The Country Music Awards nominations were announced Monday, and one superstar was noticeably absent from the list: Beyoncé. “Cowboy Carter” dropped in March and fans were disappointed by Monday’s snub and criticized the CMAs for excluding Beyoncé, who had said that she felt unwelcome in the country genre. Beyoncé shared on Instagram earlier this year that the album was “born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed.” Beyoncé said her experience motivated her to do a “deeper dive” into country music. “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” she wrote in her Instagram post.
Some fans were surprised that “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the lead single off of “Cowboy Carter,” was not given a nod. The song became the first by a Black female artist to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart after it was released in February.n“Cowboy Carter” has been considered a tribute to Black musicians’ contributions to country music. Many viewed the album as a reclamation of country, which has often been perceived as a genre for white men. Black artists hoped that the album would bring more attention and recognition to Black country music.