With the upset of perhaps the entire 59th Annual Grammy Awards, Adele’s 25 took home Album of the Year award over Beyoncé’s Lemonade. It’s not so much that 25 was a bad album per se, but it was by no means Adele’s best record, and it was by no means on the same level—artistically, visually, or lyrically—as Beyoncé’s. And, of course, Adele isn’t at fault here. We blame The Recording Academy and The Recording Academy alone. Anyway, during her acceptance speech, Adele acknowledged the snub.
After tearfully taking the stage, the 25 singer made a point to dedicate her award to the Queen. “Tonight, winning this 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 humble and I’m very grateful and I’m very gracious, but the artist of my life is Beyoncé and the Lemonade album is just so monumental,” she declared to rousing applause. She continued, talking to a just-as-tearful Beyoncé now: “It was so monumental and so well thought out and so beautiful and soul bearing. And we all got to see another side to you that you don’t always let us see, and we appreciate that. All us artists here adore you, you are our light and the way that you make me and my friends feel, the way you make my black friends feel, is empowering. You make them stand up for themselves, and I love you, I always have, and I always will.”
And that, friends, is how true allegiance works.
