Beyoncé's attempt to break into country music with her Cowboy Carter project was met with indifference from the Country Music Association (CMA), as she failed to receive a single nomination for the 2024 CMA Awards. But is anyone really surprised?
Cowboy Carter may have seen commercial success, but Beyoncé was never truly part of the country music world. She crafted an album using her own audience, mixing country with pop influences, but the authenticity was always questionable. Sure, her reimagined version of “Blackbird” featuring rising country acts like Tanner Adell and Brittney Spencer made headlines, but the core of country music remained untouched by her flashy attempt.
The CMA voters didn’t buy it. Categories like "Album of the Year" or "Musical Event of the Year" may have seemed like opportunities for Cowboy Carter to sneak in, but Beyoncé isn’t a full-time country artist. Many fans see her exclusion as a reflection of this reality—country isn’t just a sound, it’s a culture, and she doesn’t represent that. In fact, Shaboozey, a Black country artist, was nominated, proving that the issue wasn’t about race but authenticity.
Moreover, Beyoncé's history with the CMA has been fraught. Her 2016 performance with The Chicks faced backlash from traditional country fans, some of whom didn’t feel she belonged. That tension may have continued into 2024, with voters preferring to honor artists who live and breathe the genre, like Morgan Wallen or Cody Johnson.
Ultimately, Beyoncé’s snub isn’t surprising—country music demands authenticity, and no amount of crossover success can mask the fact that she’s not country.
