If you were watching the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in early 2025, you probably saw something that felt like a fever dream. Beyoncé, holding that golden megaphone for the night's biggest prize. Finally. For years, the running joke—or tragedy, depending on who you ask—was that the Recording Academy would give her everything except the big one. But with COWBOY CARTER, she finally broke the seal.
But here’s the thing. When people ask who has won album of the year, they aren't just looking for a single name. They’re looking for the pattern. The snubs. The weird years where a jazz musician nobody outside of New York had heard of beat out the biggest pop star on the planet.
Music is subjective, but the Grammys try to make it objective. It’s messy.
The Queen Finally Takes Her Crown
Let’s talk about that 2025 win because it changed the data. Before COWBOY CARTER, Beyoncé was the most decorated artist in history, yet she’d never won Album of the Year (AOTY). She’d lost to Adele. She’d lost to Harry Styles. In 2025, she was up against a literal wall of titans: Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, Billie Eilish’s HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, and the cultural hurricane that was Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
Honestly, most pundits thought Taylor would take it again. Or maybe Chappell, given how the Academy loves a "Best New Artist" breakout. Instead, the Academy pivoted. They recognized a sprawling, genre-defying country-folk epic. It wasn't just a win for Beyoncé; it was a corrective measure for a decade of "we're sorry" snubs.
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Taylor Swift and the Four-Timer Club
You can't discuss who has won album of the year without Taylor Swift. She is, quite literally, the statistical anomaly of the music industry. In 2024, she did what Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, and Paul Simon couldn't do. She won her fourth AOTY for Midnights.
- Fearless (2010): The "I'm a country-pop prodigy" era.
- 1989 (2016): The "I am now the CEO of Pop" era.
- Folklore (2021): The "I survived a pandemic in a cabin" era.
- Midnights (2024): The "I am an untouchable empire" era.
It's a bizarre record. Think about it. To win four times, you have to stay relevant across three different decades. Most artists have a shelf life of five years. Taylor’s had a shelf life of twenty.
The Heavy Hitters
Below Taylor, you’ve got the legends. Sinatra won three. Stevie Wonder won three (and notably won them in a massive hot streak in the 70s). Paul Simon has three. Then you get into the double-winners like Adele and U2.
Wait. Did you know only two artists have ever won AOTY in consecutive years? Frank Sinatra did it in '66 and '67. Stevie Wonder did it in '74 and '75. Even Taylor hasn't pulled off the back-to-back yet. It's the "Sophomore Slump" but for legends.
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The Great Genre Divide
If you look at the list of who has won album of the year, you’ll notice a massive, gaping hole where Hip-Hop should be. It’s kind of embarrassing for the Academy, honestly. In over 60 years, only two rap-focused albums have ever won the top prize.
- The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1999)
- Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by Outkast (2004)
That’s it. Kendrick Lamar hasn't won it. Kanye hasn't won it. Jay-Z hasn't won it. In 2025, Kendrick was nominated again for GNX, and while he swept the rap categories (and won Record of the Year for "Not Like Us"), he still hasn't touched the AOTY trophy. It’s one of the most contentious points in music journalism today.
The 2020s: A New Era of Winners
The current decade has been... unpredictable. We moved from the acoustic intimacy of the early 2020s to high-concept genre experiments.
- 2020: Billie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (She was 18. Eighteen!)
- 2022: Jon Batiste, We Are. This was the ultimate "who?" moment for the general public, but a huge win for jazz and soul purists.
- 2023: Harry Styles, Harry’s House. A win that launched a thousand "Beyoncé was robbed" think pieces.
- 2025: Beyoncé, COWBOY CARTER.
Why Do We Care Who Wins?
People love to say the Grammys don't matter. They say it’s just industry people patting themselves on the back. But then why do we argue about it for three weeks every February?
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It’s because the AOTY winner becomes a time capsule. When you look back at 1992 and see Natalie Cole’s Unforgettable... with Love, you understand what the "pre-grunge" industry valued. When you see Arcade Fire win for The Suburbs in 2011, you remember the exact moment "Indie" became the mainstream.
What to Look for Next
If you’re trying to keep track of the history or betting on the 2026 ceremony, pay attention to the "Producer" credits. Sometimes the artist wins, but the secret power is someone like Jack Antonoff or Serban Ghenea. Ghenea actually has five AOTY wins as an engineer. He’s won more than Taylor Swift.
The industry is shifting. We’re seeing more global influence—Bad Bunny and Burna Boy are knocking on the door. It’s only a matter of time before a non-English language album takes the whole thing.
Your Next Steps:
- Check the 2026 Nominees: Look for artists who have moved into "Legacy" status (like Lady Gaga or Billie Eilish) versus the new "Brat" summer energy of Charli XCX.
- Listen Beyond the Radio: Historically, the Academy rewards "musicianship" (think Jon Batiste or Jacob Collier) over raw streaming numbers.
- Watch the Producers: Follow Jack Antonoff’s upcoming projects. If he's on the credits, the album has a 50% better chance of a nomination.
The list of who has won album of the year is a living document. It’s not just a list of names; it’s a map of what we, as a culture, decided was worth saving for the future.