The 2025 Grammy Awards are shaping up to be one of the most intense and closely watched battles for Album of the Year in recent memory.
This year’s nominees offer something for everyone—from Chappell Roan’s dazzling debut The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess to André 3000’s experimental, flute-driven New Blue Sun. Music critics are calling the lineup one of the strongest in Grammy history.
“It’s an incredible slate of nominees,” said Rolling Stone’s senior writer Rob Sheffield in an interview with CNN. “This could go down as one of the greatest years ever for Album of the Year.”
Yet among the contenders, one album stands out—not just for its music, but for the implications of its potential win. Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter carries the highest stakes, not just for the artist herself, but for the Grammys as an institution.
How to sign up for DeepSeek AI—beginning with ChatGPT’s competitor
A Long History of Grammy Snubs
Despite holding the record for most Grammy wins in history—32 awards from an astonishing 99 nominations—Beyoncé has consistently been overlooked in the Album of the Year category. She has lost four times, with Renaissance (2023), Lemonade (2017), Beyoncé (2015), and I Am… Sasha Fierce (2010) all failing to secure the top honor.
While Beyoncé has handled these losses with grace—even referencing them in Cowboy Carter’s track “Sweet Honey Buckin” by saying she takes them “on the chin”—her fans, known as the Beyhive, and even her husband, Jay-Z, have been far more vocal. Many argue that the Recording Academy has systematically overlooked one of the most influential artists of all time.
“She knows her legacy is in the music, in creating these genius records one after another,” Sheffield said. “But at this point, for the Album of the Year Grammy to truly matter, Beyoncé has to win it.”
According to Mark Zuckerberg, Meta is not concerned about DeepSeek.
A Legacy Beyond Awards
Album of the Year is often considered the Grammys’ most prestigious award, akin to Best Picture at the Oscars. Despite Beyoncé’s repeated losses, Lemonade has cemented itself as a cultural milestone. The album continues to top “best of” lists, including Rolling Stone’s 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far, where it holds the No. 1 spot.
Music journalist Taylor Crumpton believes Cowboy Carter has made just as profound an impact.
“I think they both changed culture,” Crumpton told CNN. “Lemonade opened up conversations about Black feminism in pop culture, while Cowboy Carter has brought attention to the often-erased role of Black Americans in Western history.”
The Grammys’ Bigger Problem
The Recording Academy has long faced criticism for failing to properly recognize women and artists of color, especially in major categories. In 2023, Jay-Z called out the organization directly while accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, pointing to Beyoncé’s Renaissance losing Album of the Year to Harry Styles’ Harry’s House.
While six of this year’s eight nominees are women, female artists remain underrepresented in Grammy history. A recent report by AKAS (Addy Kassova Audience Strategy Ltd), funded by the Gates Foundation, revealed that in the last eight years, only 1 in 5 Grammy nominations and wins have gone to women.
This year’s Album of the Year nominees include Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft, Charli XCX’s Brat, and Sabrina Carpenter’s Short ‘n Sweet, with André 3000 and Jacob Collier being the only male nominees.
Crumpton predicts that if Beyoncé loses again, the reaction will be deeply divided.
“If Beyoncé doesn’t win, there will be debates across racial and gender lines about who was truly deserving and what it means for future artists entering the industry,” Crumpton said. “She has woven herself into the history of Black America, and another loss will be felt not just by her fans, but by Black artists around the world who look to institutions like the Grammys for validation and opportunity.”
The Moment of Truth
With the stakes higher than ever, all eyes will be on the Grammys this Sunday. Will Cowboy Carter finally break the streak and win Beyoncé the award many believe she has long deserved?
The Grammys will air live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.