Beyoncé’s father, Mathew Knowles, believes that his daughter’s exclusion from the 2024 Country Music Awards nominations is due to racial bias. Here’s what went down:
- Despite her chart-topping country album, Beyoncé received no nominations.
- Mathew Knowles criticized the voting process, suggesting it’s racially biased.
- Knowles mentioned past incidents where Beyoncé faced a lack of acceptance in country music.
- Fans and other artists expressed their disappointment over the snub.
Beyoncé’s father, Mathew Knowles, is convinced his daughter’s complete lack of nominations for the 2024 Country Music Awards boils down to racial bias. Despite her chart-topping country album, ‘Cowboy Carter,’ Beyoncé was entirely ignored by the CMAs.
Speaking to TMZ, Knowles expressed his disappointment but not his surprise. He highlighted Beyoncé’s frosty reception when she performed with the Dixie Chicks at the 2016 CMAs. ‘The voters are showing it still comes down to white and Black,’ he noted. ‘Unfortunately, they don’t vote based on ability and achievements.’
Knowles also pointed out the lack of accountability in America for not accepting other cultures. His comments came right after the CMAs announced their nominees on September 9, where Beyoncé wasn’t mentioned in any category.
Meanwhile, artist Shaboozey, who gained popularity with appearances on Cowboy Carter, snagged a nomination for Single of the Year with his song ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy).’ This added salt to the wound for Beyoncé’s fans, who were already upset by the snub.
In response to the news, fans expressed their outrage on social media. Beyoncé Legion, a fan site, accused the CMAs of denying Black artists the recognition they deserve. They emphasized Beyoncé’s groundbreaking success with ‘Cowboy Carter’ and lamented her exclusion as a blatant oversight.
Beyoncé’s album ‘Cowboy Carter’ was a massive hit from its release in March. Billboard reported it as Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day in 2024, with over 200 million additional streams before its official launch. It also set records on Amazon Music, becoming the most-streamed country album by a female artist.
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart with 407,000 equivalent album units in its first week, making it the biggest sales week of 2024 at the time. Twenty-three of its 27 songs made it to the Billboard Hot 100 chart, adding to Beyoncé’s tally of over 100 entries—making her one of the few artists to achieve this milestone.
By May, ‘Cowboy Carter’ had surpassed a billion streams on Spotify, cementing its status as a record-breaking success.
The lack of CMA nominations for Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ raises questions about racial bias in the industry, despite the album’s undeniable success.
