Beyoncé has been notably excluded from the Country Music Awards (CMAs) nominations, despite her significant contribution to the genre this year with the hit single “Texas Hold ‘Em” and the album Cowboy Carter. When the nominees were announced on Monday morning, Beyoncé’s name was absent from all categories, leaving many fans and industry observers surprised.
Beyoncé was anticipated to receive recognition, with speculation that she could become the first Black woman nominated for Album of the Year. However, it was Morgan Wallen who emerged as the top contender this year, receiving multiple nominations three years after his record label suspension for using a racial slur. Wallen has since apologized and reconciled with his label.
Wallen’s album One Thing At A Time dominated the US charts for 16 weeks last year and earned him a nomination for Album of the Year at the CMAs. This year, Wallen has received four nominations as a featured artist on “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone, a pop artist who, like Beyoncé, has not traditionally been associated with country music.
Shaboozey, who features on Cowboy Carter, secured two nominations: Best New Artist and Single of the Year for “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Shaboozey’s song replaced Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” at the top of the US country charts in April, making him the first Black male artist to achieve simultaneous number one spots on both the country and Billboard Hot 100 charts. This also marked the first instance of two Black artists consecutively holding the number one spot.
Beyoncé had previously hinted that her decision to create a country album was influenced by her experience at a prior CMA ceremony. In 2016, Beyoncé performed “Daddy Lessons” with The Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks), an appearance that faced significant online criticism and racism. Natalie Maines of The Chicks later described the treatment Beyoncé received as “disgusting.”
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Beyoncé reflected on how the negative experience influenced her creation of Cowboy Carter. She stated that the album was born out of a desire to delve deeper into the history of country music after feeling unwelcome. The album is part of a trilogy exploring American musical traditions and highlighting Black artists’ contributions.
Although Billboard classified Cowboy Carter as a country album and “Texas Hold ‘Em” spent 10 weeks at the top of the country music chart, Beyoncé’s work was overlooked by the CMAs. The CMA has not provided a comment on the omission. According to the CMA’s judging criteria, the Album of the Year award considers various aspects including the artist’s performance, musical background, engineering, and packaging, among others.
The nominees for Album of the Year are Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well, Luke Combs’ Fathers & Sons, Chris Stapleton’s Higher, Cody Johnson’s Leather, and Jelly Roll’s Whitsitt Chapel. The CMA winners will be announced at a ceremony at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on November 20.
Main Nominees for the 2024 Country Music Awards:
Entertainer of the Year:
- Luke Combs
- Jelly Roll
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
- Lainey Wilson
Single of the Year:
- “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Shaboozey
- “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson
- “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone (feat. Morgan Wallen)
- “Watermelon Moonshine” – Lainey Wilson
- “White Horse” – Chris Stapleton
Album of the Year:
- Deeper Well – Kacey Musgraves
- Fathers & Sons – Luke Combs
- Higher – Chris Stapleton
- Leather – Cody Johnson
- Whitsitt Chapel – Jelly Roll
Song of the Year:
- “Burn It Down” – Parker McCollum
- “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson
- “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone (feat. Morgan Wallen)
- “The Painter” – Cody Johnson
- “White Horse” – Chris Stapleton
Female Vocalist of the Year:
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Ashley McBryde
- Megan Moroney
- Kacey Musgraves
- Lainey Wilson
Male Vocalist of the Year:
- Luke Combs
- Jelly Roll
- Cody Johnson
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
Vocal Group of the Year:
- Lady A
- Little Big Town
- Old Dominion
- The Red Clay Strays
- Zac Brown Band
New Artist of the Year:
- Megan Moroney
- Shaboozey
- Nate Smith
- Mitchell Tenpenny
- Zach Top
- Bailey Zimmerman
