Beyoncé Becomes Most Decorated Artist of All Time at the Grammys

On Sunday, Beyoncé became the most decorated artist at the Grammys of all time with her 33rd win. With a career spanning over two decades, Beyonce now has 33 wins from 88 nominations. Boasting a new career high after four wins at the 65th Grammys, Beyonce won for Best R&B Song for ‘Cuff It’, Best Dance Recording ‘Break My Soul’, Traditional R&B Performance ‘Plastic Off the Soul’, and Best Dance/Electronic Album ‘Renaissance’. 

The Grammys is the biggest night for music. Currently, there are 91 categories at the music academy.  It's the most significant number, much larger than the original 28 categories nominated in 1958 when the Grammys began. Although there are many new categories, the voting process remains essentially the same. First, artists and their respective companies submit their music to the academy. Secondly, the submissions have over 350 music experts. Thirdly, the voting process occurs through a first-round count of ballots. Thirdly, there are special nominating committees that span across the Grammy Music Academy’s various chapter cities. These cities include Memphis, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other cities. Lastly, the final vote is cast by voting members (previous winners, music experts, and others) in three music Genre Fields before also voting in four of the General Fields to determine the winners of these prizes. However,  voting members are only able to vote within their respective fields. The process is comprehensive and intends to reward those who work diligently on their music-making. 

Beyoncé’s first Grammy nomination was in 2000 at the 42nd Grammy Awards. At the time, she was the lead singer of the R&B and Pop girl group Destiny's Child. The group was nominated for Best Rhythm & Blues Song and Best R&B Performance By a Duo Or Group With Vocal but did not win in either category. However, in the following year with three nominations, Destiny’s Child won. The song “Say My Name” in the categories they lost in the previous year. That year, Beyonce’s Grammy count jumped from 0 to 2. Destiny’s Child would amass more nominations from genre-focused categories like R&B. However, the group would never receive top prizes like Record of The Year or Song of the Year.  It wouldn’t be until the 46th Grammy Awards that she would win her first solo Grammy for her single, “Crazy in Love”, Best R&B, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Winning top prizes like Song of The Year would not be until the 52nd Grammys where she won for Singles Ladies (Put a Ring On It) in 2009. It’s now nine years after the first Grammys.

The previous artist to hold the title of the most decorated artist at the Grammys would be Georg Solti, a Hungarian-British conductor. His music range focused primarily on the classics, a genre very different from Beyoncé. He has 31 wins with 74 nominations. His nominations included Best Choral Performance, Best Classical Album, and several others. His wins boast Best Opera Recording, Best Chamber Music Performance, and many more. 

However, Beyoncé has solidified herself as a musical phenomenon with her wide-ranging talents. She has been in a top-selling girl group and cemented herself a top artist. Furthermore, while expanding her range of music from R&B to dance and electronic music, she has also expanded her musical repertoire.

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