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Beyoncé was honored for her impact on music and culture at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
On Monday (April 1), Beyoncé took the stage to receive the Innovator Award at the 12th annual iHeartRadio Music Awards, which were held at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Stevie Wonder presented the honor to Bey, recognizing the singer for her industry-changing work on her 2013 self-titled album, Beyoncé, Lemonade, Renaissance, and her most recent drop, Cowboy Carter.
Bey wore a black and gold western outfit complete with a cowboy hat and boots as an homage to her new album, which dropped on Friday (March 29). Stevie and Beyoncé shared a special moment on stage where she thanked him for playing the harmonica on Cowboy Carter's "Jolene," before she began her acceptance speech.
"Thank you to iHeartRadio. You called me an innovator and I'm grateful for that," Bey began her speech. "Innovation starts with a dream, but then you have to execute that dream and that road can be very bumpy. Being an innovator is seeing 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 are more open to the joy and liberation that comes from enjoying art with no preconceived notions," the singer continued.
The award winner went on to pay tribute to the innovators that came before her.
"Thank you to Rosetta Tharpe, Miss Tracy Chapman, Linda Martell, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Andre 3000, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, and so many more who defied any label placed upon them," she said.
Bey concluded her speech by thanking her family for their support.
Watch her full speech here.
If you missed any of the iconic moments from this year’s iHeartRadio Music Awards, or just want to relive them all, the show will be available to stream on Hulu the next day for 21 days.
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