Beyoncé’s country album was a huge success this year. Despite this, she didn’t receive a nomination at the CMA Awards. Fans are angry.
This Monday (September 9), the Country Music Association announced the nominees for the 58th edition of the CMA Awards. Morgan Wallen (31) can look forward to seven nominations, Chris Stapleton (46) and Cody Johnson (37) both received five nominations, and Post Malone (29) and Lainey Wilson (32) each received four nominations. One name that celebrated great success with a country album in 2024 is missing from the list: Beyoncé (43).
“A loss for Nashville”
Beyoncé shook up the country world with “Cowboy Carter”, the US singer’s eighth studio album, released in March 2024, and the previously released single “Texas Hold ‘Em”. She is the first black artist to top the US country album charts since the first chart was recorded in January 1964.
The fact that her eighth number one album on the “Billboard 200” charts did not make it into the nomination list for the Country Music Association Awards caused a wave of critical comments on social media. “The CMAs have once again caved in to those in the industry who prefer to deny Black artists the recognition they deserve,” it says. “For example, Beyoncé was not nominated in a single category this year, despite achieving record-breaking success with ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ and ‘Cowboy Carter.'”
Another comment reads: “I am disappointed, to say the least, that Beyoncé did not receive a CMA nomination. The album is one of the best of any genre this year and is a work on a level that few contemporary albums reach. A loss for Nashville and country music.” At least the non-nomination comes as no surprise: “The CMAs are punishing Beyoncé for reprimanding them for her misconduct in 2016 when she performed with The Chicks. The CMA board members intentionally did not nominate her.”
After her single record, Beyoncé hinted on Instagram how the 2016 experience had had a lasting impact on her. “I’ve been working on this album for over five years. It came out of an experience I had years ago when I didn’t feel welcome… and it was very clear that I wasn’t,” the singer wrote. Although she didn’t say what it was exactly about, she could be referring to her performance at the Country Music Association Awards, after which there were many racist comments.
The experience made her delve deeper into the history of country music. “The criticism I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to overcome the limitations that were placed on me,” the musician explained, emphasizing: “I am honored to be the first Black woman to have a single reach number one on the Hot Country Songs chart. This would not have been possible without the overwhelming support of each and every one of you.” She hopes that in the future, mentioning the skin color of an artist will be “irrelevant when it comes to releasing music genres.”
The CMAs will take place on November 20th at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Beyoncé fans can only hope that the singer will be successful again at the next Grammy Awards and finally pick up a trophy in the “Album of the Year” category. The nominations for 2025 are now open, and the important music award will be presented on February 2nd.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
