Washington, September 10
Mathew Knowles, the father of global superstar Beyonce, has publicly condemned the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards for their decision to exclude his daughter's album, 'Cowboy Carter', from this year's nominations.
In an interview with TMZ, Knowles expressed his frustration with the CMA Awards, highlighting what he perceives as a broader issue of cultural bias in the industry.
"There's more white people in America and unfortunately they don't vote based on ability and achievements, it's still sometimes a white and black thing," Knowles told TMZ, adding, "In America, there's no accountability for people not being accepting of other cultures."
His comments come in response to the CMA Awards' omission of 'Cowboy Carter', which has been widely recognized as one of the most significant country albums of the year.
Despite 'Cowboy Carter' topping the Billboard 200 for two weeks and holding the No. 1 spot on the Top Country Albums chart for a full month, the album failed to secure any nominations.
Beyonce's lead single, 'Texas Hold 'Em,' also made history by becoming the first Black woman to reach No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, where it remained for ten weeks, as per Billboard.
Knowles further criticized the CMA Awards for their handling of Beyonce's previous appearance with The Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks) at the 2016 CMAs.
During that performance, Beyonce faced backlash from some viewers due to her pop music background and political statements made during the Super Bowl Halftime Show, according to Billboard.
"Beyonce didn't have a good experience performing with The Chicks," Knowles noted, adding, "And the CMAs never apologized to her," during an interview with TMZ.
The controversy surrounding the 2016 CMAs and Beyonce's subsequent exclusion from that year's event led to widespread criticism.
The artist's appearance was notably absent from the CMA's website post-performance, further fueling allegations of exclusion.
Ironically, 'Cowboy Carter' may have been influenced by the very snub Beyonce experienced, as per Billboard.
In a March Instagram post, Beyonce revealed that the album was inspired by past experiences where she felt unwelcome.
"Because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive," she wrote in an Instagram post, adding, "It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history."
Despite the lack of recognition from the CMA Awards, Beyonce has received considerable support from within the country music community.
Country legends like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson made guest appearances on 'Cowboy Carter', and first-time CMA nominee Shaboozey publicly acknowledged Beyonce's influence.
"Thank you @Beyonce for opening a door for us, starting a conversation, and giving us one of the most innovative country albums of all time!" Shaboozey tweeted earlier, as per Billboard.