Whoopi Goldberg defends Country Music Awards from Beyoncé snub backlash: “‘Cowboy Carter’ wasn’t for them”
Whoopi Goldberg has responded to Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ album being snubbed in the nominees for the 2024 Country Music Awards.
Earlier this week, Bey’s country album did not receive any industry nods from the CMA – the most prestigious award ceremony in the country music genre decided by the Country Music Association trade group.
This may be due to the limited promotion of the record in the country’s music sphere. While it took over mainstream charts earlier this year, country radio stations in the US gave it limited airplay.
Similarly, a country music station in Oklahoma made international headlines after it outright refused to play any songs from the tracklist, even upon listener request. Following huge backlash, however, it later overturned this decision (via The Guardian).
Responding to the snub, Goldberg said on The View: “A lot of people are surprised – I don’t know why – that it didn’t receive a single CMA Award nomination.
“I don’t think she was snubbed, I think they just didn’t… it wasn’t for them.”
‘Cowboy Carter’ was given a five-star review by NME, which read: “In the age of stan culture, sceptics will argue that objective criticism of Beyoncé can feel hard to come by. Those who don’t already love country may find some of ‘Cowboy Carter’s balladeering sections to be a little long, or query whether an artist of Beyoncé’s stature is invoking certain ironies when she rallies her audience to “stand for something”, given her own relative quiet on recent political affairs.
“But even if interpreted only on the grounds of artistic spectacle, it’s an undeniable thrill to see her swing so big on a project that dares her to be so intimate and vocal-focused, while making way for country’s up-and-comers too.”
The winners for the 2024 CMAs will be announced at a ceremony on November 20, and the event will be broadcast live on US network ABC.
The post Whoopi Goldberg defends Country Music Awards from Beyoncé snub backlash: “‘Cowboy Carter’ wasn’t for them” appeared first on NME.
Damian Jones
NME
