Beyoncé is still not welcome at the Country Music Awards, whose nominations announcement on Monday caused a stir due to the absence of the album “Cowboy Carter” with the country tone claimed by the world queen of R’n’B and her hit “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
It’s come full circle: in 2016, “Queen Bey” was the victim of racism after performing her country song “Daddy Lessons” at the Country Music Association (CMA) awards, an experience that largely inspired the writing of “Cowboy Carter.”
“The criticism that came my way when I first got into (country music) forced me to push myself beyond my own limits,” she wrote on Instagram. The album, released in late March, “is the result of the challenges I set for myself and the time I took to bend and mix genres for this work.”
Born in Houston to a mother from Louisiana and a father from Alabama, Beyoncé, 43, became in late February, even before the album was released, the first black singer to have a song top the country charts.
She could have become the first black woman nominated in the best album category at the country music awards, which will be presented on November 20 in Nashville.
“That it was snubbed is hardly surprising,” wrote the New York Times, given the album’s scant country radio airplay.
“Those who want to hear his music and his message have listened to him. When it comes to the Country Music Association, the volume will never be loud enough to restore hearing to those who turn a deaf ear,” rages Rolling Stone magazine.
In addition to being a phenomenal success, the album reignited debates about the place of African-Americans in the history of country music, from which they had been largely ousted, the genre being rather associated with white and conservative musicians.
“Thank you Beyoncé for opening a door for us and starting the conversation, and giving us one of the most innovative country albums of all time,” African-American singer Shaboozey, who collaborated with Beyoncé on her album, wrote on X on Monday.
At the Country Music Awards, he was nominated for New Artist and Single of the Year for “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which had replaced “Texas Hold ‘Em” at number one on the charts.
Next up for Beyoncé is the announcement of the Grammy nominations on November 8, where she holds the record for most awards given to an artist, with 32. But she has never won the best album award.
mdz/aem
