Stars fume over ‘ridiculous’ Beyonce snub

Beyonce’s big pivot to country has just been brutally snubbed – and everyone from her collaborators to her own dad are speaking out.

Music superstar Beyonce hasn’t received a single nomination at this year’s Country Music Awards for her latest album Cowboy Carter – and fans and celebrity supporters are fuming.

Beyonce released Cowboy Carter to rave reviews in March, led by the chart-topping single Texas Hold ‘Em, one of the year’s biggest country hits.

The sprawling, 78-minute album featured country and western legends like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Linda Martell, and even included a cover of Parton’s country staple Jolene.

Despite all this, Beyonce failed to score a single nomination when this year’s CMA nominations were announced today.

Beyonce’s father Mathew Knowles led the chorus of those voicing their disappointment at the snub, telling TMZ that it shows “it still comes down to white and black.”

Cowboy Carter got rave reviews – but no CMA noms.

“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 told the outlet. He said that while he wasn’t labelling CMA voters racist, he said the snub “speaks for itself.”

Elsewhere, music legend Dionne Warwick called the snub “absolutely ridiculous” on social media, while Black country music artist Shaboozey struck a more conciliatory tone.

“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!” he tweeted. The Tipsy (A Bar Song) hitmaker features on two songs on Cowboy Carter, and picked up two CMA nominations for his own work: best new artist and single of the year.

While Beyonce has yet to comment on the snub, she has a chequered history with the Country Music Awards.

Back in 2016, she appeared at the ceremony with country music group The Chicks to duet on her own song Daddy Lessons from the album Lemonade. Beyonce’s very appearance on the CMAs stage led to a backlash from some quarters, something she appeared to address in an Instagram post earlier this year explaining her intentions on making a country album.

Beyonce with the Chicks at the 2016 CMAs. Picture: Rick Diamond/Getty

She told her fans that Cowboy Carter was “born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed,” explaining it had motivated her into doing 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 at the time.

Despite debuting at number one worldwide, Cowboy Carter has failed to find sustained success, likely due to Beyonce engaging in limited promotional opportunities for the album. She has released no music videos, given no interviews and delivered no live performances to support the project. Cowboy Carter currently sits at number 121 on the US Billboard album charts.

Originally published as Stars fume over ‘ridiculous’ Beyonce snub