Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter snubbed by Country Music Awards
The star had previously said the album "was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed"
By Dale Fox
Beyoncé‘s foray into country music with her album Cowboy Carter has been met with a surprising snub from the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, despite achieving huge commercial success earlier this year.
The nominations for the 2024 CMA Awards, announced on Monday, didn’t include any recognition for Beyoncé’s album or its hit single ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’, which topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for 10 consecutive weeks.
Though Beyoncé herself had previously said the release “ain’t a country album,” Billboard classified it as such.
This omission comes as a shock to many, given that Cowboy Carter made history as the first album by a Black woman to reach No 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It also features country legends Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson.
Additionally, “Texas Hold ‘Em” became the first song by a Black woman to claim the top spot on both the country song chart and the all-genre Hot 100 chart.
“This album was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed” – Beyoncé
The snub has reignited discussions about diversity and inclusion in country music. Beyoncé had previously hinted that her experiences at the 2016 CMA Awards, where she performed ‘Daddy Lessons’ with The Chicks, inspired the creation of Cowboy Carter.
In a statement released before the album’s launch, Beyoncé said: “This album was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed… and it was very clear that I wasn’t.”
Despite Beyoncé’s absence from the nominations, her collaborator Shaboozey received nods for New Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’.
Shaboozey made history as the first Black male artist to simultaneously top the country chart and the Billboard Hot 100.
The CMA Awards, voted on by the 7,300 members of the Country Music Association trade group, will be held on 20 November in Nashville, Tennessee.