The 'Renaissance' artist attempted to keep a low profile but keen-eyed fans spotted her during Sunday night's award show.
Despite trying to keep a low profile during the 66th GRAMMY Awards on Sunday night, Beyoncé still managed to cause a commotion.
The most winningest GRAMMYs artist attended music's biggest night alongside her husband, JAY-Z, and their eldest daughter, Blue Ivy. The trio skipped the evening's red carpet and didn't arrive until well into the three-hour show, unobtrusively making their way to their seats in time for some of the night's most memorable moments.
Beyoncé managed to remain relatively unnoticed despite being dressed in a stunning cowboy-inspired look designed by Louis Vuttion from Pharrell Williams' latest menswear collection. The mother of three wore a sparkling black checkered jacket embellished in the house's signature damier pattern and skirt paired with a white button-up with turquoise buttons and a black leather bolo tie. She topped the look with a white Stetson cowboy hat covering her icy blond hair. Her dazzling drop diamond earrings and pointed black pumps completed the glam Western look.
It wasn't until Fantasia Barrino's show-stopping tribute to Tina Turner that fans even spotted the Renaissance artist in the crowd.
During Barrino's captivating, uplifting rendition of "Proud Mary," in which she strutted through the audience and singled out celebrities to dance with her during the song's break, keen-eyed fans noticed the wide-brimmed hat on Beyoncé's head bopping along as the singer danced and clapped along to Fantasia's performance, and zeroed in on her presence.
Fans' reaction to Beyoncé ranged from glee to her being among their favorites even though she wasn't nominated this year and laughter at her unsubtle outfit while attempting to stay under the radar.
"Girl why is Beyoncé hiding lmaoooooo," one user posted on X (formerly Twitter).
See more reactions to Beyoncé's surprise moment below.
Of course, that wasn't the only time that all eyes were on Beyoncé on Sunday night.
The "Break My Soul" singer was there to support her husband as he accepted this year's Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. After joking that the gold-plated phonograph trophy could serve as a "sippy cup" for his daughter ("But she has grown up now," he added), JAY-Z called out The Recording Academy for snubbing his wife several times.
The Brooklyn native zeroed in on The Recording Academy's big misses, particularly when it came to Black artists like DMX, whose snub in 1998 prompted JAY-Z to boycott the ceremony that year after the late rapper did not get nominated despite having two No. 1 albums that same year -- It's Dark and Hell Is Not and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood.
"We want you all to get it right," JAY-Z said. "We love y'all. We want you to get it right. At least get it close to right. And obviously it's subjective because it's music. And it's opinion-based."
Then he brought up his wife.
Though he never mentioned her name because he didn't want to "embarrass her," JAY-Z said it's a huge injustice that the most decorated artist ever -- with a record 32 GRAMMY wins -- has never won Album of the Year. And JAY-Z wanted to let The Recording Academy know about it with the world watching.
"I don't want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more GRAMMYs than anyone and never won Album of the Year," said the rapper in reference to Beyoncé, who watched from the crowd with a somber look on her face. "So, even by your own metrics that doesn't work. Think about that -- the most GRAMMYs, never won Album of the Year. That doesn't work."
JAY-Z, who has 24 GRAMMY wins and 88 nominations under his belt, then got a reaction from the crowd after saying, "Some of you are going to go home tonight and feel like you have been robbed. Some of you may get robbed. Some of you don't belong in the category."
He admitted, "No, no, no. When I get nervous I tell the truth," which elicited a nervous laugh.
In closing, the rapper -- who, along with his wife and daughter, left the ceremony before it ended, implored artists to strive for greater heights.
"We have to keep showing up. And forget the GRAMMYs for a second, just in life," he said. "As my daughter sits and stares at me, as nervous as I am, just in life, you have to keep showing up. Just keep showing up. Forget the GRAMMYs. You have to keep showing up until they give you all those accolades you feel you deserve. Until they call you chairman. Until they call you genius. Until they call you the greatest. You feel me? Thank you."
It's safe to say that JAY-Z's comments resounded with many viewers who expressed their agreement on social media. Many recalled that the repeated snubbing of Beyoncé has been so egregious that it promoted Adele to dedicate her Album of the Year win to Beyoncé's Lemonade in 2017.
"Tonight, winning this, kind of feels full circle and like a bit of me has come back to myself, but I can't possibly accept this award and I'm very humbled and I'm very grateful and gracious," an emotional Adele said in her speech at the time, before she went on to give due praise to Beyoncé.
"The artist of my life is Beyoncé and this album for me, the Lemonade album, is just so monumental," she continued. "It was so monumental and so well thought out and so beautiful and soul-baring, and we all got to see another side to you that you don't always let us see, and we so appreciate that."
"And all of us artists here adore you," Adele said to cheers and applause from the audience. "You are our light, and the way that you make me and my friends feel, the way that you make my Black friends feel is empowering, and you make them stand up for themselves. And I love you. I always have and I always will."
Beyoncé returned the love from her front-row seat, mouthing, "I love you, thank you. I love you," back to Adele, as tears streamed down her face.
Backstage, Adele explained why she spent so much time praising Beyonce and Lemonade. "My album of the year was Lemonade, so a piece of me did die inside, as a Beyoncé fan," she said.
"I felt like it was her time to win. What the f**k does she have to do to win Album of the Year?" she asked.
Fans echoed Adele's sentiments seven years later. See their thoughts on Beyoncé continuously being snubbed for Album of the Year below.
The 2024 GRAMMY Awards aired Sunday, Feb. 4, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET and was broadcast and streamed live on CBS and Paramount+ from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Follow along at ETonline.com for full coverage from music's biggest night, including performances, GRAMMY winners and more.
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