Cam Criticizes iHeartRadio Awards For Lack of Female Nominees

Among the three country categories for iHeartRadio's nominees – Country Song of the Year, Best [...]

By Gayle Thompson

Among the three country categories for iHeartRadio's nominees – Country Song of the Year, Best New Country Artist and Country Artist of the Year, only one female artist, Lauren Alaina, is nominated (for Best New Country Artist). The glaring omission of females among their list, ignoring artists like Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Carly Pearce and more, is one Cam is not willing to let go unnoticed.

"The majority of country listeners are female (actually true) but apparently we prefer listening male singers so we can 'dream about them being [our] boyfriend' (actually said to me)," Cam said, responding to a radio station's tweet asking who followers though would win the Artist of the Year award. "Sure hope #iHeartAwards picks the hottest one, cause that's all my lady-brain can understand!"

When a follower questioned why Cam inferred that radio assumed women were dumb, the "Diane" singer said it was because of the way the music industry has tried to explain why females don't get as much airplay as their male counterparts.

"I used that word bc only a dumb person buys music solely based on their sex drive," Cam said. "That's not the majority of listeners and isn't driving sales. I'm saying female consumers are being underestimated / incorrectly blamed for the lack of female artists."

Although the iHeartRadio Awards are based on results from the iHeartRadio chart, including listener feedback and performance data, the lack of females in yet another awards ceremony is part of a growing problem that will, hopefully, soon see the end.

"I feel like females are recording music that is so great — that is connecting with fans and fans are wanting to seek it out," Lindsay Ell recently told One Country. "When we look at the ratios of how many females are being played and how many females are being play-listed, it's not even. That's just a fact. However, I feel like it's a really good time for females. Right now, things are slowly starting to change and fans are wanting to hear more of it. I'm a believer. I'm all about this girl power moment."

Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Brett Young and Kane Brown are among the list of country nominees. The iHeartRadio Awards will occur on Sunday, March 11, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Photo Credit: Facebook/Cam

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