Watch Beyoncé Accept the Innovator Award at 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards

On
Monday
night
(April
1),

Beyoncé
took
the
stage
at
Los
Angeles’
Dolby
Theatre
to
accept
the
Innovator
Award
at
the
2024
iHeartRadio
Music
Awards,
mere
days
after
releasing
her
new
album


Cowboy
Carter.
The
pop
star
accepted
the
trophy
from
Stevie
Wonder,
who
she
thanked
for
playing
harmonica
on
“Jolene,”
and
dedicated
the
award
to
her
innovators:
Sister
Rosetta
Tharpe,
Tracy
Chapman,
Linda
Martell,
Prince,
Stevie
Wonder,
André
3000,
Tina
Turner,
and
Michael
Jackson.
Watch
a
replay
of
the
moment
below.

“I
love
you
and
I
honor
you,”
Beyoncé
said
to
Wonder
during
her
speech.
“I
want
to
thank
you
for
making
a
way
for
all
of
us.
I’m
honored
to
receive
this
recognition
from
you,
Stevie
Wonder.
Whenever
anyone
asks
me
if
there’s
anyone
I
can
listen
to
for
the
rest
of
my
life,
it’s
always
you.”

“Innovation
starts
with
a
dream,
but
then
you
have
to
execute
that
dream
and
that
road
can
be
very
bumpy,”
she
continued.
“Being
an
innovator
is
saying
what
everyone
believes
is
impossible.
Being
an
innovator
often
means
being
criticized,
which
often
will
test
your
mental
strength.
Being
an
innovator
is
leaning
on
faith
and
trusting
that
God
will
catch
you
and
guide
you.
So,
to
all
the
record
labels,
every
radio
station,
every
award
show,
my
hope
is
that
we’re
more
open
to
the
joy
and
liberation
that
comes
from
enjoying
art,
with
no
preconceived
notions.”

Over
its
27-song
tracklist,

Cowboy
Carter
includes
covers
of
Dolly
Parton’s
“Jolene”
and
the
Beatles’
“Blackbird,”
as
well
as
collaborations
with
Parton
herself,
Willie
Nelson,
Miley
Cyrus,
Post
Malone,
Shaboozey,
Linda
Martell,
Willie
Jones,
Tanner
Adell,
Brittney
Spencer,
Tiera
Kennedy,
Reyna
Roberts,
and
Beyoncé’s
own
child
Rumi
Carter.
Though
the
album
title
and
its
lead
singles
“16
Carriages”
and
“Texas
Hold
’Em”
suggested
it
was
a
country
album,
Beyoncé
has
gone
on
the
record
to
correct
that,
saying,
“This
ain’t
a
Country
album.
This
is
a
‘Beyoncé’
album.”

“This
album
took
over
five
years,”
Beyoncé
said
in
a
press
release.
“It’s
been
really
great
to
have
the
time
and
the
grace
to
be
able
to
take
my
time
with
it.
I
was
initially
going
to
put

Cowboy
Carter
out
first,
but
with
the
pandemic,
there
was
too
much
heaviness
in
the
world.
We
wanted
to
dance.
We
deserved
to
dance.
But
I
had
to
trust
God’s
timing.”

Cowboy
Carter,
which
was
originally
announced
as


Act
II,
follows
2022’s


Renaissance.
“Texas
Hold
’Em”
hit

No.
1
on
Billboard’s
Hot
Country
Songs chart,
making
Beyoncé
the
first
Black
woman
to
do
so.
The
song
also
topped
the

Billboard
Hot
100,
becoming
Beyoncé’s
ninth
track
to
do
so
and
first
since
“Break
My
Soul.”