Beyoncé was honoured with the Innovator Award at the 2024 iHeartRadio Awards on Monday night.
The Halo singer, who recently released her country album Cowboy Carter, accepted the prize from Stevie Wonder at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
She began her speech by thanking Stevie for "making a way for all of us" and for playing harmonica on her version of Dolly Parton's 1973 classic Jolene.
"I'm honoured 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. So thank you, God bless you," she said. "And thank you for playing the harmonica on Jolene."
Beyoncé also gave a shout-out to innovators such as Tracy Chapman, Prince, André 3000, Tina Turner and Michael Jackson for defying "any label placed upon them" and thanked her husband Jay-Z and their three children.
"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 seeing what everyone believes is impossible. Being an innovator often means being criticised, which often will test your mental strength. Being an innovator is leaning on faith and trusting that God will catch you and guide you."
The singer expressed her hope that record labels, radio stations and awards shows become "more open" to enjoying music without boundaries.
She concluded her speech, "I want to dedicate this award to all the innovators who have dedicated their lives and their art to creating shifts. So thank you for your sacrifices, your powerful voices and your dauntless spirits."
Elsewhere in the ceremony, Cher was honoured with the Icon Award and Green Day and TLC received the Landmark Awards. All three honourees performed on stage, with Cher joined by Jennifer Hudson and TLC joined by Latto.
In the competitive categories, Taylor Swift won several awards including Artist of the Year, Pop Artist of the Year, Tour of the Year, and Best Lyrics for Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version), among others. She accepted the prizes via a pre-recorded video message.
SZA was another big winner with four prizes, including Song of the Year for Kill Bill and three of the four R&B categories.
The 2024 iHeartRadio Awards, hosted by Ludacris, also featured performances by Justin Timberlake, Tate McRae, T-Pain, Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson.
Here are the main list of winners:
Song of the Year: Kill Bill – SZA
Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift
Duo/Group of the Year: OneRepublic
Best Collaboration: Calm Down - Rema & Selena Gomez
Pop Song of the Year: Flowers - Miley Cyrus
Pop Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift
Pop Album of the Year: GUTS – Olivia Rodrigo
Best New Artist (Pop): Jelly Roll
Country Song of the Year: Heart Like A Truck – Lainey Wilson
Country Artist of the Year: Morgan Wallen
Country Album of the Year: One Thing At A Time – Morgan Wallen
Best New Artist (Country): Jelly Roll
Hip-Hop Song of the Year: All My Life - Lil Durk ft. J. Cole
Hip-Hop Artist of the Year: Drake
Hip-Hop Album of the Year: Heroes & Villains – Metro Boomin
Best New Artist (Hip-Hop): Ice Spice
R&B Song of the Year: Snooze - SZA
R&B Artist of the Year: SZA
R&B Album of the Year: SOS – SZA
Best New Artist (R&B): Victoria Monét
Best African Music Artist: Burna Boy
Alternative Song of the Year: One More Time - Blink-182
Alternative Artist of the Year: Fall Out Boy
Alternative Album of the Year: The Record – boygenius
Best New Artist (Alt and Rock): Noah Kahan
Rock Song of the Year: Lost – Linkin Park
Rock Artist of the Year: Foo Fighters
Rock Album of the Year: 72 Seasons – Metallica
Dance Song of the Year: Strangers – Kenya Grace
Dance Artist of the Year: Tiësto
Latin Pop / Urban Song of the Year: Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53 - Shakira and Bizarrap
Latin Pop / Urban Artist of the Year: Karol G
Latin Pop / Urban Album of the Year: MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO – Karol G
Best New Artist (Latin Pop / Urban): Young Miko
K-pop Song of the Year: Cupid (Twin Version) - FIFTY FIFTY
K-pop Artist of the Year: Jung Kook
K-pop Album of the Year: 5 Star – Stray Kids
Best New Artist: NewJeans
Producer of the Year: Jack Antonoff
Best Lyrics: Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift
Best Music Video: Seven - Jung Kook ft. Latto
Best Fan Army: BTS Army
TikTok Bop of the Year: Cruel Summer - Taylor Swift
Innovator Award: Beyoncé
Icon Award: Cher
Landmark Awards: Green Day and TLC
