Beyoncé and Taylor Swift will probably find themselves going head-to-head in one or more categories when the nominations for the 67th annual Grammy Awards are announced later this year. Beyoncé is a lock to be nominated for album of the year for March’s Cowboy Carter. Swift is also likely to be nominated in that category for The Tortured Poets Department, due April 19.
How can we be so sure? Both superstars have been nominated in the category with their three most recent solo studio albums of new material. Beyoncé was nominated with Beyoncé, Lemonade and Renaissance; Swift with Folklore, Evermore and Midnights.
The big difference, of course, is that Swift has won a record four times in the category, while Beyoncé has yet to emerge victorious. Bey is one of four artists to go 0-4 in album of the year as a lead artist, along with Sting, Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar. (Here, we discuss nine milestones Beyoncé could reach at next year’s Grammys.)
Swift and Beyoncé have gone up against each other in album of the year just once, when Swift’s Fearless beat Bey’s I Am…Sasha Fierce in 2010. But they have competed in other categories eight other times. Beyoncé has prevailed twice, so she’s actually ahead in their head-to-head match-ups. Neither artist won the six other times they directly competed.
Here are the nine times these powerhouse women have competed head-to-head at the Grammys over the years, with a reminder of who won. The years shown are the years of the Grammy ceremonies.
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Album of the Year (2010)
Beyoncé’s nod: I Am…Sasha Fierce
Taylor’s nod: Fearless
Winner: Fearless
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Record of the Year (2010)
Beyoncé’s nod: “Halo”
Taylor’s nod: “You Belong With Me”
Winner: Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody”
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Song of the Year (2010)
Beyoncé’s nod: “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (which she co-wrote with Thaddis Harrell, Terius Nash and Christopher Stewart)
Taylor’s nod: “You Belong With Me” (which she co-wrote with Liz Rose)
Winner: “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
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Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (2010)
Beyoncé’s nod: “Halo”
Taylor’s nod: “You Belong With Me”
Winner: “Halo”
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Best Pop Vocal Album (2020)
Beyoncé’s nod: The Lion King: The Gift
Taylor’s nod: Lover
Winner: Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
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Best Pop Solo Performance (2020)
Beyoncé’s nod: “Spirit”
Taylor’s nod: “You Need to Calm Down”
Winner: Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts”
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Song of the Year (2021)
Beyoncé’s nod: “Black Parade” (which she co-wrote with Denisia Andrews, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk and Rickie “Caso” Tice)
Taylor’s nod: “Cardigan” (which she co-wrote with Aaron Dessner)
Winner: H.E.R.’s “I Can’t Breathe” (which she co-wrote with D’Mile and Tiara Thomas)
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Song of the Year (2023)
Beyoncé’s nod: “Break My Soul” (which she co-wrote with Shawn Carter, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant and Christopher A. Stewart)
Taylor’s nod: “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)” (which she co-wrote with Liz Rose)
Winner: Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That”
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Best Song Written for Visual Media (2023)
Beyoncé’s nod: “Be Alive” (from King Richard) (which she co-wrote with Darius Scott Dixson)
Taylor’s nod: “Carolina” (from Where the Crawdads Sing)
Winner: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (from Encanto)