Beyoncé has broken the record for the most Grammy wins of all time, with 32, after earning four awards from the Recording Academy in the 2023 proceedings.
The award that put her over the top was a win for best dance/electronic album for “Renaissance.” Beyoncé was on hand at the arena to accept this one, unlike earlier in the CBS telecast, when she was not yet on the premises for the win that had her achieving a tie, when “Cuff It” got best R&B song and earned her win number 31.
“I’m trying not to be too emotional and I’m trying to just receive this night,” she said, after breaking the record a little more than two hours into the main telecast. “I want to thank God for protecting me. … I’d like to thank my uncle Johnny, who’s not here, but he’s here in spirit.” She thanked her parents, husband and three children before concluding, “I’d like to thank the queer community for your love and for inventing this genre.”
Beyoncé’s record-breaking status will not completely mollify fans who think she should have won album of the year or record of the year by now; on Sunday night, those awards went to Harry Styles and Lizzo, respectively. Song of the year, which she has won just once in the past, when she was still a member of Destiny’s Child, went to Bonnie Raitt.
Before the 2023 Grammys, the record for most Grammy wins was held by the 31 claimed by classical music figure Georg Solti — a benchmark set all the way back in 1997 when he earned his final prize, for best opera recording.
Beyonce led the 2023 nominations with nine, putting her in a tie for all-time Grammy nominations with her husband, Jay-Z — 88 each. Beyoncé’s tally includes her pre-solo work as a member of Destiny’s Child. Coming into Sunday’s awards, she had won 28 Grammys, already making her the most awarded female artist in the awards’ history.
