Country music is always changing but there will also always be a core base of country music singers that stand out among the rest. These are more than just the singers that sell the most albums, they have country music in their blood. Now that Beyoncé has entered into the genre of country music, her fans have loyally followed along. She did well with her country music hit, Texas Hold ’em, but that didn’t help her at the Country Music Awards (CMA).
Despite the fact that she had one of the biggest country music songs of the year, she didn’t receive a single nomination. This caused many of her fans to be up in arms, claiming that she should have received recognition at the awards and looking forward to her being the first black woman to be nominated for Album of the Year, Her album, Cowboy Carter, was inspired due to the treatment she received at the 2016 CMA. She performed the song Daddy Lessons with The Chicks, and people were critical. Even though she didn’t receive any awards, her success in the country music genre is unmistakable. She was at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs for 10 weeks consecutively, making it the second longest song of the year to obtain that goal.
In addition, she was the first black woman to be at the top of the charts in country music as a solo artist. Despite all of that, she didn’t receive nominations for any categories at the CMA. Many of her friends, as well as media outlets, felt that she was being snubbed for her performance in 2016. Many have also said that just because she has a country music album does not mean that she is country. Beyoncé said: “[The album 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”. There were many other factors that caused a stir among her fans as well as others who felt that she was snubbed on purpose at the awards. It’s all water under the bridge now, but it will be interesting to see what happens in 2025.