Dolly Parton Offers Different Take on Why CMA Awards Didn’t Nominate Beyoncé

With stars like Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson top names in country music, the industry watched as Post Malone and Beyoncé decided to dip their toes in the rich history of the genre. Back in March, Beyoncé released her newest album, Cowboy Carter. Her debut country album, the record included numerous hit songs and more than a few collaborations. The album seemed like a success as it dominated the airwaves. Not to mention, Beyoncé received high praise. But when it came to the CMAs, she received no nominations. With many considering her snubbed, Dolly Parton offered a different take on the situation. 

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When promoting Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé explained her past with country music. “It 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. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive…” Although Cowboy Carter was considered country, Beyoncé insisted, “This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.”

[RELATED: 5 Beautiful Songs You Didn’t Know Were Written by Dolly Parton]

Dolly Parton Believed Country Music Offered A Warm Welcome To Beyoncé

Sitting down with Variety, Dolly Parton decided to give her take on the reason the CMAs might have snubbed Beyoncé. Instead of placing the blame on either party, the country legend said, “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.”

Dolly was right when it came to the influx of country artists taking over the genre. Over the last few years, country music watched as it was ushered into a new era. And for the welcome Beyoncé received when she released Cowboy Carter, Dolly explained, “I think everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that, that was good. So I don’t think it was a matter of shutting out, like doing that on purpose. 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.”

(Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage)

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