Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' locked out of Country Music Awards - a predictable snub?
Despite becoming the first Black woman to score a Number One country album with ‘Cowboy Carter’ in the US charts earlier this year, Beyoncé has been snubbed at the Country Music Awards (CMAs).
Her country album failed to land a single nomination at the genre’s most prestigious awards, which has raised some eyebrows considering her single 'Texas Hold ’Em' also became the first by a Black woman to claim the top spot on Billboard’s country song chart.
Instead, multi-CMA winners Morgan Wallen, Cody Johnson, and Chris Stapleton got the most nominations ahead of the 20 November ceremony in Nashville.
Some of Beyoncé’s collaborators like Post Malone and Shaboozy also nabbed nominations, with the latter nominated for best new artist and single of the year with 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)'.
Shaboozey, who was featured on two tracks on ‘Cowboy Carter’, is the first Black male artist to top the country chart and the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.
He took to social media to thank Beyoncé for "opening a door for us, starting a conversation, and giving us one of the most innovative country albums of all time!"
Fans were obviously disappointed and shared their anger online:
There is no indication as to whether Beyoncé submitted her music for consideration, but the artist’s beef with the CMAs is a matter of record. She alluded to it when explaining the impetus for 'Cowboy Carter', stating earlier this year that the 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.”
This comment was interpreted as a nod to the 2016 CMAs, where her performance of the song ‘Daddy Lessons’ with the Chicks prompted boos and significant backlash.
“Because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive,” added Beyoncé at the time.
‘Cowboy Carter’ was an instant hit for Beyoncé, with many considering it a not only an homage but a reclamation of an overlooked legacy of Black Americans within country music and culture.
Despite its success, the songs ‘Texas Hold ’Em’ and ‘Jolene’ received little airplay on country radio. One country music station in the US, Oklahoma’s KYKC, even made headlines after it initially refused to play the song, which felt in line with Beyoncé’s comments on the unwelcoming CMAs and their practice of cultural gatekeeping which wishes to ensure that certain institutions remain exclusive – particularly to Black women. The radio station ended up adding Beyoncé’s songs to rotation after a huge online backlash.
The CMA nominees and winners are voted on each year by the 7,300 individuals in the Country Music Association trade group.
The winners of the CMAs will be announced on 20 November.
