Beyonce and her groundbreaking "Cowboy Carter" album earned a leading 11 nominations for the Grammy Awards, the music industry's showcase gala, where she will face off against Taylor Swift and a new class of pop hitmakers.

The nominations announced Friday by the Recording Academy make Beyonce the Grammys' most nominated artist — and reignite the conversation about genre and race sparked by her innovative album vaunting Black cowboy culture.

But the megastar — who despite her accolade-rich career still has never won the Grammy's most prestigious top album and record trophies — faces stiff competition from perennial contenders Swift and Billie Eilish, who scored six and seven chances at Grammy gold, respectively.