Beyonce being bypassed by the CMAs was inevitable based on her own evidence 

Some see it as a full-blown snub. Others reckon the Country Music Awards are just upholding their traditions, rules, and regulations. Whatever the real reason is, Beyonce has been omitted from the nominations for every single nomination across all the categories at the 2024 awards. That's despite her having top-selling country songs and an album to match this year.

Let's go back to earlier this year. The R&B and hip-hop singer turned up at the Grammy Awards in a cowboy hat to drop a huge hint about what was coming up. Next up for Beyonce was Super Bowl LVIII. She wasn't performing there but appeared in a Verizon commercial during the game, and used that to drop two new songs and announce a new countrystyle album. 

One of the two songs was “Texas Hold ‘Em”, distinctly country-based. It debuted at number one on Billboard's, making her the first Black woman to reach number one. The song also came in at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a huge hit worldwide. 

Cowboy Carter album released by Beyonce but is bypassed by CMAs

That heralded the release of her new album Cowboy Carter on March 29. It topped many mainstream, Country, and Americana charts in the US and worldwide. So it’s hard to initially doubt Beyonce’s credentials as an artist releasing top-selling country-style music. 

A lot of listeners thought so too. Beyonce received the highest number of nominations of any artist with 12 for the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards. We’ll see how successful she is there later this month when the winners are announced. 

So it is a bit of a surprise that she hasn't been nominated for any of those 12 CMA categories. Not a single one despite her significant country music success this year. Is it a snub though? That could be a risky stance by the CMA. Her album Cowboy Carter is believed to have been motivated by her very poor experience backstage at the 2016 CMAs, where she was said to feel most unwelcome and out of place as a performer there. 

Perhaps it is more about how the CMA sees her as an artist of country music. Many critics have praised her album but didn't see it as true country music. It was a variation of the genre. Beyonce’s fans loved the album but likely would have done so whatever style it adopted. The last word on the country or not debate might need to go to Queen Bey herself. 

When Cowboy Carter launched Beyonce explained the background and country music links on her Instagram account. But she clearly stated there  "This ain't a country album. This is a Beyoncé album." Well, I guess you don't get a CMA if it ain't a country album. She may have explained the CMA decision in her own words about the album. 

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