Luke Bryan Weighs in on Beyoncé’s CMAs Snub

Country music star Luke Bryan has shared his thoughts on Beyoncé‘s lack of nominations at the upcoming Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, despite the success of her album Cowboy Carter. The discussion has led to debates about inclusivity and recognition within the country music industry.

Bryan, who is set to co-host the 2024 CMA Awards, addressed the topic during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live. When prompted by Cohen to comment on Beyoncé’s absence from the nominations list, Bryan acknowledged the complexity of the situation, stating, via Variety, “It’s a tricky question because, obviously, Beyoncé made a country album, and Beyoncé has a lot of fans out there that have her back. If she doesn’t get something they want, man, they come at you — as fans should do.”

The country singer expressed his support for artists from other genres venturing into country music but suggested that simply releasing a country album doesn’t guarantee nominations. “I’m all for everybody coming in and making country albums and all that. But just by declaring that, just because she made one — just ’cause I make one, I don’t get any nominations,” Bryan explained.

Bryan emphasized the importance of becoming part of the country music community, saying, “If you’re gonna make country albums, come into our world and be country with us a little bit… She’s probably the biggest star in music. But come to an award show and high five us. And have fun and get in the family too.” He clarified that he wasn’t accusing Beyoncé of not doing this but stressed that “country music’s a lot about family.”

Bryan also noted, “I think the CMA, they have their voting body. And they vote what they think should make it. Everybody loved that Beyoncé made a country album. Nobody’s mad about it.”

The controversy surrounding Beyoncé’s CMA snub stems from the popularity of her album Cowboy Carter. The record made history as the first album by a Black woman to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. Additionally, the single “Texas Hold ‘Em” became the first by a Black woman to top both Billboard’s Country Song Chart and the Hot 100 chart.

Despite these achievements, Cowboy Carter and its singles received limited airplay on country radio stations. “Texas Hold ‘Em” peaked at No. 33 on the country airplay chart, which may have influenced the CMA voting process.

The discussion around Beyoncé’s foray into country music has also brought to light past incidents of exclusion. Prior to the release of Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé revealed that the album was inspired by an experience where she felt unwelcome in the country music scene. Many speculate this refers to the backlash she received after her performance of “Daddy Lessons” at the 2016 CMA Awards.

Beyoncé addressed this in an Instagram post, stating, “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.”

Other prominent figures in the country music world have also weighed in on the controversy. Dolly Parton, who was featured on Cowboy Carter, offered her perspective on Beyoncé’s lack of CMA nominations. “Well, you never know. There’s so many wonderful country artists that, I guess probably the country music field, they probably thought, well, we can’t really leave out some of the ones that spend their whole life doing that,” Parton told Variety.

Parton added, “It was a wonderful album. She can be very, very proud of, and I think everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that, that was good. So I don’t think it was a matter of shutting out, like doing that on purpose.”

However, not everyone shares this view. Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé’s father, expressed a more critical stance on the situation. In an interview with TMZ, he suggested that the CMA Awards voters are “showing it still comes down to white and Black,” adding, “There’s more white people in America and unfortunately, they don’t vote based on ability and achievements. It’s still sometimes a white and Black thing.”

Knowles further stated, “In America, there’s no accountability for people not being accepting of other cultures.” On Nov. 20, the country music world will likely pay close attention to the upcoming CMA Awards as it deals with these issues.