Nearly six months after releasing her first ever country music album, “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé failed to receive any Country Music Association Award nomination on Sept. 6.
Since the snub, legendary country music artists have shared why they think Beyoncé’s highly acclaimed album didn’t receive any nominations.
Legendary singer-songwriter Luke Bryan is the latest of those country music artists to share his piece.
While a guest on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM radio show on Oct. 1, Bryan admitted that why Beyoncé was not nominated is a “tricky question.”
“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. And if she doesn’t get something they want, man, they come at you,” he told Cohen.
“I’m all for everybody coming in and making country albums and all that. But just by declaring that, just because she made (a country album),” said Bryan, “I don’t need (a nomination), just ’cause I make one.”
Bryan continued, telling Cohen that he didn’t believe she wasn’t nominated because people didn’t want to accept Beyoncé into the world of country music.
“Everybody loved that Beyoncé made a country album. Nobody’s mad about it,” he said. “But where things get a little tricky and, and you know — if you’re gonna make country albums, come into our world and be country with us a little bit,” he said.
“Beyoncé can do it exactly what she wants to. She’s probably the biggest star in music,” continued Bryan. “But come to an award show and high-five us, and have fun and get in the family too. And I’m not saying she didn’t do that.”
Now, after wrapping up his tour, Bryan is clarifying his comments, calling the headlines around his statements “clickbait.”
On his Instagram Story, Bryan wrote, “Hey y’all, I’m wrapping up the last night of my tour tonight and it’s been an amazing time. For that I am thankful.”
“I am posting tonight based on the ridiculous nature of the headlines I have read the last couple days from an interview on the Andy Cohen show I did this week when I was promoting my album,” he continued.
“I feel in my heart I could not let media create a false narrative. As I read thru the comments of some of you I just want to say that I encourage all of you to listen to the interview instead of reading clickbait headlines,” Bryan said.
“You will hear my tone and intentions which were not negative. I respect Beyonce and I love how loyal her fans are. I spend a lot of time supporting other artists. I want everyone to win. Love y’all.”
In September, fellow country music legend Dolly Parton shared similar sentiments after learning Beyoncé was not nominated.
“Well, you never know,” Parton admitted when it comes to nominations.
“There’s so many wonderful country artists,” she continued, “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.”
“Well, you never know,” Parton admitted in an interview with Variety when it comes to nominations.
“There’s so many wonderful country artists,” she continued, “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.”
It was a wonderful album she can be very, very proud of,” Parton said.
“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,” Parton continued telling Variety.
“I think it was just more of what the country charts and the country artists were doing, that do that all the time, not just a specialty album.”