Beyoncé graciously accepts the Innovator Award at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards

Beyoncé was honored with a prestigious award Innovator Award at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday night. During the momentous occasion, the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer took the stage to receive recognition from none apart from music legend Stevie Wonder.

Wonder shared kind words from the Houston native and her efforts as an innovator. “Now Beyoncé is changing music and culture once again,” Wonder said of her recent project. “And when he’s not changing music, he’s changing the world by fighting the good fight.”

Expressing her deep admiration for “Isn’t She Lovely,” the Beyoncé hitmaker said: “Whenever someone asks me if there’s anyone I could hearken to for the remainder of my life, it is usually you. God bless you.” She also revealed that Wonder contributed to her new album “by playing harmonica on her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”

The touching exchange continued, and Wonder reciprocated the sentiments, praising Beyoncé for uplifting positive change in the world. “I just want to thank you for motivating the world to become a better place,” he warmly shared.

During a moving award acceptance speech, Beyoncé spoke about her personal philosophy on innovation. “Tonight you called me an innovator and for that I am very grateful. Innovation starts with a dream, and the road to realizing that dream can be very bumpy. “Being an innovator is doing what everyone else thinks is impossible,” the 32-time Grammy winner shared with the audience. Dressed in an outfit reflecting her current country-inspired phase – complete with a fringed leather jumpsuit, a press release belt with a daring buckle, and a sleek black cowboy hat – Beyoncé highlighted the resilience required in the face of criticism. “Being an innovator often means being criticized, which often tests your mental strength. Being an innovator is about having faith and trusting that God will catch you and guide you,” she continued.

Expressing her gratitude, Beyoncé expressed her sincere appreciation to her team at Parkwood Entertainment, her husband Jay-Z, whom she called “my rock and best friend,” and her three children – 12-year-old Blue Ivy and six-year-old twins Sir and Rumi, who proceed to encourage and enrich her life.

She also thanked artistic innovators who’ve had a profound impact on her journey, paying tribute to Black stars comparable to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Tracy Chapman, Linda Martell, Prince, Andre 3000, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. She praised them for his or her unwavering commitment to their craft and praised them for “pursuing their dreams so that we can all follow them.”

The release of Beyoncé’s album on Friday, March 29 was a historic milestone, immediately becoming the most streamed album on Spotify in a single day in 2024. Additionally, it set a brand new first-day streams record for a rustic album by a female artist in the annals of Amazon Music.