Beyonce CMA's snub is 'delicate' in country music 'family'

This story has been updated because an earlier version contained an inaccuracy.

Luke Bryan gets fired up and weighs in on the controversy surrounding Beyoncé's CMA snub.

The “Country On” hitmaker told “Radio Andy” host Andy Cohen on Tuesday that it was “tricky” how the “Cowboy Carter” crooner didn't receive any nominations despite having one of the best-selling albums of the year, according to Billboard published.

“That's a tricky question because obviously Beyoncé made a country album and Beyoncé has a lot of fans that are behind her. And when she doesn't get something she wants, man, they come to you like fans should,” Bryan said.

Bryan will host this year's CMAs alongside former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, as the pair reprise their roles as co-hosts with the addition of rising superstar Lainey Wilson for the 2024 show on November 20.

Beyoncé's “Cowboy Carter” is a bit Country and much more: review

He added that he's “all for anybody who comes in and makes country albums and stuff,” before Cohen and Bryan both said that “a lot of great music” is “overlooked.” Bryan added, “Sometimes you don’t get nominated.”

“Everyone loved that Beyoncé did a country album. Nobody’s mad about it,” Bryan told Cohen. “But where it gets a little trickier… if you want to make country albums, come to our world and be a little country with us.”

He continued the conversation by telling Cohen that “Beyoncé can do exactly what she wants” because “she's probably the biggest star in music,” but he said she should “come to an awards show and tell us.” “High-five, have fun and join in with the family too.” Bryan said he wasn't saying she didn't do that, but added that country music is a lot about family.

In March, Beyoncé released her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter. The album is a departure from her previous albums, inspired by her family's roots in the South, including her childhood in Texas, and a fractured personal history with the country music industry that dates back to the 2016 CMA Awards.

“Cowboy Carter,” which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, was the first album by a black woman to ever top the chart. When the Country Music Association announced this year's nominees last month, Beyoncé received no nominations.

Beyoncé has had a complicated relationship with country music since her 2016 CMA performance

Beyoncé has a long history with the awards show itself. This year, in 2016, she received a frosty reception when she performed a rendition of her song “Daddy Lessons” with fellow country renegades The Chicks. After a commercial break during the show, the surprise guests suddenly sang without introduction and while some in the crowd jumped to their feet, other audience members seemed unimpressed. The internet was divided over Queen Bey's national coronation.

The performance marked Beyoncé's debut at the CMA Awards and the Dixie Chicks' first appearance on the show in a decade. She addressed the 2016 awards controversy in her “Cowboy Carter” album announcement on Instagram in March.

“This album has been in the works for five years. “It came from an experience I had years ago where I felt unwelcome… and it was very clear that I wasn't,” she wrote in a lengthy caption. “But because of this experience, I delved deeper into the history of country music and studied our rich music archive.”

She continued: “The criticism I faced when I first got into this genre forced me to overcome the limitations placed on me. Act II is the result of a self-challenge and the time I take to mix and mingle genres to create this body of work.” In the caption, the “16 Carriages” singer said that the album “not a country album” and called it a “Beyoncé album”. The album is part of their multi-album effort to reinterpret music history through a Black-led band lens.

Contributors: Dave Paulson and Cindy Watts, The Tennessean

Beyoncé has had a complicated relationship with country music since her 2016 CMA performance

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