Luke Bryan is weighing in on the conversation surrounding Beyoncé's lack of CMA Award nominations for her Cowboy Carter album.
The country music star recently chatted with Andy Cohen on SiriusXM Andy Cohen livewhere the host asked him what he thought about Beyoncé's snub from the shortlist.
“It's a tricky question because, obviously, Beyoncé made a country album and Beyoncé has a lot of fans out there who support her. And if they don't get something they want, man, they come to you, like fans should,” Bryan said, referring to Beyoncé's loyal fan base, called the Beyhive.
While the “Play It Again” artist is “all for everyone who comes and makes country albums and all that,” he said that doesn't necessarily mean they'll automatically get nominated for their work, as sometimes ” a lot of great music” is overlooked.”
“Just because he made one…just because I make one, I don't get any nominations,” he added.
Having won two CMA entertainer of the year awards, as well as several nominations, Bryan had a theory as to why the Country Music Association voting body may have rejected the “Texas Hold 'Em” singer.
“Everyone loved the fact that Beyoncé made a country album. Nobody's mad about it,” Bryan explained. “But when things get a little hairy, if you're going to make country albums, come into our world and be country with us a little bit. As if Beyoncé can do exactly what she wants. He's probably the biggest star in music. But come to an awards show and high five, have fun and join the family too. And I'm not saying he didn't… but country music is a lot about family.
Ahead of the release of Cowboy Carter in March, Beyoncé wrote on Instagram that the album was “born out of an experience I had years ago where I didn't feel welcomed” into the country music genre, “and it was very clear that I wasn't.”
In 2016, Beyoncé faced negative criticism for her performance of her country-tinged song “Daddy Lessons” with The Chicks at the 50th Annual CMA Awards. While the singer received some applause, others in the country music space criticized her, and her performance was even scrubbed from the CMA's website.
He continued in his March statement: “But, through that experience, I took a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive. It's beautiful to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while at the same time amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives to educating about our musical history.”
“The criticism I faced when I started getting into this genre forced me to overcome the limitations that were imposed on me,” Beyoncé added. “act ii it is the result of challenging myself and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.