Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter locked out of Country Music Awards

Beyoncé has been snubbed by the Country Music Awards, despite having one of the biggest country hits of the year with Texas Hold ‘Em.

When the nominees for the ceremony were announced on Monday morning, the star was notably absent – with not a single nomination.

Beyoncé had widely been expected to gain recognition at the awards, with fans speculating she could become the first black woman to be shortlisted for album of the year, for Cowboy Carter.

Instead, Morgan Wallen walked away with the most nominations, three years after being suspended by his record label for using a racial slur.

The star later apologised and reunited with his record label.

Last year, his double album One Thing At A Time topped the US charts for 16 weeks and was nominated for album of the year at the Country Music Awards (CMAs).

This year, he picks up four nominations as a featured artist on the hit song I Had Some Help by Post Malone – a pop artist who, like Beyoncé, has not traditionally been part of the country establishment.

Shaboozey, who is featured on Cowboy Carter, also picks up two nominations – best new artist and single of the year, for A Bar Song (Tipsy).

That song replaced Beyoncé’s Texas Hold ‘Em at the top of the US country charts in April, making Shaboozey the first black male artist to top the country chart and the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.

It also marked the first time that two black artists had claimed the number one spot consecutively.

Earlier this year, Beyoncé hinted that her treatment at a previous CMA ceremony prompted her decision to make a country album.

In 2016, the star attended the CMAs to perform her song Daddy Lessons with The Chicks (then known as the Dixie Chicks). Their performance faced a barrage of criticism – and racism – online.

Natalie Maines, lead singer of The Chicks, later told the New York Times that the way Beyoncé was treated after the show was “disgusting.”

In her Instagram post, Beyoncé said Cowboy Carter was “born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcome” that prompted her to take “a deeper dive into the history of country”.

Her album is the second part of a trilogy that interrogates the roots of American musical traditions and uncovers the often unheralded contributions made by black artists.

Billboard classified Cowboy Carter as a country album for chart purposes, and the single Texas Hold ‘Em spent 10 weeks at the top of the country music chart.

Beyoncé also received 12 nominations for the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards – more than any other artist.

The CMA has not commented on their reasons for overlooking her album, but according to their judging criteria, the album of the year prize is “judged on all aspects including, but not limited to, artist’s performance, musical background, engineering, packaging, design, art, layout and liner notes”.

The awards are “determined by eligible voting CMA members comprised of professionals within the country music industry,” according to a press release.

The artists who did make the grade for the album of the year shortlist were Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well, Luke Combs’ Fathers & Sons, Chris Stapleton’s Higher, Cody Johnson’s Leather and Jelly Roll’s Whitsitt Chapel.

The winners will be revealed at a ceremony at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, 20 November.

The main nominees include:

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