Luke Bryan has addressed criticism regarding his recent comments about Beyoncé’s country album not receiving any nominations at the Country Music Awards. During an appearance on Andy Cohen Live on SiriusXM, the 48-year-old musician expressed a desire for Beyoncé to “get in the family” of country music, which sparked some backlash.
In response to the controversy, Bryan took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify his remarks. He emphasized that he “wants everyone to win” and expressed his admiration for Beyoncé.
He wrote: “Hey y’all, I’m wrapping up the last night of my tour tonight and it’s been an amazing time. For that, I am thankful. I am posting tonight based on the ridiculous nature of the headlines I have read the last couple of days from my interview on the Andy Cohen show this week while promoting my album.”
To combat what he called a “false narrative,” Bryan added: “You will hear my tone and intentions which were not negative. I respect Beyoncé and I love how loyal her fans are. I spend a lot of time supporting other artists. I want everyone to win. Love y’all.”
With this statement, Bryan aims to clarify his intentions and reinforce his support for fellow artists in the music industry.
Beyonce also went winless amid 12 nominations at the People’s Choice Country Awards last week.
In a recent interview, Luke Bryan addressed the nuances surrounding Beyoncé’s country album and its snubbing at the Country Music Awards. He remarked, “It’s a tricky question because, obviously, Beyoncé made a country album and has a lot of fans out there that have her back. If she doesn’t get something they want, man, they come at you, as fans should do.”
Bryan, a father of two sons, Bo (16) and Tate (14), acknowledged that “a lot of great music is overlooked” during the nomination process. He expressed his support for artists venturing into country music, stating, “I’m all for everybody coming in and making country albums,” but also noted that entering a new genre does not automatically lead to critical acclaim. “Just because she made one… just ’cause I make one, I don’t get any nominations,” he said.
The country star suggested that Beyoncé might not have engaged enough with the country music community during her transition. “Everybody loved that Beyoncé made a country album—nobody’s mad about it—but where things get a little tricky is if you’re gonna make country albums, come into our world and be country with us a little bit,” he explained.
Bryan highlighted Beyoncé’s status as “probably the biggest star in music,” emphasizing her freedom to explore any genre she wishes. However, he also stressed the importance of connection within the country music community, adding, “Come to an award show and high-five us and have fun and get in the family too.”
Beyoncé’s relationship with the Country Music Awards has been complex. Prior to the recent nominations, her collaboration with The Chicks on the track “Daddy Lessons” in 2016 received mixed reactions, including some racist backlash.
In a reflective Instagram post on March 19, Beyoncé shared her personal connection to country music, stating that her album “was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t.” She added, “Because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive.”
This ongoing dialogue highlights the intricate relationship between artists, genres, and the cultural landscapes they navigate.
‘It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.’
Beyoncé’s father Mathew Knowles told TMZ on September 9 that the CMAs snubbing of his daughter’s record, released March 29, ‘speaks for itself.’
He added: ‘There’s more white people in America and unfortunately they don’t vote based on ability and achievements; it’s still sometimes a white and Black thing.’
Knowles noted that amid the ‘current state of American culture … there’s no accountability for people not being accepting of other cultures.’
Bryan spoke out about Beyoncé’s foray into country days before news broke that she has submit her album Cowboy Carter to the Grammy Awards in the country category, sources told The Hollywood Reporter Wednesday.
The Texas Hold ‘Em singer had previously submit her 2016 track Daddy Lessons from her hit album Lemonade for contention in country categories, but it was not nominated.
Beyoncé, who has won 32 Grammy Awards over 88 career nominations, has never received a country nomination. She showed her crossover appeal in 2017, when Lemonade was nominated for honors in four genres – rock, rap, R&B and pop.
The Recording Academy utilizes the services of around ‘350 volunteer music industry experts’ to lend their opinions on how content should be classified, THR reported, with complications coming at times when material is reflective of multiple genres.
Last year, industry experts were divided on how her album Renaissance would be classified, ultimately putting it in the dance category, where it emerged victorious.
Reactions to the forthcoming awards season submission from Beyoncé were divided from fans, as some thought the singer had made the year’s best country album, and some didn’t.
A user declared, ‘Queen Bey takes Nashville! Beyoncé for the country win!’ while another predicted, ‘Beyonce will be the winner mark my words.’
One user said, ‘Kinda need her to win this one off principle. Genre is about bending. Yes, it’s country… but it’s also a testament to the long line of inspiration that country has enveloped. It’s not about Beyoncé, it’s about rewarding artistry without boundary.’
Another said, ‘Great News! I’m so happy for her! Hope she brings home the win for this amazing album!’
One user predicted, ‘They’re going to snub her 100% this will be Beyoncé’s least Grammy award winning project if it wins any at all.’
People who didn’t feel the album belonged the honors included one person who said Cowboy Carter was ‘not a country album – it’s just cosplaying as one.’
Another said ‘Jay-Z buying them awards as usual,’ adding, ‘We all know he can’t buy the REAL CMA.’
Others were more skeptical about the record and its chances at Grammy gold
Dolly Parton last month came to the defense of the Country Music Association after it received flak for omitting Beyoncé as a nominee.
The 78-year-old music legend spoke with Variety in a September 17 interview published in which she was asked about the surprising development involving the superstar artist.
Parton said she thought that Cowboy Carter ‘was a wonderful album’ that Beyoncé ‘can be very, very proud of.’
‘Well, you never know,’ the Pittman Center, Tennessee-born icon told the outlet. ‘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.’
The Jolene artist continued, ‘But I didn’t even realize that until somebody asked me that question.’
The 9 to 5 singer added that she thinks ‘everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that, that was good;’ and that she didn’t feel Beyoncé was intentionally snubbed for her foray into the country genre.
‘I don’t think it was a matter of shutting out, like doing that on purpose,’ Parton said. ‘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.’
Parton continued, ‘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.’
The Islands in the Stream artist cited Beyoncé’s background, saying, ‘She’s a country girl in Texas and Louisiana, so she grew up with that base. It wasn’t like she just appeared out of nowhere.’
Parton said she was ‘open to anything’ in terms of a potential collaboration with Beyoncé.
The CMAs air on November 20, 2024 at 8/7c.
The Grammy Awards are set to be held Sunday, February 2, 2025 in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena and broadcast on CBS and streamed live on Paramount+. Nominations are slated to be announced November 8, 2024.
