Beyoncé made history at last night’s GRAMMY Awards, taking home four awards including Best Dance/Electronic Recording and Best Dance/Electronic Album, bringing her total wins to 32 with 88 nominations. That makes her the currently most-awarded artist in GRAMMY history.
Last night’s awards drew criticism (and applause, but mostly criticism) from the electronic dance music community for Beyoncé’s inclusion in the Dance/Electronic category, despite having never actively taken part in the culture over the years. Others nominated in the categories included Bonobo, Diplo, ODESZA, RÜFÜS DU SOL, and others, who have all been actively contributing to dance music culture for years or in some cases decades.
Only two years ago, Kaytranada became the first-ever black artist to win in the Dance/Electronic category, and Beyoncé’s win last night makes her the second. During Black History Month, the win is made even more meaningful for that community.
Plenty of artists weighed in on the results on Twitter, with responses ranging from the typical “the GRAMMYs are a joke” to pride, joy, and solidarity.