Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s historic Album of the Year win for “Cowboy Carter” should have been a celebratory moment but backlash from Billie Eillish fans raised a familiar question: Why is a Black woman’s success questioned instead of celebrated?
“You see this often in the rap industry with new women artists stepping on the scene posed in a way to cannibalize each other or compete in the charts,” said Shawn Hughes, a Howard University student and pop culture enthusiast.
“Stan culture makes it no better … ‘Stan Twitter’ picking fights with other female rappers’ fan bases,” Hughes said. “It comes at an attempt to constantly replace and age women out of the industry.”
Despite being the most awarded artist in Grammy history, Beyoncé had never won Album of the Year until now. Her country album, “Cowboy Carter,” secured the award at the 67th Grammys this year.
When nine-time Grammy winner Billie Eilish lost in the category for “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” many of her fans spread hate toward Beyoncé online, undermining her achievement.
After seeing Billie teary-eyed following the loss, her brother and producer, Finneas Eilish, urged their supporters not to display hate toward other artists. However, this did little to stop the negativity.
Eilish fans took to TikTok, claiming that she was “robbed” of the award and that Beyoncé had “snubbed” her. Many commenters admitted to not listening to “Cowboy Carter” while still questioning Beyoncé’s win, with some suggesting she bought the award.
“I thought it was outrageous to see fans from an unexpected artist to be so upset about the win, some resorting to racism,” Hughes said. “Just because you didn’t listen to the album or have the empathy to understand it doesn’t mean she didn’t deserve [the award].”
The backlash highlighted a common misunderstanding about how Grammy voting actually works.
“Grammy Awards are not determined by sales figures, social media followings or past nominations and wins,” said John Ochoa, director of content at the Recording Academy. “The Grammy Award is a merit-based recognition voted on by Recording Academy members.”
Ochoa said 66% of the Grammys voting electorate is new, since the academy revamped its membership model in 2019. More than 3,000 of the voting members are women, and 38% of the voting body identifies as people of color.
Yet, despite this progress, Beyoncé’s previous four losses in this category bring up a pattern: Black artists’ contributions are more scrutinized, especially in white-dominated genres like country.
Beyoncé’s Grammy Nominations for Album of the Year
| Year | Beyoncé’s Album | Winning Album | Artist |
| 2010 | “I Am … Sasha Fierce” | “Fearless” | Taylor Swift |
| 2015 | “Beyoncé” | “Morning Phase” | Beck |
| 2017 | “Lemonade” | “25” | Adele |
| 2023 | “Renaissance” | “Harry’s Home” | Harry Styles |
| 2025 | “Country Carter” | “Country Carter” | Beyoncé |
The argument that Beyonce’s music is “too niche” reinforces a bias that confines Black artists to genre-specific categories rather than recognizing their artistry.
“I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists,” Beyoncé said in her Grammy acceptance speech for Best Country Album. “I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about.”
Christina Bailey, a music journalist, shared similar thoughts.
“A lot of Black artists aren’t getting nominated for categories outside of rap and R&B at award shows, limiting them to only one set genre,” Bailey said. “When these artists get nominated for awards outside these genres, it becomes a competition of who deserved to win more than the other whereas these aren’t the topics of discussion with stereotypical Black categories.”
Imara Moore and Melanie Pullins are reporters for HUNewsService.com.
