All hail Queen Bey, the new ruler of Grammys.
At Sunday night’s Grammy Awards (March 14), Beyoncé officially broke the record for most Grammy wins by a female artist, or by any singer, when she took home her 28th Grammy for best R&B performance for her song “Black Parade.”
Presented the award by legendary producers Babyface and Jimmy Jam, Beyoncé was immediately overwhelmed by the award.
“I am so honored, I am so excited. Thank you guys,” Beyoncé said, holding back tears. “As an artist, I believe it’s my job, and all of our jobs to reflect the times, and it’s been such a difficult time. So I wanted to uplift, encourage and celebrate all of the beautiful black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspire the whole world.”
The star spoke to how she’d been working “since 9 years old” to get to this moment, before acknowledging that her very own 9-year-old daughter Blue Ivy had taken home her first Grammy Award just a few hours beforehand.
“I know my daughter is watching — my two daughters and my son. Blue, congratulations!” she shouted from the stage. “She won a Grammy tonight! I’m so proud of you! And I’m so honored to be your mommy, all of your mommies, I’m so proud of y’all.”
The previous record for most Grammy wins had been held by country-bluegrass singer Alison Krauss, with 27 wins. Beyoncé is now tied with Quincy Jones as the second-most awarded person in Grammy history, with Hungarian conductor George Solti currently holding the record with 31 wins.