Every awards season, we complain about how various movie awards are structured, the weird rules, the implicit racism. But the Oscars and the critics’ awards are practically transparent compared to the Grammys and how the Recording Academy decides who gets nominated and who wins. There’s so much secrecy and BS. Well, as soon as Beyonce released Cowboy Carter, we knew it was Beyonce challenging the way country music is recognized and awarded. The Country Music Awards have already shown their ass by refusing to nominate Beyonce for anything. Will the Grammys double-down on the racism? Well, maybe not?
Queen Bey’s latest album, Cowboy Carter, will compete for best country album while Carpenter — whose pop star breakthrough came with the release of her sixth album this year — will appear on the ballot for best new artist, according to a source.
The Recording Academy held its screening committee meeting last week, where members determined the categories in which albums or songs will compete, as well as who qualified for best new artist, where Carpenter is the frontrunner along with Chappell Roan. Over the years, the Academy has updated the rules for best new artist to keep up with the ever-changing music industry, and in the past it has been criticized because it placed a song and album limit, disqualifying certain performers.
Other best new artist contenders include Shaboozey, Benson Boone, Teddy Swims and Megan Moroney. First-round Grammy voting begins Friday until Oct. 15. Nominations will be announced Nov. 8 and final voting is from Dec. 12, 2024, through Jan. 3, 2025. The live show will air on Feb. 2, 2025, from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Beyoncé’s submission to best country album comes seven years after the Academy’s country committee rejected her twangy song “Daddy Lessons” from 2016’s Lemonade. Last month, the 43-year-old singer was heavily snubbed at the CMA Awards, where she received zero nominations for Cowboy Carter and its No. 1 single “Texas Hold ‘Em.” She also lost in the 17 categories she was nominated for at last week’s People’s Choice Country Awards.
If Beyoncé — the most decorated artist in Grammy history — earns a best country album nod, it would be her first in the genre and she would become the rare artist who has scored nominations across multiple genres at the Grammys. At the 2017 show, she made history with Lemonade as the first artist to garner nods in the rock, rap, R&B and pop fields in the same year.
For whatever record, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter are not technically new artists. But whatever – they’re using that category to reward artists who have had a breakout year. BNA should go to Shaboozey anyway, which is why you know it will go to Chappell. As for Beyonce finally being included in the country music categories… I assume that she will get nominated once the ballots are tallied, but there will probably be backlash either way. Speaking of, Luke Bryan was asked this week about the CMAs snubbing Beyonce and Cowboy Carter. Luke said something kind of bizarre (he was really nervous, he knows about the Beyhive):
“Everybody loved that Beyoncé made a country album. Nobody’s mad about it. But where things get a little tricky … you know, if you’re gonna make country albums, come into our world and be country with us a little bit. Beyoncé can do exactly what she wants to. She’s probably the biggest star in music. But come to an awards show and high five us and have fun and get in the family, too. And I’m not saying she didn’t do that. But country music’s a lot about family and then there’s still… but it ain’t always family, too. We get pissed at each other, too.”
Beyonce literally made an excellent country song (Daddy Lessons) eight years ago and performed the song at the CMAs with the Dixie Chicks and country music fans made it clear that Beyonce isn’t welcome in their world and that she didn’t “belong” on stage at the CMAs. That’s the whole reason why Bey made Cowboy Carter – she was reclaiming space in country music. “Come to an awards show and high five us and have fun and get in the family, too…” Try inviting her. Ask her to perform “Texas Hold ‘Em” at the CMAs. Welcome her into your toxic bro-country club. Oh wait.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Beyonce’s social media.
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- The 2023 CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Tennessee, Red Carpet Arrivals.,Image: 910086946, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Luke Bryan, Credit line: Judy Eddy / Wenn / Avalon
Like Kaiser said. She did go to an awards show. She did more than high five. She sang a bad-ass song. And got treated terribly. The video of her performance was taken down. So what is this guy talking about?
Luke Bryan’s rewriting history. I predict that Beyonce will get nominated by the Grammy’s but she won’t win any awards.
“Come into our world and be country with us a little bit” DUDE one of the things Beyonce highlighted was that she and POC in America have always BEEN country. That this kind of gatekeeping is both insulting and pointless – why should she have to break in to your little world?
Not even Always been in country have been the ORIGIN of country music. JFC.
It’s truly stunning that no one wants to acknowledge this fact.
Yeah, he’s referring to White Country™️. He’s refusing to acknowledge Black people are not actually welcome in that space, especially Black women.
See also: his implication that Black people have to make the effort to make white people feel more comfortable with the existence of Black people.
I used to like Luke Bryan but he has really turned out to be a typical white ahole.
How to say R. A. C. I. S. M., without saying racism.
Shaboozey is not a new artist either though. The award should go yto Chappel as she has had the biggest breakthrough. Her rise this year is crazy!
Chappell really bungled her political messaging admittedly, but her album is fantastic, no skips. Honestly, so is Sabrina’s. Between Billie Eilish’s wonderful follow-up, great new music from Charli XCX, the release of the best album of Ariana Grande’s career, and Cowboy Carter, this really is the Year of the Pop Girl.
…And Luke Bryan is sniffing glue. They all but ran Beyonce outta town when she performed at the CMAs. Maybe work on your own sh!tty “family,” Luke. Country bros are awful and so misogynistic. I watched a really interesting YouTube video about all the crap Shania Twain and Faith Hill got in the 90s because they dared to deviate from what was considered “appropriate” country music by crossing over and incorporating pop elements into their songs.
I can’t even believe this is a conversation. That album is terrible, I can’t even listen to it. I said it.
And the whole theme dressing around it and no video so people can “visualize their own video” is straight up lazy Bey being lazy Bey. Pass me with this.
Come sit with me. I mean no disrespect towards Beyonce herself. She is immensely talented and rightfully considered iconic. But personally, I just could not get into Cowboy Carter. It felt like an actor doing an obvious “Oscar bait” movie. The way she was treated by the country music “family” was disgraceful, and I’m glad that it sparked a very necessary conversation about racism in that industry, but the album was simply not her best work, in my opinion.
One thing about Beyonce, she is NOT and has NEVER been lazy. She is one of the hardest-working women in the business. Music opinions are subjective so it doesn’t matter if you like the album but to call her lazy is just wrong. “The whole theme of dressing around it,” c’mon the woman is from Texas and if you look at Destiny Child’s outfits in the 90s they were country and western. Like Beyonce said…she’s been country.
I, on the other hand, love the album. It has been my most played all summer.
Luke doesn’t understand privilege and power. Even though she is the biggest music star in the world, the country audience is not having it.
I’m a former country music DJ. Country fans only like black artists who conform to their ideas. Either they go all in with the “black cowboy” motif, or they are the token part of a group of singers.
I don’t think we would even have Charlie Pride in this day and age
I bet they’d call Charley Pride “woke” and then boycott.
typical white dude response, doesn’t do 10 seconds of research. Then makes an absolute statement based on what he can’t see past his nose.
Beyonce got invited to CMA’s, sang her song with Dixie Chicks and the CMA crowd booed her, called her black b*tch. CMA’s didn’t even defend her. That is why she researched the country genre’s origin and created Cowboy Carter, one of my favorite Beyonce albums now. I am sure, they are gonna try to rewrite what they did to her, but Cowboy Carter immortalized that moment thankfully.
Chappell said, on one of her interviews, she hoped she wouldn’t get a Grammy. I don’t know how much this will affect her chances. Grammy voters usually expect some enthusiasm from the artist to get awarded. They don’t like artists who act cool about it. Otherwise, she should get BNA.
I love Kaiser. Spot on.
Also, Bey is from Houston, Texas, and grew up listening to country and blues. She is reclaiming a genre that was stolen from Black folks.
I’m of two minds about this — should Beyonce be nominated because she’s groundbreaking/switching genres or because the music is just better than others? Yeah, I know, it’s subjective. I don’t follow country music, but did indeed download and listen to B’s album and like it very much. Others here who follow country? Is B’s album that good compared to others nominated? Should she be nominated just because her country music is groundbreaking? I don’t know. BTW — I’m Latina and my race is not represented in country music, either!
As always, it’s expected of us Black people to make white folks comfortable.
Never the other way around.
That guy is setting off my gaydar. Is he out?
There are a million ways to be country and racist country musicians don’t get to decide who’s in or who’s out.
I listened to Luke Bryan pretty heavily years ago until I got bored of the dude bro country singers but will Apple Music let me forget? Nope! I’m now trying to rewire the algorithm now by listening to Beyoncé and on repeat.
This fool. There are over a dozen black country musicians who can’t get their music played on the radio. F off Luke, racists like yourself have made sure they don’t succeed. Beyoncé doesn’t need you at all.