Dolly Parton Breaks Silence On Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Snub By CMA Awards

Although many believe the CMA Awards did not do justice by Beyoncé, Dolly Parton has an interesting take on the situation.

The “Jolene” hitmaker collaborated with Queen Bey on two songs in her record-breaking “Cowboy Carter” album, a project with multiple chart-topping songs. However, being famous isn’t enough to guarantee a nomination at the CMA Awards.

Dolly Parton doesn’t believe the award ceremony specifically excluded Beyoncé from their nominations. With her decades-long career in country music, the 78-year-old icon probably knows how the process works best.

During a recent interview, Parton shared her two cents on Beyoncé’s zero nominations at the 2024 CMA Awards. She did not believe the younger singer was snubbed, noting there were numerous talented country music singers.

“Well, you never know. There’s so many wonderful country artists that, I guess, probably the country music field, they probably thought, well, we can’t really leave out some of the ones that spend their whole life doing that,” Parton explained.

“But I didn’t even realize that until somebody asked me that question. But it was a wonderful album,” the country music icon continued, stressing that Beyoncé “can be very, very proud of [the album].”

“I think everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that was good. So I don’t think it was a matter of shutting out, like doing that on purpose,” Parton told Variety, adding:

“I think it was just more of what the country charts and the country artists were doing, that do that all the time, not just a specialty album.”

While reflecting on her projects with artists outside the country music genre, Parton expressed gratitude for working with Beyoncé and the rapper Post Malone.

She collaborated with Beyoncé on the tracks “Dolly P” and “Tyrant,” while the latter covered her hit “Jolene” for the album. Malone also released the country album “F-1 Trillion.”

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be on both those albums. Well, ‘Jolene’ was in Beyoncé’s, and I thought that was a great album. She’s a country girl in Texas and Louisiana, so she grew up with that base,” Parton said.

“It wasn’t like she just appeared out of nowhere. Post Malone has loved country music his whole life, and then I got to do the duet with him on his album, and I think it’s a fantastic album. I thought both those albums were great,” the music icon chimed.

While Parton did not believe Beyoncé got snubbed by the CMA Awards, fellow country music star Kelly Clarkson had a different reaction. She told NBC10 Boston earlier this month, “I kind of find it fascinating because I feel like those songs were everywhere.”

Following Beyoncé’s zero nominations at the 2024 CMA Awards, The Blast reported that social media erupted with comments from displeased fans. Many expected the singer to snag an Album of the Year nomination for her groundbreaking project and saw the snub as racist.

Lack of Black community representation theories went viral on X, with one fan comparing the difference in the treatment Beyoncé and Malone received as newcomers in the country scene. The individual posted:

“Both Beyoncé & Post Malone ventured into country music this year, and both earned #1 Country Songs (Beyoncé didn’t need a Morgan Wallen feature). Somehow, Post Malones song received 4 nominations at the CMAs while Beyoncé’s received 0.”

“Beyoncé still dominating the conversation around the CMAs despite them trying to exclude her,” another claimed. Black country music singer Shaboozey echoed similar sentiments, writing:

“That goes without saying. Thank you @Beyonce for opening a door for us, starting a conversation, and giving us one of the most innovative country albums of all time!”

According to the Country Music Association, the Album of the Year award is “judged on all aspects including, but not limited to, artist’s performance, musical background, engineering, packaging, design, art, layout and liner notes.”

The awards are also “determined by eligible voting CMA members comprised of professionals within the Country Music industry.” Their explanation did not make sense to the majority, as Beyoncé seemed to tick all the right boxes.

She became the first Black woman to snag the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with her “Cowboy Carter” project. An X user drew attention to this fact in their statement to the CMA Awards, writing:

“The CMAs have failed to recognize the first black woman to score a #1 album/song in country music HISTORY.”

Despite not being nominated at the 2024 CMA Awards, Beyoncé was recognized for her album at the People’s Choice Country Awards with 12 nominations. This achievement marked another milestone for Black women in music.

While Beyoncé wasn’t opportune to make history at the CMAs, a Black singer had claimed that spot decades ago. Tracy Chapman was the first Black woman to receive a CMA award 35 years after dropping her iconic hit “Fast Car.”

While Beyoncé may be disappointed by the CMA Awards snub, she remains the G.O.A.T with her record-breaking achievements.