Despite the praise Beyoncé received amid her latest album Cowboy Carter and the history she made as the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and the Country Albums chart, the superstar was excluded from this year’s CMA Award nominations.
Even though attaining awards wasn’t Queen Bey’s goal, the CMA Awards’ ongoing indifference toward the megastar is hard not to notice. Country icon Billy Ray Cyrus spoke out via his Instagram account to share his take on the matter, Vibe reported.
“I’m so happy and proud to see country music opening their doors and format to be inclusive to all people, all styles,” he wrote. “@lilnasx and I won this award in 2019 for Event of the Year … but you wouldn’t have seen it because they didn’t air it in the show.”
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“I was surprised to see @beyonce wasn’t nominated??? Her album is brilliant … her single ruled. But she knows that. She doesn’t need a trophy from the CMA … or permission … or approval from any of their judges,” Cyrus added.
Fans are agreeing with Cyrus, who scored a country megahit with 1992’s “Achy Breaky Heart,” which also cracked the Top 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
“but real talk the cmas got a race problem besides Beyoncé and all that, user @DemiArie said.
but real talk the cmas got a race problem besides Beyoncé and all that
— DIVA (@DemiArie) November 22, 2024
“I patiently await the time when we create our own spaces to celebrate artistry. This is atrocious and not surprising, seeing as how the CMAs reacted when Beyoncé performed on a program of theirs years back. When they show you who they are …” user @scoobybyonthetwit commented.
I patiently await the time when we create our own spaces to celebrate artistry. This was atrocious and not surprising, seeing as how the CMAs reacted when Beyoncé performed on a program of theirs a few years back. When they show you who they are…
— The Ancient One (@scoobyonthetwit) November 21, 2024
Cowboy Carter marked Beyoncé’s first official dive into the country music genre, but fans will remember the backlash she received nearly a decade ago when she performed her song “Daddy Lessons” from her Lemonade era. In 2016, she took the CMA stage with The Chicks to perform the country-influenced tune. As a result, many country music fans boycotted the show, arguing she wasn’t country enough. Ironically, that same backlash is what inspired Cowboy Carter.
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“This album has been over five years in the making. It 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,” Beyoncè wrote upon announcing Cowboy Carter via Instagram. “But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”
She added, “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”
