Beyoncé Knowles-Carter spoke about the challenges of innovating and revealed another legendary "Cowboy Carter" collaborator during her acceptance speech for the iHeartRadio Innovator Award on Monday.

Legendary artist Stevie Wonder presented Beyoncé with the award, one of the night's top honors. Beyoncé thanked him for "making a way" for others and for playing harmonica on her re-recording of "Jolene."

"Whenever anyone asks me if there's anyone I could listen to for the rest of my life, it's always you," she said about Wonder.

He commended her for changing the way music was released with the surprise drop of her self-titled album in 2013 and for making history as the first African American woman to headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California.

"Now Beyoncé is once again changing music and culture, climbing in the saddle as a bona fide country music sensation with her latest masterpiece 'Cowboy Carter,' which may end up being the most talked about album this century," Wonder said.

Beyoncé attended the iHeartRadio Awards show at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on the heels of the release of her new album, which came out Friday.

More:Top artists rave about Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' at iHeartRadio Awards

"Being an innovator often means being criticized, which often will test your mental strength," she said in her acceptance speech. "My hope is that we're more open to the joy and liberation that comes from enjoying art with no preconceived notions."

She thanked Linda Martell (who she featured on "Cowboy Carter"), Tracy Chapman, Rosetta Tharpe, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Andre 3000, Tina Turner and Michael Jackson.

She wore an all-black ensemble, from her cowboy hat to her leather jacket to her towering heels. She was accompanied by her husband, Jay-Z.

The Innovator Award is given each year to one artist who continuously contributes to pop culture and the music industry, according to iHeartRadio. 

"Few artists in the course of history have taken creative risks, successfully transformed their music and influenced pop culture on the level that Beyoncé has," an iHeartRadio news release stated. "Throughout the years, the global cultural icon has created music that has topped the charts across multiple formats, while also architecting groundbreaking tours, including last year’s RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR — the highest-grossing tour in history for both an R&B artist and a Black female artist."

Ludacris hosted the awards show that aired on Fox and was also broadcast on iHeartMedia radio stations worldwide and the iHeartRadio app.

Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.

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