After being shut out at the CMAs and winning Best Country Album at the Grammys, Cowboy Carter received zero nominations from the Academy of County Music Awards.
There’s another Cowboy Carter controversy brewing in the country music world today.
On Thursday, the nominations for the Academy of Country Music Awards, or ACMs, were revealed — and Beyoncé Knowles’ critically-acclaimed country album was nowhere to be found. That’s right, after she was shut out at the CMA Awards last year, it happened all over again.
Instead, artists up for multiple nominations included country music regulars like Cody Johnson (seven), Morgan Wallen (seven), Lainey Wilson (seven), Chris Stapleton (six), Riley Green (five), and Post Malone (five). Newcomer Ella Langley actually picked up the most nominations, nabbing eight total, including Female Artist of the Year, New Female Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year.
In an interview with Billboard after the noms were revealed, ACM CEO Damon Whiteside reacted to Beyoncé’s omission.
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“Were we hoping she’d be nominated? Absolutely. We love that Beyoncé is in the country genre,” he told the outlet. “That’s fantastic for all the country artists out there. It’s fantastic for the fans. The more successful she is, the more we’re bringing more mainstream people into the genre, which we want.”
He also speculated on why she didn’t receive any nominations, especially after doing so well at the Grammys — with Billboard pointing out that the Grammy voting pool includes people from all genres, while ACM voters are primarily in the country space.
“I think, more likely, they’re going to be voting for artists that they’ve got relationships with and work with on a regular basis and that are in the country music business 365,” he said, before adding, “We’d love to have Beyoncé on the show. She has an open invitation to be on the ACM stage anytime she ever wants to.”
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In addition to taking home the trophy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for her song “II Most Wanted,” with Miley Cyrus, Bey walked away with a Grammy for Best Country Album for Cowboy Carter and scored the Album of the Year award for her first country effort after multiple nominations, and close calls, in the category.
“I think sometimes I think genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists,” Beyoncé said during her acceptance speech last night. “I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about. To stay persistent.”
The ACMs air live May 8 on Prime Video.
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