beyonce
Credit: Getty Images

I think we all expected Beyoncé to walk away with Album Of The Year today. For who could ever beat-out the masterful art that was the Lemonade album and it’s political, historical and empowering messaging? Adele is someone who, like us, listened to it and felt all of these things and so it came as a surprise then today that Adele won the 2017 Grammy for Album Of The Year, not because 25 wasn’t brilliant but because Beyoncé doesn’t lose.

In her acceptance speech, Adele said she couldn’t possibly accept the award. “I’m very humbled and I’m very grateful and gracious but my artists of my life is Beyoncé and the album for me – the Lemonade album – was so monumental and so well thought-out and so beautiful and so soul-bearing and we all got to see a side another side to you that you don’t always let us see and we appreciate that,” said Adele. “And all us artists here adore you, you are our light. And the way you make me and my friends feel and the way you make my black friends feel is empowering and you make them stand up for themselves. And I love you, I always have and I always will.”

Beyoncé was visibly moved, shedding tears.

 

Beyoncé didn’t go without recognition, she took home Best Contemporary Album for Lemonade and used her acceptance speech to focus in on being black during the current political state of affairs in America.

“Thank you to the Grammy voters for this incredible honour, and thank you to everyone who worked so hard to beautifully capture the profundity of deep southern culture,” she began. “I thank God for my family, my wonderful husband, my beautiful daughter, my fans for bringing me so much happiness and support. We all experience pain and loss, and often we become inaudible. My intention for the film and album was to create a body of work that would give a voice to our pain, our struggles, our darkness and our history. To confront issues that make us uncomfortable.

It’s important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty, so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror, first through their own families — as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House and the Grammys — and see themselves, and have no doubt that they’re beautiful, intelligent and capable. This is something I want for every child of every race. And I feel it’s vital that we learn from the past and recognize our tendencies to repeat our mistakes. Thank you again for honouring Lemonade. Have a beautiful evening. Thank you for tonight. This is incredible.”