Luke Bryan has weighed in on Beyoncé’s lack of nominations for the 2024 Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, the most prestigious award ceremony in country music.
The singer’s March album ‘Cowboy Carter’ qualified for a number of the awards, but missed out on any nominations despite it receiving critical acclaim and reaching Number One on the Billboard 200. It also made Beyoncé the first Black woman to hit Number One on the US country chart with the single ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ and the first Black woman to get a Number One country album in the US charts.
On Tuesday (October 1), SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen asked Bryan for his opinion on whether Beyoncé had been snubbed by the country music community.
He replied: “It’s a tricky question because, obviously, Beyoncé made a country album. And Beyoncé has a lot of fans out there that have her back. And if she doesn’t get something they want, man, they come at you as fans should do. Listen, I’m all for everybody coming in and making country albums and all that.”
Bryan explained that “a lot of great music is overlooked” by the awards, and that making a well-received country album won’t guarantee nominations: “Just because she made one… just ’cause I make one, I don’t get any nominations. Sometimes you don’t get nominated.”
He went on to say that while everyone “loved” that Beyoncé made a country album, she could have made more appearances at country music events while promoting it. “Like Beyoncé can do exactly what she wants to,” he said. “She’s probably the biggest star in music. But come to an award show and high-five us and have fun and get in the family, too.”
The songs on the album received limited airplay on country radio stations in the US, too, while one even refused to play songs from the album, whether listeners requested them or not. They did, however, overturn this decision after backlash.
Shaboozey, who worked with Beyoncé on the ‘Cowboy Carter’ track ‘Spaghetti’, was nominated himself, and thanked the former Destiny’s Child star for “opening a door” for Black country artists. He also called the album “one of the most innovative” country records of all time.
Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s father, Matthew Knowles, told TMZ: “There’s more white people in America and unfortunately they don’t vote based on ability and achievements, it’s still sometimes a white and black thing.”
He emphasised that he didn’t think the CMA voters were racist themselves, but said that Beyoncé being snubbed “speaks for itself”.
Other figures to weigh up on the debate included Dionne Warwick, who called the snub “absolutely ridiculous,” Dolly Parton, who said she didn’t think the snub was made “on purpose,” and Whoopi Goldberg, who said she thought the album “wasn’t for” the CMA.
‘Cowboy Carter’ was given a five-star review by NME, who said: “In the age of stan culture, sceptics will argue that objective criticism of Beyoncé can feel hard to come by. Those who don’t already love country may find some of ‘Cowboy Carter’’s balladeering sections to be a little long, or query whether an artist of Beyoncé’s stature is invoking certain ironies when she rallies her audience to “stand for something”, given her own relative quiet on recent political affairs.
“But even if interpreted only on the grounds of artistic spectacle, it’s an undeniable thrill to see her swing so big on a project that dares her to be so intimate and vocal-focused, while making way for country’s up-and-comers too.”
And for his part, Bryan is up for three nominations at the CMAs himself, while other nominees this year include Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton, Lainey Wilson, and Cody Johnson. The awards ceremony will take place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on November 20, and will be broadcast live on US network ABC.
