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Beyoncé overlooked by CMAs despite hit *Texas Hold 'Em*, while Morgan Wallen dominates with four nominations. Winners revealed in November.
When the nominees for the awards were announced on Monday morning, the singer was conspicuously absent, receiving not a single nomination.
Many had anticipated that Beyoncé would receive recognition at the CMAs, with fans predicting that she might become the first Black woman to be considered for Album of the Year, for her record *Cowboy Carter*.
However, it was Morgan Wallen who ended up with the most nominations, just three years after being suspended by his record label for using a racial slur.
Wallen later apologized for his actions and eventually reunited with his label.
Last year, his double album *One Thing At A Time* dominated the US charts for 16 consecutive weeks, earning him a nomination for Album of the Year at the Country Music Awards (CMAs). This year, he has garnered four nominations as a featured artist on the hit song "I Had Some Help" by Post Malone, a pop artist who, like Beyoncé, has not traditionally been associated with the country music scene.
Shaboozey, who also appears on *Cowboy Carter*, earned two nominations: Best New Artist and Single of the Year for "A Bar Song (Tipsy)."
In April, Shaboozey's song replaced Beyoncé’s "Texas Hold 'Em" at the top of the US country charts, making him the first Black male artist to simultaneously top both the country chart and the Billboard Hot 100.
This marked the first occasion where two Black artists claimed the number one spot in consecutive order.
The Beyoncé Backlash and the Inspiration for *Cowboy Carter*
Earlier this year, Beyoncé suggested that her treatment during a previous CMA ceremony influenced her decision to create a country album.
In 2016, the star attended the CMAs to perform her song "Daddy Lessons" with The Chicks (then known as The Dixie Chicks). Their performance was met with a wave of criticism, including racial slurs, on social media.
Natalie Maines, lead singer of The Chicks, later told *The New York Times* that the way Beyoncé was treated following the performance was "appalling."
In a later Instagram post, Beyoncé shared that *Cowboy Carter* was “inspired by an experience I had years ago where I felt unwelcome,” which led her to "delve deeper into the history of country music."
Her album represents the second part of a trilogy that explores the origins of American music and highlights the often overlooked contributions of Black artists.
Billboard categorized *Cowboy Carter* as a country album for charting purposes, and its lead single "Texas Hold 'Em" spent ten weeks at the top of the country charts.
Beyoncé has also been nominated for 12 awards at the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards, the most for any artist.
The CMAs have not provided a statement regarding why her album was excluded, but their judging criteria for the Album of the Year award considers "all aspects, including but not limited to, the artist’s performance, musical background, engineering, packaging, design, art, layout, and liner notes."
According to a press release, the winners of the CMAs are chosen by "eligible voting CMA members, made up of professionals within the country music industry."
The artists who secured nominations for Album of the Year include Kacey Musgraves for *Deeper Well*, Luke Combs for *Fathers & Sons*, Chris Stapleton for *Higher*, Cody Johnson for *Leather*, and Jelly Roll for *Whitsitt Chapel*.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony taking place at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 20th.