Beyoncé’s father Mathew Knowles has expressed disappointment that his daughter was left out of the 2024 Country Music Awards nominations, despite her successful country album.
He believes the lack of recognition stems from racism.
In a recent chat with TMZ, Knowles shared her thoughts on the “Crazy In Love” hitmaker’s journey to becoming an artist.
The family matriarch points out that Beyoncé’s past experiences, like her performance with the Dixie Chicks at the 2016 CMAs, where she didn’t receive a warm welcome, could explain why she doesn’t always get the recognition she deserves.
He also expressed disappointment that Beyoncé did not receive an apology for the incident.
“The voters show that the problem is still white and black,” Matthew said.
“There are more white people in America, and unfortunately they don’t vote based on ability and merit, which is still sometimes a white and black issue.”
“In America, people are not held responsible for not accepting other cultures,” he added.
On September 9, the Country Music Awards nominations were announced, notably not including Beyoncé.
Shaboozey Reacts to Beyoncé Not Getting a CMA Nomination for ‘Cowboy Carter’:
“Thank you Beyoncé for opening the door for us, starting a conversation, and giving us one of the most innovative country albums of all time!” pic.twitter.com/kcTPAPVp05
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 9, 2024
READ MORE: Beyhive shocked as Country Music Awards ignore Beyoncé with zero nominations for record-breaking country album
According to Billboard, “Cowboy Carter” became the most-streamed album on Spotify in a single day in 2024.
Beyoncé (not nominated for a CMA) STILL gets mentioned more than the nominees, she’s more famous than them. photo.twitter.com/5heJa2qndS
— II HANDS II GISSCARTER 🙌🏾 (@gisscarter) September 9, 2024
“Cowboy Carter has her biggest debut ever, racking up more first-day streams on Amazon Music globally than any of her previous albums. The album also marks the most first-day streams for a country album by a female artist in Amazon Music history.”
In its first week, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, earning 407,000 equivalent album units. This marked the biggest sales week of 2024, a record that has since been surpassed by Taylor Swift’s most recent release.
Many were unhappy with the “Single Ladies” singer’s snub, Harper’s Bazaar wrote, “To me, such a blatant snub just shows that CMA nominating committee members couldn’t bear the thought of a black woman who didn’t fit their stereotype of a country star sweeping the night’s biggest categories—so they decided not to recognize her.”
X user @monsieurmoscato also said, “She already felt unwelcome, and this snub just adds salt to the wound. I hope Beyoncé does a live stream at the same time as the CMAs.”
READ MORE: Beyoncé threatens to shut down Trump campaign over use of her song ‘Freedom’
Beyonce Card