LOS ANGELES, Feb 3 — Beyonce on Sunday scooped her first ever Grammy in the country categories for her collaboration with Miley Cyrus, as music’s premier awards gala began with dozens of prizes handed out before the televised marquee event. Rapper Kendrick Lamar jumped out as an early top winner with three awards, as did club diva Charli XCX, while Sabrina Carpenter won her first golden gramophone. Of her 11 chances to win, Beyonce’s victory was coupled with four losses in genre categories.
The other awards will be presented at the gala hosted by comedian Trevor Noah. The Beyonce paradox — she has won the most Grammys of anyone in history but has never won the top album or record prizes — has been on the minds of many people in the industry in the run-up to Sunday’s ceremony. Her early win with Cyrus for best country duo/group performance is one signal that she was on the minds of voters in Nashville, the capital of country that is infamous for promoting a rigid view of the genre that is overwhelmingly white and male.
Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” was a critically praised, not-so-subtle indictment of the country music industry’s powers-that-be, a genre-spanning record that elevated the work of Black artists and celebrated the rich history of their work. For Album and Record of the Year, many critics think Beyonce might finally get what broad consensus believes is her due. But she faces stiff competition, including from perennial winners like Billie Eilish and .
