“A-O-T-Y, I ain’t win”: Beyoncé’s history with Grammys explored in light of Cowboy Carter song Sweet Honey Buckin’s lyrics

Despite her newly released album Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé has brought attention to the fact that she has never won a Grammy for Album of the Year in her song Sweet Honey Buckin.

At 42 years old, the singer holds the record for the most Grammy wins with 32 victories out of 88 nominations. Although four of her previous seven albums were nominated for the prestigious Album of the Year award, she has yet to win in this category.

Released on March 29, Cowboy Carter is her latest album, which made headlines for its song Sweet Honey Buckin. In this track, she expresses:

“A-O-T-Y, I ain’t win (Let’s go) / I ain’t stung by them.”

Beyoncé’s Record-Breaking Wins at the Grammys

Ever since her debut with Destiny’s Child in 1997, Beyoncé has risen to become one of the leading artists in the music industry. From releasing multiple chart-topping hits to setting new records, Queen Bey has solidified her position as one of the top musicians in the industry.

In 2023, she achieved a historic feat at the Grammys, becoming the artist with the highest number of wins in the award show’s history with 32 victories. This accomplishment was fueled by her success in winning the Best Dance/Electronic Music Album category and receiving an award for her seventh album, Renaissance. Additionally, her album’s debut at number one on the US charts also marked her as the first female musician in the industry to achieve this feat for her first seven albums, according to Grammys.com.

Despite receiving four nominations for Album of the Year (AOTY) at the Grammy Awards, the singer has yet to win in this category.

In 2010, she received a nomination for I Am … Sasha Fierce, which was ultimately won by Taylor Swift’s Fearless. She was once again nominated in 2015 for Beyoncé, but the AOTY award was given to Beck for Morning Phase. In 2017, her album Lemonade was nominated but lost to Adele’s 25. The trend continued in 2023 when her album Renaissance received a nomination, but ultimately lost to Harry Styles’ Harry’s House in the category.

Reactions from the Music Industry on Beyoncé’s Album of the Year Loss

Some well-known figures, such as Adele and more recently, Jay-Z, Beyoncé’s husband, have discussed her lack of winning the AOTY award. In her acceptance speech for the Album of the Year award in 2017, Adele praised Beyoncé and highlighted the significance of her album Lemonade in popular culture.

“I can’t possibly accept this award. And I’m very humbled, and I’m very grateful and gracious, but my artist of my life is Beyoncé. This album was so monumental, and so well-thought-out and so beautiful and soul-bearing,”she said.

In 2024, Jay-Z received the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the Grammys. During his acceptance speech, he directed his words towards the Recording Academy and stated:

“I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won Album of the Year. So even by your own metrics that doesn’t work. Think about that. The most Grammys, never won Album of the Year. That doesn’t work,”he said.

The artist’s second installment of the Renaissance trilogy, Cowboy Carter, was released on March 29. It delighted fans with unexpected collaborations with celebrities such as Post Malone, Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, and others. Prior to the album’s release, the artist shared the complete tracklist on social media, revealing that it consists of 27 songs.