Music fans have been voicing their upset since Beyoncé was completely snubbed at this year’s Country Music Awards.
The nominations for the 2024 CMAs were revealed on Monday afternoon, with the music icon’s latest album Cowboy Carter not landing a single nod, despite its critical and commercial success.
While the Formation singer has dabbled with country music in the past, Cowboy Carter represented her biggest step into the genre to date.
The woman herself dismissed the idea that Cowboy Carter is an outright “country album” (“it’s a Beyoncé album!” she insisted around its release), but there’s no denying it was heavily inspired by country music.
Cowboy Carter ended up making history when Beyoncé became the first Black woman to score a number one album on Billboard’s Country Music Charts.
Similarly, lead single Texas Hold ’Em – one of the album’s most obviously country-inspired tracks – was overlooked by the CMAs, despite topping Billboard’s country chart, as well as reaching number one in the mainstream singles chart on both sides of the Atlantic.
The album also featured guest appearances from some of the most influential country artists alive today including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Linda Martell.
Since this year’s CMAs contenders were revealed, people have been speaking out against the decision not to nominate Beyoncé, particularly as artists like Post Malone – not traditionally associated with country music – managed to secure nods at the upcoming awards show:
Meanwhile, US singer Shaboozey – who was featured on the Cowboy Carter cuts Spaghetii and Sweet Honey Buckiin – thanked Beyoncé after he secured two CMAs nominations of his own.
“That goes without saying. Thank you Beyonce for opening a door for us, starting a conversation, and giving us one of the most innovative country albums of all time!” he wrote on X.
Beyoncé previously performed with country music staples The Chicks at the 2016 CMAs, where they delivered a live version of Daddy Lessons, taken from her groundbreaking album Lemonade.
It was noted at the time that Bey received a hostile reception from some of the audience members, and although she didn’t mention it explicitly, the Grammy winner has claimed that Cowboy Carter 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”.
“Because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive,” she explained.
“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.”