Beyoncé won four Grammys on Sunday, raising her overall total to 28 wins. In doing so, she broke more than one record, and the reveal to the audience in the room and at home led to a newly relatable Beyoncé meme.
One of those wins, for best rap song with Megan Thee Stallion for “Savage,” placed Beyoncé at 27 wins, which tied her with Alison Krauss. During that particular awards speech, Beyoncé let Megan Thee Stallion do most of the talking with Beyoncé taking to the microphone at the end to thank her collaborator. But before they could leave the stage, host Trevor Noah stopped them for a brief second to mark what he revealed to be a historic occasion for the Grammys.
“We want everybody to know that right now Grammy history has been made because, with that award, Beyoncé has just tied the all-time record for most Grammy wins ever by a female artist and by any singer, male or female, so congratulations, Queen B! Beyoncé is tied at 27 Grammys, tied at 27 Grammys!”
What’s stuck with fans and viewers alike since Noah’s reveal is how Beyoncé reacted to it. When she was onstage with Megan Thee Stallion, Beyoncé was in good spirits and smiled as she watched her collaborator speak. Now, she looked a bit taken aback.
Was it because she wasn’t aware that she had just tied Krauss’ Grammy record before now? Was she uncomfortable about Noah making her Grammy win with Megan Thee Stallion all about her new record? Was she questioning why she was being held onstage? Was she speechless? No matter what she might have been thinking at the moment, the look on her face was about to spark a brand new meme.
Some leaned into the shock factor of Beyoncé finding out she held the record.
Others latched onto the idea that Beyoncé was entirely nonplussed about the idea of tying Krauss’ record.
But it also turned out to be relatable for all of us.
As much of a deal that Noah made of the achievement, her tie wouldn’t last long. Beyoncé would go on to win one more Grammy that night for best R&B performance, which broke Krauss’ record.
“I’ve been working my whole life since I was 9 years old, and I can’t believe this happened on such a magical night,” she said.
Beyoncé is now tied with famed artist and producer Quincy Jones, who also has 28 Grammy wins. Only late conductor Georg Solti surpasses Beyoncé’s Grammy total at 31.
H/T Newsweek