Fifteen years ago, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift first went head-to-head for the coveted Album of the Year award at the 52nd Grammy Awards. That competition, back in 2010, marked both artists’ first bid for the prestigious prize, which represents the Recording Academy’s long-standing ideals of musical craftsmanship and tradition. As they awaited the announcement, both displayed nervous anticipation.
A Friendly Rivalry's Origins
That year, Swift claimed the award with her sophomore album Fearless, making her, at 20, the youngest artist to win Album of the Year in Grammy history—a record later broken by Billie Eilish in 2020. Since then, Swift has gone on to win the award three more times, including earlier this year with Midnights, setting a new record as the first artist to secure four Album of the Year trophies.
In contrast, Beyoncé, despite being one of music’s most ambitious and innovative figures, has lost Album of the Year three more times.
The Stakes This Time Around
Now, for the first time since 2010, these two cultural powerhouses are poised to compete once again for the title. Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department and Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter are both expected to be nominated when the 67th Grammy nominations are announced on November 8. Additionally, their respective singles—Swift’s Fortnight and Beyoncé’s Texas Hold ’Em—are likely contenders for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
This upcoming rematch could be a significant draw for Grammy viewership, as Beyoncé and Swift have long commanded media attention, from their viral photo ops to moments of fan speculation. Their longstanding influence was cemented at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards when Kanye West interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech to argue that Beyoncé deserved the award for Best Female Video.
The Music Industry's Impact
Yet, beyond the anticipation for this high-profile Grammy showdown, the competition also highlights ongoing divisions in the music industry surrounding race, genre, and the perceived authenticity of artists. Grammy watchers may recall the 2023 contest between Beyoncé’s Renaissance and Adele’s 30, which echoed Adele’s emotional 2017 Grammy speech, where she expressed discomfort in accepting Album of the Year for 25, feeling that Beyoncé’s Lemonade had been more deserving.
This pattern has raised concerns about how the Recording Academy recognizes Black artists, particularly when Beyoncé—despite her extensive Grammy wins—has never claimed the Album of the Year prize. Even Jay-Z addressed this paradox during the 2023 ceremony, remarking that while Beyoncé holds the record for most Grammy wins, she has never been awarded Album of the Year, calling into question the academy’s criteria for its top honor.
The upcoming Grammy competition underscores the academy’s historical preference for the singer-songwriter tradition, often associated with artists like Swift, over the more collaborative, genre-spanning work that Beyoncé produces. This difference may explain why only three Black women—Natalie Cole, Whitney Houston, and Lauryn Hill—have won Album of the Year in the Grammys’ six-decade history.
Adding to the complexity of this year’s race is the fact that Cowboy Carter is fundamentally a country album, with live instrumentation reminiscent of Swift’s early work on Fearless. Meanwhile, Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department blends the electronic style of Midnights with the folk-inspired elements of Folklore. Given its genre and adherence to traditional Grammy standards, Cowboy Carter is almost certain to secure a nomination, raising questions about how Beyoncé’s venture into country will be received in other categories—especially after her experience at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards, where her performance was met with mixed reactions.
As the 2025 Grammy nominations approach, the industry will be watching closely to see how Beyoncé’s complex relationship with Album of the Year plays out, as well as how these two cultural giants—Beyoncé and Taylor Swift—fare in their latest face-off.
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