Country music legend Billy Ray Cyrus is speaking out in defense of Beyoncé being denied a Country Music Award.
Beyoncé releases a critically acclaimed country music album cowboy Carter in March 2024, featuring Americana artists such as Dolly Parton, Linda Martell and Shaboozey. Although the project earned the singer 11 Grammy nominations for the 2025 awards – more country music nominations than any other artist – the album was not recognized by the CMA.
This angered many fans and it seemed like Billy Ray Cyrus. The “Achy Break Heart” singer took to Instagram to express her displeasure and wrote, “I’m so happy and proud to see country music open and a format that accommodates everyone, every style . @lilnasx and I won this 2019 award for Event of the Year… but you won’t see it because they didn’t air it on the show No? Her album is really good She rules. But she knows that. She doesn’t need a trophy from the CMA… or permission from any of the judges Surname.
He ended the statement with a quote from Muhammad Ali, reading, “When you take them down…. You don’t need a judge”.
Miley Cyrus, Ray’s estranged daughter, is featured on the album, with “II Most Wanted” being one of Spotify’s most-streamed songs from the record. She also publicly supported Beyoncé, congratulating her on her Grammy nomination. In an interview with W MagazineCyrus noted that Beyoncé is a close source of guidance for her. “Sometimes I forget to talk about my normal everyday things, like texting with Beyoncé.”
Billy Ray and his Grammy-winning daughter were rumored to have a strained relationship following his divorce from her mother Tish in April 2022. The two moved on not long after, with Tish married Dominic Purcell in August 2023 and Billy Ray walked down the aisle with Firerose in October 2023, although he filed for divorce from the singer shortly after, citing sexual misconduct as the reason. because the marriage was irreconcilable and sought to be annulled on the grounds of fraud.
During an interview with David Letterman, the “Fflowers” singer spoke to his father and shared, “I’m so grateful to be able to follow him ahead of me. He almost gave me this map . And there’s a map of what to do and what to do.” not to do, and he instructed me in both. I also inherited my narcissism from my father,” she noted.
Keywords Billy Ray Cyrus, Beyonce