Beyoncé Snubbed by Country Music Awards Despite Hit Success

In a surprising turn of events, Beyoncé has been overlooked by the Country Music Awards (CMA) despite her smash hit “Texas Hold ‘Em” dominating the charts this year. When the nominations were announced on Monday, fans were shocked to see that the superstar did not receive a single nod, even as she had been widely expected to make history as the first Black woman nominated for Album of the Year with her country album Cowboy Carter.

The snub comes despite Beyoncé’s impressive achievements in the country music genre. “Texas Hold ‘Em” spent 10 weeks at the top of the country music chart, and Cowboy Carter was classified by Billboard as a country album, further cementing her crossover success.

In contrast, Morgan Wallen, who was previously suspended by his record label for using a racial slur, walked away with four nominations, including recognition as a featured artist on Post Malone’s hit song “I Had Some Help.” This marks Wallen’s return to the CMA spotlight, a move that has raised eyebrows given his past controversy.

Meanwhile, Shaboozey, featured on Beyoncé’s album, secured two nominations—Best New Artist and Single of the Year for “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which had dethroned “Texas Hold ‘Em” from the top of the US country charts. His success also marked a milestone as he became the first Black male artist to top both the country chart and the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.

Despite the CMA snub, Beyoncé received 12 nominations for the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards, the most of any artist this year. The CMA has not provided a reason for excluding Beyoncé from their nominations, but according to their criteria, the Album of the Year award is judged on a variety of factors, including the artist’s performance, musical background, and overall production quality.