Photo-Illustration: Vulture. Photos: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images, Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images
Awards for Beyoncé? The CMAs said, hold ‘em. Cowboy Carter received zero nominations for the Country Music Association Awards this year. Granted, Bey herself has said that her latest release “ain’t a Country album,” but a “Beyoncé album.” Yet the 27-track project definitely made its mark on the country charts, and many fans were expecting it to at least be acknowledged at the awards ceremony. For the Beyhive, this snub also stings because Beyoncé has spoken about how Cowboy Carter was inspired by an experience where she “did not feel welcomed,” which has been widely interpreted as a reference to her controversial performance with the Chicks at the 2016 CMAs. Meanwhile, it’s not just fans who have been buzzing about the decision. From Kelly Clarkson to Shaboozey, here’s how celebs have reacted to the news so far.
Clarkson appeared to learn about Cowboy Carter’s lack of nominations during a September 12 on-camera interview with NBC10 Boston. “I kind of find it fascinating, because I feel like those songs were everywhere,” she said. Clarkson then reflected on her own attempts to break into the country music industry, noting that she was once told at a lunch that her country songs wouldn’t be played unless she quit other genres. “It just seemed like the door was closed unless I was all-in and had to leave every other genre behind, which I don’t think people like me, or even Beyoncé, are capable of doing,” she said. “It’s not even a desire or a want, it’s just like, we love dabbling. Why limit yourself?” Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they? Clarkson added that people who come to her concerts like to hear her perform multiple different genres, which she said she’s “sure” is also the case for fellow Texan Beyoncé and her fans. “I think the real win there is that you don’t even need the award,” she concluded. “You’re killing it, regardless.”
Shaboozey, who appears on the Cowboy Carter tracks “Spaghettii” and “Sweet Honey Buckiin,” is up for two awards at this year’s CMAs. After the nominations were announced, he praised his shut-out collaborator on social media, tweeting, “That goes without saying. Thank you @Beyonce for opening a door for us, starting a conversation, and giving us one of the most innovative country albums of all time!”
Multiple outlets later asked the “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer to directly comment on Beyoncé’s snub at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 11. “It’s definitely unfortunate,” he told E! News. “If that’s something that she was looking to receive and that’s something that she worked for, it really sucks.” Still, he added that connecting with listeners is what really matters, an opinion that he repeated throughout the night. “She’s so innovative and is always pouring her heart and soul into the music. I think that’s what really matters — just it being received by fans,” he told Access Hollywood. “Awards … we win, we lose, we get snubs, all those different things. But as long as you’re in the studio putting real intention and real heart into your music and love, you won already.”
During a September 10 episode of The View, Goldberg said she didn’t understand why people were “surprised” that Cowboy Carter didn’t get any CMA nods. “I don’t think she was snubbed, I think they just didn’t … it wasn’t for them,” Goldberg suggested. Co-host Sunny Hostin said she thought that Beyoncé would “at least” have gotten nominated for “Texas Hold ‘Em” and her Dolly Parton-approved take on “Jolene.” But Hostin also seemed to understand Goldberg’s perspective, reflecting, “This audience isn’t looking for her.” When co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin pointed out that Cowboy Carter’s chart performance indicates that listeners did like the album, Goldberg replied, “They’re not the voters. They’re not the voters.”
Executive Mathew Knowles told TMZ on September 9 that the CMA voters who chose not to nominate his daughter’s album are “showing it still comes down to white and black.” He offered his own explanation for Cowboy Carter’s snub: “There’s more white people in America, and unfortunately they don’t vote based on ability and achievements. It’s still sometimes a white and black thing.” Knowles clarified that he’s not calling the CMA voters racist, but said her snub “speaks for itself,” adding, “In America, there’s no accountability for people not being accepting of other cultures.”