Why was Beyoncé's “Cowboy Carter” overlooked at the Country Music Awards? Experts speak out

Beyoncé fans may have been disappointed that her crossover album “Cowboy Carter” was left out of this year’s Country Music Association Awards nominations, but it probably wasn’t a surprise.

The pop icon has been open about feeling unwelcome in the genre. In 2016, she released the country ode “Daddy Lessons” and sang it at the CMA Awards that year alongside The Chicks. Her performance sparked a fierce reaction from fans of the genre, who complained that Beyoncé was not a country artist.

Many black artists besides Beyoncé have expressed how difficult it is to break into the country music industry because executives often target white consumers. But experts say Beyoncé's disregard owes more to the industry's longstanding neglect of black artists' contributions to country music.

Amanda Marie Martinez, a postdoctoral fellow in American studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, points to the centralization of the industry in Nashville, Tennessee. Artists there are expected to “do their due” by playing honky-tonk bars, attending writers' circles and showcasing their work around town to build a successful career in the genre.

“There's a real culture of deference where you're supposed to bow down to the gatekeepers and be in their good graces,” said Martinez, who researches anti-black attitudes in the country music industry.

In contrast, rapper Post Malone made his first foray into country music this year, opting for a more mainstream country sound, enlisting Nashville greats to support his project. His latest album, “F-1 Trillion,” includes 15 features with artists such as Morgan Wallen, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs and more. Malone, who was featured on “Cowboy Carter,” was nominated for four CMA Awards.

Beyoncé didn't do this and she didn't need to, Martinez said. As one of the biggest pop stars in the world, her career isn't dependent on Nashville or the Country Music Association, which hosts the CMA Awards. Although she produced a top country album and supported other emerging black artists in the genre, she didn't cater to the mainstream country music business.

“The country music industry continues to be absolutely dominated by radio exposure, and to even be considered for voting for a CMA Award, you have to have received a certain number of radio appearances,” Martinez said.

Neither Beyoncé nor the Country Music Association responded to a request for comment on the matter.

Country radio airplay is also dominated by white men, with women accounting for 11% of airplay in 2022, The 19th reported last year. Black female artists had almost no airplay on country radio from 2002 to 2020, The Tennessean reported in 2021.

“Texas Hold 'Em,” the first single from “Cowboy Carter,” reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. However, some country radio stations played the song and “16 Carriages” slowly when they were released, which Martinez said is a crucial part of the CMA Awards nomination process.

A song that hits No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart can qualify for Single of the Year at the CMA Awards, but according to the awards website, voters also consider the top songs on Billboard's Country Airplay chart and the Country Aircheck chart.

Emmett Price III, dean of African studies at Berklee College of Music, said he was not surprised by the rejection because Beyoncé is a “troublemaker.”

“Cowboy Carter” is considered a revival of country music because it highlights the contribution of black artists to the genre. Many had hoped it would bring more attention to black country musicians. Price said her album “challenges not only the historical and cultural roots of country and western, but also how we normalize certain cultural aspects of country culture.”

Like many black artists before her, Price said, Beyoncé has sparked a debate about who is allowed into the country genre. Despite her influences and Texas roots, many people still believe she is not country.

Price added that the CMA Awards reflect what the industry “believes to be the great representatives of the culture, of this field, of the genre.”

Country music has long been considered a genre that attracts a predominantly white audience. Martinez said that according to her study of country music marketing materials, the industry's target demographic includes “adults in their 20s to 40s who live in the suburbs, implicitly white [and] are socially conservative.”

For this reason, country music executives and radio programmers do not necessarily promote albums like “Cowboy Carter” because they believe their audience would not be interested in them.

The discussion surrounding “Cowboy Carter” has highlighted how much work still needs to be done to make the country music industry more inclusive. Martinez said the issue goes far beyond Beyoncé. There are many black artists in Nashville who have put in a lot of work to be recognized in the industry but continue to be overlooked, she said.

Shaboozey, who appeared on two songs from “Cowboy Carter,” and The War and Treaty were the only black country acts nominated for this year's CMA Awards. Shaboozey was nominated for New Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for his hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” The War and Treaty were nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year.

“With all the black artists out there right now, I hope for more representation and more inclusion, but I don’t see it,” Price said.

The CMA Awards' disregard has opened a dialogue about what the country music industry can do moving forward.

“Beyoncé will be fine,” Price said. “But what does that mean for the other artists, maybe black and brown or queer artists, who have been marginalized, who have been marginalized because they don't look like country, don't dance country, don't sound like country?”

“That’s the question, and I think we have to address it,” Price said.

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