Beyoncé made Grammys history thanks in-part to this Tallahassee native, Godby alum

The moment still hasn't sunk in.

Denisia "Blu June" Andrews was standing in the lobby of the Crypto.com Arena, helping someone find a seat. Her business partner and fellow song writer, Brittany "Chi" Coney, immediately called her from inside the star-studded 65th Annual Grammy Awards. Her voice was filled with excitement.

"She was like, "Oh my God. They're announcing our part,'" said Andrews, who then darted past security and ran inside.

Moments later, Beyoncé's smash hit song "Cuff It" was announced as winner in the "Best R&B Song" category. The crowd erupt in applause and deafening screams.

"At that point, I just lost it," said Andrews, in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. "I didn't even really get to see the moment. But I heard it, and so that was enough for me."

Cuff It songs makes Grammy history

That night ushered in music history.

Beyoncé now holds more Grammy Awards, with 32 to her name, than any other artist in history thanks to the feel-good song written by a team of songwriters that include Andrews, a Godby High School graduate, and Coney. Others with co-writing credits on the song are Morten Ristorp, Raphael Saadiq and The-Dream.

Andrews and Coney make up Nova Wav, a history maker in its own right by being the first Black female songwriting and production team in the music industry to do it on a major scale and win a Grammy.

As of Feb. 1, "Cuff It" was the best selling song on Beyoncé's Renaissance album.

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Social media was abuzz with support for Andrews after Beyoncé's historic win, including Tallahassee DJ Dap.

"Congratulations to Tallahassee's own Blu June of Nova Wav for winning the Recording Academy / GRAMMYs with Beyonce for Cuff It which she co-wrote & co-produced!!! Go Blu!!!!!!!!," his post said.

In addition to Beyoncé, Nova Wav has written and produced songs for Jay-Z, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Kirk Franklin and Kelly Clarkson, among others.

In an April 2022 article in the Tallahassee Democrat, Andrews said she still considers Tallahassee home.

“Leon/Gadsden County instilled in me the importance of family and camaraderie,” Andrews said. “It gave me that confidence to smile at strangers on a busy walkway in New York and the kindness to treat everyone I meet like a close cousin because of the community values I’ve carried with me from being reared in a small loving town.”

On Tuesday, Andrews said she was with her family on the historic night and was able to celebrate with Coney, her best friend, and Coney's family. That, too, meant the world to Andrews in that moment.

It was another reason to the thankful.

"It's just a feeling of gratitude and just knowing that our hard work paid off," Andrews said. "Hopefully this is one of many, but I'm just I'm just elated."

At the time of the interview, Andrews said she had not yet spoken to the Queen Bey herself just yet. But, she anticipated a conversation in the near future.

However, Beyoncé did give Andrews and Coney a shout out on her Instagram page that was seen by her 294 million followers.

Andrews said the mega star often finds ways to give thanks and appreciation for the talent of others, including sending the songwriting duo flowers for their contributions on the Renaissance album.

"It's just a small gesture for somebody of her caliber," Andrews said. "She doesn't have to do what she does, but she does and so and that's just another reason to love her like we do."

Contact Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Beyonce's "Cuff It" song written by Tallahassee native Blu June