Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Snubbed By Academy Of Country Music Awards

You would think that winning a Grammy for Best Country Album would merit acknowledgment by the Academy of Country Music Association. Well, think again. The venerated organization that hands out the most prestigious awards in the genre declined to nominate Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter... for anything.

The 2025 Academy of Country Music nominations were announced and Beyoncé was not on the list, despite winning both Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year at the 2025 Grammys. Beyoncé was the first Black woman to hit the top of the country charts with her single “Texas Hold ‘Em.” Nigerian-American artist Shaboozey who appears on Cowboy Carter was nominated for two awards – New Male Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for “Tipsy.” The War and Treaty, an African American duo, are among the few other Black artists who picked up ACM nods.

Though Beyoncé won a Grammy with Miley Cyrus for the best Country/Duo or Group performance for “II Most Wanted,” the song wasn’t recognized either. While some critics believe that Beyoncé’s dominance of R&B, pop and dance categories hurt her credibility as a country music artist, it didn’t hold true for ACM nominees Post Malone and Jelly Roll, both of whom made country records in a genre they didn’t start in. Post Malone also appeared on Cowboy Carter.

“Were we hoping she’d be nominated? Absolutely,” ACM CEO Damon Whiteside told Billboard. Voting for the ACM Awards opened up a few weeks after the Grammys. “We love that Beyoncé is in the country genre. That’s fantastic for all the country artists out there. It’s fantastic for the fans. The more successful she is, the more we’re bringing more mainstream people into the genre which we want.”

But Whiteside says that Beyoncé’s exclusion from the nominations likely has to do with the fact that she’s not primarily a country artist. ACM voters are exclusively country as opposed to the Grammys where votes can come from musicians in multiple genres. But Whiteside says that the superstar is always welcome to perform at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

“I think, more likely, they’re going to be voting for artists that they’ve got relationships with and work with on a regular basis and that are in the country music business 365,” he said, adding, “We’d love to have Beyoncé on the show. She has an open invitation to be on the ACM stage anytime she ever wants to.”

Now in its 60th year, the ACM is known for its openness to other genres. Though not considered as prestigious as the Country Music Association, it is the oldest awards show in country music. Basically, it’s more of an American Music Awards, while the CMA’s are comparable to the Grammys. ACM presents an Artist of the Decade Award and honors session musicians, venues and festivals along with recording artists.

It is also the awards show known for its snub of the Dixie Chicks as they were known in 2003 after they criticized then-President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. They were booed throughout the show that year and lost both awards they were nominated for. Beyoncé’s appearance with the group at the 2016 Country Music Awards is what she says led to her recording a country album in the first place.

She and the group performed “Daddy Lessons” from her album Lemonade. It was criticized by some in the country genre who either didn’t like Beyoncé, The Chicks or both.

“It was very clear that I wasn’t welcomed,” she said on social media when introducing Cowboy Carter. “But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive. 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.”

Watch the full performance below and judge for yourself:

The Academy of Country Music Awards airs on Prime Video on May 8.