Beyoncé’s groundbreaking “Cowboy Carter” album was not nominated for the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards, according to the CMA’s nominations announcement on Monday.
“Cowboy Carter,” the second act of Beyoncé’s three-part project that began with 2022′s highly coveted “Renaissance,” left an impression on the music world when it was released on March 29. The 27-track genre-bending album, with country at its core, was a success, with Beyoncé becoming the first Black woman to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and leading her fans to wonder if the Houston-born legend would become the first Black woman to be nominated for Album of the Year at the 2024 CMA Awards.
However, the CMA had other plans. “Cowboy Carter” is not a nominee for the Album of the Year category, which includes Kacey Musgraves’ “Deeper Well,” Luke Combs’ “Fathers & Sons,” Chris Stapleton’s “Higher,” Cody Johnson’s “Leather” and Jelly Roll’s “Whitsitt Chapel.”
And none of the other categories feature a Queen Bey nomination. The CMA Awards will air on Nov. 20.
Prior to the release of “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé shared in an Instagram post how a past moment inspired her to create the album. Although she didn’t directly reveal what that was, fans quickly realized she was referring to her appearance at the 2016 CMA Awards, where she performed “Lemonade” track “Daddy’s Lessons” with the Chicks (then known as the Dixie Chicks).
“This album has been over five years in the making,” the “16 Carriages” singer said. “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. 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.”
While the superstar artist said that “Cowboy Carter” “ain’t a country album” but rather “a ‘Beyoncé’ album,” its country elements can’t be denied. The project had instrumentation and sounds common in the music genre, featured country legends like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, and paid homage to rodeo culture.
“Cowboy Carter” ended up hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as well as its Americana/Folk Albums and Top Album Sales charts. It also broke Spotify and Amazon Music streaming records.
Additionally, one of the album’s singles, “Texas Hold ’Em,” made Beyoncé the first Black woman to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The song also hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100.