Pop megastar Beyoncé made Grammys history on Sunday, March 14, by becoming the most decorated singer at the music industry’s top awards gala, with 28 career wins. She secured the record after scooping best R&B performance honours for her hit Black Parade , a single celebrating black culture and activism that dropped in the wake of mass protests ignited by the death of George Floyd, a black man, in police custody in the summer of 2020. I wanted to uplift, encourage, celebrate all of the beautiful black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspire the whole world Beyoncé Overall, the 39-year-old – who initially rose to fame as part of the girl group Destiny’s Child before embarking on a wildly successful solo career – won four trophies on the night. “I am so honoured. I’m so excited,” said the singer, who made a surprise showing at an event she has skipped for the past several years, wearing a curve-hugging black leather Schiaparelli mini dress. Who are the 5 Hong Kong jewellery designers dressing Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift? “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,” Beyoncé said, with her rap mogul husband Jay-Z looking on. Critics praised Black Parade for Beyoncé’s strong vocals as well as its lyrics that simultaneously condemn racism, issue a call for activism and pay homage to black culture. Instagram에서 이 게시물 보기 Beyoncé(@beyonce)님의 공유 게시물 Proceeds from the song – which dropped on Juneteenth, a holiday on June 19 commemorating the end of slavery in the United States – benefit Beyoncé’s Black Business Impact Fund, which supports black-owned small businesses. “I wanted to uplift, encourage, celebrate all of the beautiful black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspire the whole world,” Beyoncé said. When Beyoncé got that OTT platinum phone from hubby Jay-Z But even as she rules over the Grammy record books, Beyoncé is also among the show’s most-snubbed artists – and on Sunday, she once again fell short of capturing an award in the major categories. She was nominated twice for record of the year – once alongside Megan Thee Stallion – and once in the song of the year category. Those awards went to last year’s top winner Billie Eilish and bluesy rocker H.E.R. respectively. Instead, Beyoncé secured the R&B performance award, along with two rap prizes for her collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion on a remix of Savage and best music video for Brown Skin Girl . What do K-pop’s BTS members and Beyoncé have in common? Before 2021, pop deity Beyoncé boasted 24 Grammy wins to her name – but notoriously lost album of the year in 2017 to British balladeer Adele despite releasing her landmark visual album “Lemonade”. The slight is often cited as an example of the Recording Academy’s diversity issues , and even Adele said Beyoncé deserved to win. It was hard not to see a parallel after Eilish won over both Queen Bey and Megan Thee Stallion – with the 19-year-old winner saying the rapper should have taken home the prize, just as Adele had done for Beyoncé. The megastar is the most nominated female artist in Grammys history with 79, tied with Paul McCartney as the second-most nominated act and only one behind Jay-Z and industry legend Quincy Jones. But she’s only triumphed in the top categories once: in 2010, she won song of the year for Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) . Billie Eilish to Lady Gaga: how celebs deal with mental health issues On Sunday, any controversies between her and the academy seemed more like fodder for fans than something Bey deigned to concern herself with. “It’s such a magical night, thank you so much,” Beyoncé said, adding her gratitude to her children – the eldest, Blue Ivy , won her first Grammy alongside her mom for her appearance in Brown Skin Girl . “I’m so honoured to be your mummy,” she said, before nodding to Jay-Z and adding: “I love you so much, my rock.” “History!” host Trevor Noah exclaimed as the night’s queen sashayed from the stage. “Give it up for Beyoncé. This is history right now!” Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter . This article originally appeared on Agence France-Presse.