Luke Bryan responds to Beyoncé's snub at the CMA Awards

Luke Bryan has commented on the polarizing discussion surrounding Beyoncé's cancellation of the CMA Awards for her chart-topping album Cowboy Carter.

Bryan, one of the co-hosts of the 2024 CMA Awards, was asked by Andy Cohen on SiriusXM's “Andy Cohen Live” to share his thoughts on Beyoncé's lack of awards at the upcoming ceremony. Her “Cowboy Carter” album and her “Texas Hold 'Em” single made historic progress on the Billboard charts, but had limited success at country radio (“Texas Hold 'Em” peaked at #33 on Country Airplay). charts).

Bryan said of Beyoncé's zero nominations: “That's a tricky question because obviously Beyoncé made a country album and Beyoncé has a lot of fans out there supporting her. “If she doesn't get something she wants, man, they come to you – like fans should.”

After Cohen emphasized the power of the BeyHive (as Beyoncé's fan base is known), Bryan said it was a “difficult” topic to broach.

He continued: “I don’t know how many albums (Beyoncé) has sold. You know, I know she had a song… Listen, I'm all for anybody coming in and making country albums and stuff. But just by explaining it, just because she did one….”

Although Bryan “encouraged everyone to come out and make country albums,” he concluded his thoughts by saying that he doesn't necessarily believe an artist would be nominated just for producing a country album, as sometimes there are “a lot of great ones.” Music is overlooked.”

“Just because she did one… just because I did one, I don’t get any nominations,” he said. “I think the CMA has its electoral body. And they vote on what they think should be included. Everyone loved that Beyoncé made a country album. Nobody is mad about it. But where it gets a little trickier… if you want to make country albums, come to our world and be a little country with us… She's probably the biggest star in music. But come to an awards show and give us a high five. And have fun and become part of the family too. And I'm not saying she didn't do that… But country music is a lot about family. We’re mad at each other too.”

Ahead of Cowboy Carter's arrival in March, Beyoncé revealed that the record came about after she had an experience where she “felt unwelcome.” She wrote on Instagram that the idea for the album — which includes collaborations with country acts like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Shaboozey and Linda Martell, to name a few — came about after she was involved in an unnamed incident. Many speculated that she was referring to her performance of “Daddy Lessons” at the Country Music Association Awards in 2016. At the time, there was criticism of her appearance on social media from many country fans, along with reports from industry leaders who were unhappy that a pop artist was given a prominent spot on the show.

“It came from an experience I had years ago where I felt unwelcome … and it was very clear that I wasn't,” she said. “But because of this experience, I delved deeper into the history of country music and studied our extensive music archive…The criticism I faced when I first entered the genre forced me to overcome the limitations placed on me . 'Act II' ('Cowboy Carter') is the result of my challenge and time blending genres to create this body of work.”