Source: Kevin Winter / Getty
Okay, we all know that Beyoncé can make the whole world stop with the snap of her fingers, but did she REALLY just convince the Recording Academy to switch up their Grammy categories… just by winning?!
Billboard reports that the “Best Country Album” category will be renamed “Best Contemporary Country Album.” Meanwhile, a new category, “Best Traditional Country Album,” will be added. The new change will take effect at the 2026 Grammys
“The community of people that are making country music in all different subgenres came to us with a proposal and said we would like to have more variety in how our music is honored,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. tells Billboard. “They said, we think we need more space for our music to be celebrated and honored.”
The timing of the change is notable, as it comes months after Beyoncé’s big night at the 2025 Grammys. In addition to finally winning “Album of The Year,” Bey’s Cowboy Carter won “Best Country Album.” With that, she became the first Black woman to win the category.
However, many in the country music world slammed her win. Notably, John Rich of country duo Big & Rich called Beyoncé’s win “a total joke” and said that the Recording Academy “outed themselves” as pushing an agenda.
It is also not the first time that a Beyoncé win seemingly created a Grammy shake-up. Previously, she won “Best Dance/Electronic Album” for Renaissance at the 2023 Grammys. The following year, a new category was introduced, “Best Dance Pop Recording.”
Whether it’s simply coincidental or part of a bigger conspiracy, the BeyHive is definitely buzzing! Check out some reactions below!