For the British singer, this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony was a night of ups and downs. While she won all five Grammys for which she was nominated, including the top three honours for album, song and record, she later struggled during her George Michael tribute performance. Halfway trough her stripped-down, emotional version of George Michael’s “Fastlove” she asked to restart the song, apologizing to the audience.

But the most emotional moment for Adele came, when she accepted the Grammy’s top honour at the end of the ceremony. When she received the Album of the Year Award, she used her speech to praise Beyoncé and her album Lemonade.

The British songstress told the audience how “grateful, humbled and gracious” she was, but that for her, Beyoncé was the artist of her life, also calling Lemonade “monumental.”

“Five years ago, when I was last here, I was pregnant and I didn’t know and I was awarded that — I found out shortly after which was the biggest blessing of my life,” Adele said. “And in my pregnancy and through becoming a mother, I lost a lot of myself and I struggled, and I do still struggle being a mum, it’s very hard. Tonight winning this feels full circle and like a bit of me has come back to myself, but I can’t possibly accept this award. And I’m very humbled and I’m very grateful and gracious, but my artist of my life is Beyoncé and this album to me, the Lemonade album, was just so monumental, Beyoncé. It was so monumental and so well thought out and so beautiful and soul-baring and we all got to see another side to you that you don’t always let us see, and we appreciate that. And all us artists here adore you. You are our light!”

She added that Beyoncé makes her “black friends” feel empowered. “You make them stand up for themselves and I love you, I always have and I always will.”

Adele ended her speech by thanking her family and the Record Academy while Beyoncé was watching with tears in her eyes.

Watch Adele praising Lemonade below: