(Los Angeles) Beyoncé is still not welcome at the Country Music Awards, whose nominations announcement Monday caused a stir due to the absence of the album Cowboy Carter to the country tone claimed by the world queen of R’n’B and her success Texas Hold’Em.
It’s coming full circle: in 2016, Beyoncé was the victim of racism after playing her country song Daddy Lessons at the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, an experience that largely inspired the writing of Cowboy Carter.
“The criticism that was aimed at me when I set foot in [la country] “forced me to push myself beyond my own limits,” she wrote on Instagram. The album, released in late March, “is the result of the challenges I set for myself and the time I took to twist and mix genres for this work.”
Born in Houston to a mother from Louisiana and a father from Alabama, Beyoncé, 43, became in late February, even before the album was released, the first black singer to have a song top the country charts.
She could have become the first black woman nominated in the best album category at the country music awards, which will be presented on November 20 in Nashville.
“The fact that she was snubbed is not really surprising,” writes the New York Timesgiven the little space given to the album by country radios.
“Those who want to hear his music and his message have listened to him. When it comes to the Country Music Association, the volume will never be loud enough to restore hearing to those who turn a deaf ear,” the magazine rages. Rolling Stones.
In addition to being a phenomenal success, the album reignited debates about the place of African-Americans in the history of country music, from which they had been largely ousted, the genre being rather associated with white and conservative musicians.
“Thank you Beyoncé for opening a door for us and starting the conversation, and for giving us one of the most innovative country albums of all time,” African-American singer Shaboozey, who collaborated with Beyoncé on her album, wrote on X on Monday.
At the Country Music Awards, he was nominated in the categories of new artist and single of the year for A Bar Song (Tipsy) who had replaced Texas Hold’Em at the top of the charts.
Next up for Beyoncé is the announcement of the Grammy nominations on November 8, where she holds the record for most awards given to an artist, with 32. But she has never won the best album award.