’s win. Lauren Eggers, a senior at Green Level, believes that she does not deserve the award as there were other more historically known country artists in the category.

“She’s not a country artist. She has been and always will be a pop artist, and nothing will change that. I just don’t think she’s deserving of the best country album since she’s never been a country artist. Artists like Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson have spent years perfecting their genre, and they deserve it a lot more.” says Lauren.

On the contrary, Emerii Leak, a senior at Green Level and Beyoncé superfan, believes that Beyoncé is “more than deserving” of this prestigious award. 

“People just don’t want to see a black woman thriving, especially in the white-dominated country industry. I don’t think there’s anything controversial about it, she is just as deserving as all of the other nominees.” 

Beyoncé’s wins will go down in award show history as some of the most controversial. Before her historic win, she also announced a world tour for the award-winning album Cowboy Carter. Beyoncé’s career continues to grow exponentially, and she doesn’t plan on stepping down from her Houston, Texas country roots anytime soon.