Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' gets no 2024 CMA Award nominations

Beyoncé in a white cowboy hat and white tank top posing with her fingers pointing like a gun

Sept. 9, 2024 2:05 PM PT

Beyoncé, months after lamenting not “being country ‘nough” in “Cowboy Carter,” is getting the cold shoulder from the country music scene — again.

The Country Music Assn. shut out the pop superstar and her newest album from its class of 2024 CMA Awards nominees. Though billed as a “‘Beyoncé’ album” instead of a purely country music project, “Cowboy Carter” paid tribute to the singer’s Southern roots and featured the genre’s most iconic voices including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Linda Martell. It also showcased rising artists.

When the 2024 CMA Awards nominees list dropped Monday, it saw Morgan Wallen leading the pack with seven nominations, including for the top entertainer of the year and song of the year prizes. Behind Wallen, musicians Cody Johnson and Chris Stapleton followed with five nominations each.

Rapper and singer Post Malone, who worked with Beyoncé on the “Cowboy Carter” track “Levii’s Jeans,” earned four nominations, all for his single “I Had Some Help,” which features Wallen. Lainey Wilson, who was the most-nominated artist for the 2023 and 2022 ceremonies, was nominated for four categories, including entertainer of the year.

The CMA Awards nomination snub comes eight years after Beyoncé faced backlash from conservative country music fans for her performance of “Daddy Lessons” with the Chicks at the 2016 awards ceremony. Upon the release of her album, Beyoncé said 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.”

“Because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive,” the 43-year-old singer said in March.

She added at the time: “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me.”

The 58th CMA Awards will broadcast Nov. 20 on ABC.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Entertainer of the year

Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson

Single of the year

“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — Shaboozey
Producers: Sean Cook, Nevin Sastry
Mix engineer: Raul Lopez
“Dirt Cheap” — Cody Johnson
Producer: Trent Willmon
Mix Engineer: Jack Clarke
“I Had Some Help” — Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen)
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Mix engineer: Ryan Gore
“Watermelon Moonshine” — Lainey Wilson
Producer: Jay Joyce
Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
“White Horse” — Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton
Mix Engineer: Vance Powell

Album of the year

“Deeper Well” — Kacey Musgraves
Producers: Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Tashian
Mix engineers: Shawn Everett, Konrad Snyder
“Fathers & Sons” — Luke Combs
Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton
Mix engineer: Chip Matthews
“Higher” — Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton
Mix engineer: Vance Powell
“Leather” — Cody Johnson
Producer: Trent Willmon
Mix engineer: Jack Clarke
“Whitsitt Chapel” — Jelly Roll
Producers: Andrew Baylis, Brock Berryhill, Zach Crowell, Jesse Frasure, David Garcia, Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft, Austin Nivarel, David Ray Stevens
Mix engineers: Jeff Braun, Jim Cooley

Song of the year

“Burn It Down”
Songwriters: Hillary Lindsey, Parker McCollum, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose
“Dirt Cheap”
Songwriter: Josh Phillips
“I Had Some Help”
Songwriters: Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen, Chandler Paul Walters
“The Painter”
Songwriters: Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins
“White Horse”
Songwriters: Chris Stapleton, Dan Wilson

Female vocalist of the year

Kelsea Ballerini
Ashley McBryde
Megan Moroney
Kacey Musgraves
Lainey Wilson

Male vocalist of the year

Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen

Vocal group of the year

Lady A
Little Big Town
Old Dominion
The Red Clay Strays
Zac Brown Band

Vocal duo of the year

Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Maddie & Tae
The War and Treaty

Musical event of the year

“Cowboys Cry Too” — Kelsea Ballerini (with Noah Kahan)
Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Alysa Vanderheym
“I Had Some Help” – Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen)
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
“I Remember Everything” — Zach Bryan (ft. Kacey Musgraves)
Producer: Zach Bryan
“Man Made a Bar” — Morgan Wallen (feat. Eric Church)
Producer: Joey Moi
“you look like you love me” — Ella Langley (feat. Riley Green)
Producer: Will Bundy